Civitevechia to Lake Maggiore

[Boardwalkfun]

Any recommendations for getting off the cruise port in Civitevechia to go up to Lake Maggiore? Thank you. 

[Hlitner]

Yep, rent a car!  When we have gone to Lake Maggiore, we used Stresa as our home base and did various day trips around the lake and in the region.  It is a very rural area and having our own car was a huge advantage.  As long as you are flying home from an Italian airport, it is relatively easy to arrange a 1-way rental where you pick up your car in Civitavecchia (there are a few options) and drop at your chosen airport.  We often prefer to use Autoeurope.com or Kemwel.com (sister companies) who are located in New England.  They are consolidators (discounters) for various rental car companies (i.e. Hertz, Europcar, Budget, etc) and usually have decent prices and good customer service.

 

The drive will generally take around 7 hours and the route allows for some interesting stop-overs if you have the time.  For example, you could drive up to Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre) for 1 or 2 nights.  A different route could take you through Bologna, Parma and Milan.  Lots of decent options, especially if you have a few extra days (or weeks).

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

By train from Civitavecchia to Stresa (that's where we stayed for Lago Maggiore as well) by train is six and a half hours, with two changes en route.

[Boardwalkfun]

On 7/11/2023 at 3:15 PM, Hlitner said:

Yep, rent a car!  When we have gone to Lake Maggiore, we used Stresa as our home base and did various day trips around the lake and in the region.  It is a very rural area and having our own car was a huge advantage.  As long as you are flying home from an Italian airport, it is relatively easy to arrange a 1-way rental where you pick up your car in Civitavecchia (there are a few options) and drop at your chosen airport.  We often prefer to use Autoeurope.com or Kemwel.com (sister companies) who are located in New England.  They are consolidators (discounters) for various rental car companies (i.e. Hertz, Europcar, Budget, etc) and usually have decent prices and good customer service.

 

The drive will generally take around 7 hours and the route allows for some interesting stop-overs if you have the time.  For example, you could drive up to Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre) for 1 or 2 nights.  A different route could take you through Bologna, Parma and Milan.  Lots of decent options, especially if you have a few extra days (or weeks).

 

Hank

Thank you so much. Right now my husband is very opposed to driving in Italy. I am more open to it.  

[Boardwalkfun]

On 7/11/2023 at 6:08 PM, euro cruiser said:

By train from Civitavecchia to Stresa (that's where we stayed for Lago Maggiore as well) by train is six and a half hours, with two changes en route.

Thanks so much for your response.  There was a high speed train we found but we can't seem to find the link any more. 

[euro cruiser]

The six and a half hours does include a high speed train!

 

Italotreno does not serve Civitavecchia so Trenitalia is your only option from there.  Italo also does not serve Stresa, so Trenitalia/Trenord is your only option at that end.

 

The key shortest-travel-time options are departing at 7:30 and arriving at 2:12 PM, or departing at 9:58 and arriving at 4:32 PM.

 

Both include a regional train from Civitavecchia to Termini, then a high speed to Milano, followed by a regional to Stresa.

 

You could increase the comfort level, but also increase the travel time, by waiting for the first Frecce of the day from Civitavecchia to Rome, then a second high speed train from Rome to Milan (on either Trenitalia or Italotreno), but there's no avoiding the regionale from Milan to Stresa.  You could replace this segment with a car service, if ease and comfort are more important.

 

The first Frecce train from Civitavecchia to Termini is at 9:16, arriving to Termini at 10:03.  This allows you to easily connect to either the 10:30 on Trenitalia or the 10:40 on Italo to Milano Centrale.

 

PLEASE NOTE:  If you take a regional train from Civitavecchia to Rome you will arrive to auxiliary tracks at Termini and will have a three-block walk, with luggage, to the main terminal and track head for the train to Milan.

Edited July 13, 2023 by euro cruiser

[Hlitner]

36 minutes ago, Boardwalkfun said:

Thanks so much for your response.  There was a high speed train we found but we can't seem to find the link any more. 

Assuming you could get to Stresa by some kind of public transportation, than what?  And yes, I believe there is a train from Milan, so you would need to train up to Milan and change trains. 

 

You would be in a small, charming like-side village on a huge lake.  You would than need to find local tours to go to various places in the region which is not always an efficient mode of travel.  My confession about Lake Maggiore, is that many years ago we did drive to that town.  One day we decided to drive around the huge lake, and the roads are anything but straight :).  I actually got car sick while driving!  Not my norm, but it really happened.  We did enjoy the Borromean islands.  But strange things happen to independent travelers and Stresa gave us one of those moments.  DW had been a public school teacher for many years.  In our hotel elevator there was a flyer about a free concert, performed in the town square by a high school group, that same evening.  That group was from the district where DW taught school  and she quickly spotted the music teacher who was leading the high school group.  That teacher looked at my wife and said, "I cannot believe you came all this way from home to see our group!"  

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

24 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Assuming you could get to Stresa by some kind of public transportation, than what? 

 

Stresa has good ferry and train connections.

 

[Boardwalkfun]

3 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

The six and a half hours does include a high speed train!

 

Italotreno does not serve Civitavecchia so Trenitalia is your only option from there.  Italo also does not serve Stresa, so Trenitalia/Trenord is your only option at that end.

 

The key shortest-travel-time options are departing at 7:30 and arriving at 2:12 PM, or departing at 9:58 and arriving at 4:32 PM.

 

Both include a regional train from Civitavecchia to Termini, then a high speed to Milano, followed by a regional to Stresa.

 

You could increase the comfort level, but also increase the travel time, by waiting for the first Frecce of the day from Civitavecchia to Rome, then a second high speed train from Rome to Milan (on either Trenitalia or Italotreno), but there's no avoiding the regionale from Milan to Stresa.  You could replace this segment with a car service, if ease and comfort are more important.

 

The first Frecce train from Civitavecchia to Termini is at 9:16, arriving to Termini at 10:03.  This allows you to easily connect to either the 10:30 on Trenitalia or the 10:40 on Italo to Milano Centrale.

 

PLEASE NOTE:  If you take a regional train from Civitavecchia to Rome you will arrive to auxiliary tracks at Termini and will have a three-block walk, with luggage, to the main terminal and track head for the train to Milan.

Thanks so much for taking the time to give us so much info.  We are still cinsidering whst to do.

[Boardwalkfun]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Assuming you could get to Stresa by some kind of public transportation, than what?  And yes, I believe there is a train from Milan, so you would need to train up to Milan and change trains. 

 

You would be in a small, charming like-side village on a huge lake.  You would than need to find local tours to go to various places in the region which is not always an efficient mode of travel.  My confession about Lake Maggiore, is that many years ago we did drive to that town.  One day we decided to drive around the huge lake, and the roads are anything but straight :).  I actually got car sick while driving!  Not my norm, but it really happened.  We did enjoy the Borromean islands.  But strange things happen to independent travelers and Stresa gave us one of those moments.  DW had been a public school teacher for many years.  In our hotel elevator there was a flyer about a free concert, performed in the town square by a high school group, that same evening.  That group was from the district where DW taught school  and she quickly spotted the music teacher who was leading the high school group.  That teacher looked at my wife and said, "I cannot believe you came all this way from home to see our group!"  

 

Hank

What a great small world story.  Thanks for taking the time. We are still figuring out what to do.