Traveling Around Italy by Train

[alliesma]

We are planning a cruise out of Venice next summer and plan to spend 1-1.5 weeks in Italy ahead of time. We would fly into Rome and would like to head down to Naples/Pompeii/Amalfi coast, up to Pisa/Florence and then onto Venice. We would fly home from Venice. Has anyone traveled around by train. Would it be better to rent a car once we leave Rome? How difficult is it to move around by train? Can you get around the different cities easily on foot or by taxi? We are 2 adults and a 13 and 15 year old. We can travel lightly. I think it would be more enjoyable for the adults not to drive but have no idea if moving around by train would be challenging. Would we need to purchase tickets ahead of time? Thanks for any advice.

[ab0si]

The choice of train versus car really depends on where you are going. If focusing on the main cities you do NOT want a car. Tolls and petrol (gas) and quite expensive it Italy. Parking in the cities is very expensive and driving in Rome, Naples, etc. is not for the faint of heart.

 

If you want to visit the smaller towns and rural areas a car is a great way to do this (the only other way to many such places is by bus).

 

Train travel in Italy is inexpensive compared to most other European countries. Many of the fast trains require reservations; the slower trains do not even offer this as an option. It is unusual to be unable to get reservations even if you purchase them only a couple of hours in advance. If you know when you are going to be traveling where, you can purchase tickets in advance for the national rail company at any train station and at almost all travel agents in Italy. Note that the Naples-Pompeii-Sorento line is NOT run by the national rail company. However, since there are no reservations for this service, there would be little advantage in early purchase anyway.

 

I have travelled all over Italy both by car and by rail. It really depends, as stated, on where you want to go and what you want to do.

[cruisemom42]

As someone who does not like to drive, I've used the trains and would say they are pretty easy to use, particularly to the places you mention (Naples, Florence, Venice).

 

The one place a car would come in handy is if you want to do some driving around the Tuscan countryside from Florence. But in that case, I'd simply rent a car for the day. The historic center of Florence doesn't allow much vehicular traffic, and of course a car wouldn't be much use in Venice. I would NOT drive in Naples under any circumstances; to say the traffic there is chaotic is an understatement!

[Hlitner]

We have traveled extensively in Italy by both train and car and personally prefer a car. But, if you just want to travel between major cities (such as Venice to Florence, Rome, etc) than the trains are the way to go. However, if you want to explore the Amalfi Coast, there are no trains to that area (the closest train station would be Sorrento or Salerno). You might want to consider using a combination of trains and rental cars. For the Amalfi Coast I would recommend taking a high speed train (such as IC +) to Naples and renting a car to drive towards Sorrento and than on to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. A GPS unit is worth the price to find your way out of Naples and through the small roads that bypass Sorrento.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

I agree with Hank, a combination is probably best given the locations you've chosen.

 

I'd rethink the locations, however. Seven to ten days is not enough to cover all the geography you've outlined. You'd spend most of your time either in transit or checking in and out of lodgings. I'd advise focusing on a couple of places, maybe Rome and Florence (Pisa is an easy day trip from a base in Florence).