Firenze 2006-2007

Travel Guide Part V: Trains

Honestly, the train system could be a whole book, but I’m just going to give the abbreviated version and try to touch on all the basics. Here goes...
Major train stations are usually at the center of Italian cities, but like every travel rule, there are some exceptions. What is true it that the train stations are the centers of transportation for most cities. Most, if not all of the bus lines will have a stop at the station, there will be taxis there around the clock, and should the city have one, a subway stop nearby.
When trying to figure out what ticket to buy and which trains are going where, there are several things you can do. The first is to check times and destinations online at www.trenitalia.it this will give you a general idea as to when the train you’re looking for will leave and arrive. The next thing you can do is, once in the station, look at the big schedule board that will be in the main part of the station. On this board, there will be all the available information on departure times, arrival times, departure tracks, and any information on delays, etc. Even if you check your times online beforehand, it is a good idea to look at this board anyway because Italian trains are famously late. So always double check. When you are finally ready to buy a ticket, you can either go to a ticket window- most of the people working there will speak English, or you can go to a machine that will have a variety of options and languages available to you. This machine is usually the way to go. You can check times, prices and everything else from these machines, and then, when you’re ready to buy a ticket, they take cash or credit cards and will then print your ticket off for you when you are done. You can also buy your return ticket at this machine, and know that it will print on the same ticket as your first ticket- it will just be a little different. A one way ticket will only say "andata" but a round trip ticket will say "andata e ritorno." That one ticket can be validated twice and will be your ticket for the entire journey, even if you have a day lay over of more. If you are making a trip that is within about fifty miles of your starting point, you can buy your ticket from a newsstand in the train station. This is useful when you are in a hurry because the newsstands are hardly ever crowded and very quick to use.
Once you have your ticket, you need to find out which track your train is leaving from. In Italian, the tracks are called "binarios" you will need to look on a schedule to see which binario your train is leaving from and head to that track. At the head of each track, there is a little yellow machine that will validate your ticket. You need to make sure that you validate your ticket prior to boarding the train as a ticket that has not been validated is useless.
The next piece of travel by train that is useful is the different classes of trains. There are three main types of trains in Italy. The most expensive and fastest is called the "EuroStar." This line of trains will only stop at major cities- Milan, Florence, Bologna, Venice, Turin, Rome, and Naples. Tickets for this train are expensive, but the travel is nice and times are very fast. You generally need to make a seat reservation before hand to buy a ticket and have a place on the train. The next class of trains are known as the Inter City or IC trains. These trains will stop at both major and mid-major cities- which means take the list of cities listed above and add all the Empoli’s, Pisa’s, Siena’s, etc. of Italy to that list. These trains run frequently and are usually accessible without reservation, tickets are much cheaper than the EuroStar tickets are, but travel times are longer- although not all that much longer. Whenever available, these trains are the best balance of speed and cost efficiency for college students. The next, and worst line of trains stop at any place that could be considered a train station- it will stop in the middle of nowhere at a station that is one track and pick up nobody, but it still stops for some reason. It seems that as soon as you get going fast, you’re slowing down again. You will sometimes stop at three different stations in a single city- Florence for example- you can stop at three separate stations going through the city. These trains are cheap, kinda sketchy, but essential if you want to go to any of the tiny towns of the Italian countryside. And, if you can sacrifice the time, they are cheaper than all the other lines, so if you want to save some money this is the way to go.
There are some special types of train cars- like overnight coaches and dining coaches. The dining coaches are self-explanatory. The overnight coaches require reservations. They are coaches with beds, usually three per "room" so it is a good idea to book with your friends. When traveling on an overnight train, it is always a good idea to go with a buddy, and a better idea for one person in a party to be awake at all times to guard against theft. While it doesn’t happen all that often, it does still happen often enough for it to be considered a major problem.
Other things to think about when booking tickets or traveling by trains. There are both smoking and non-smoking compartments, so if you have a choice be sure to specify your preference because it can be a long ride in a smoking car if you don’t enjoy smoke. There are also different classes of tickets on the EuroStar and Inter City train lines. Tickets range from first to third class and, the higher the class, obviously the more expensive. With a first class ticket, you can sit pretty much anywhere on the train, but you’re gonna want to look for a first class compartment- they are much nicer than the other cars. Second class is similar, but generally not used as much as first or third class. Third class is the standard class, and with a third class ticket, you have to sit in a third class car. Of the third class cars, you’re gonna want to look for a car with your smoking preference which can be tricky at times. Just be aware of that.
Should you be in the situation of being on a very crowded train, know that in the connecting compartments of the cars, there are seats that pull out of the wall, and on some trains, these seats are available in the corridors as well.
Every hour or so, or at least after a major stop, a conductor will come by and check tickets. At this point, you show him your validated ticket. If you managed to get on a train without a ticket, you can buy a ticket from the conductor, but here, you have to pay with cash and the prices are more than they would have been in the station. Its also a bit of a hassle if you don’t know Italian because not all of the conductors know English.
From Florence, it is about a three hour- sometimes more train ride to both Milan and Rome, Pisa is an hour away. Most cities are accessible by train in Italy, some in Sicily aren’t, and there are some tiny towns that are only accessible by bus or car. It is possible to go anywhere from Prague or Vienna in Eastern Europe to Brussles to Paris and down to Lyon fairly easy in a normal weekend by train. Anything that is farther is tough to manage. You may want to think about flying.
I have not talked at all about Eurail passes, but will do so and explain all of the stuff associated with those and all the variations on the passes in a later section.
I know I’ve probably missed some things about train travel, either because its been a few years since I’ve done it myself or because I just don’t ever have to think about doing it anymore. Please do let me know if I have left anything major out.
Note- Each European country has their own versions of the classes of trains, but they are usually comparable. For instance- the EuroStar’s French equivalent is the TGV.

posted by Daniel Williams @ 20:26