I will be travelling in Italy from the 30th of August to the 6th of September with friends. We will be travelling from Venice to Cinque Terre and from there to Pisa and utlimately on to Rome.
Is train travel the best way to get between these cities? Is it better to buy tickets on trenitalia in advance or should we buy tickets in Italy? Lastly, if I do buy a ticket for a certain time do we have to take it in that time slot or is it the same as in the UK where if you buy a ticket between certain points you can travel that bit the whole day?
Thank you
Chantelle
Answer That's a lot of traveling! Should be fun, but very busy.
The fast trains between Venice and Florence fill up in advance best to book ahead if you can. Trenitalia.com is very difficult to work with; usually won't take your credit card. Here's a link to the service we use, very reliable: http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1395964-1205410.
Yes, train is your best bet because driving and parking is difficult in Florence, non existent in Cinque Terre and difficult in Rome.
The tickets work as you say for open seating trains, i.e. from Florence into Cinque Terre, to Pisa, to Genoa or La Spezia. Oh, consider visiting Pisa en route from Florence to Cinque Terre, then from there go to La Spezia or Genoa to connect to Rome.
You can check on rail passes, but I think you will find point to point pricing less.
If you have seat reservations on the fast trains and miss your reservation, then you have to wait till all reservations are seated on the next train and sit where you can.
If you can patronize our businesses, it would be great:
www.ItalyPerfect.com for vacation rentals in Italy
www.KidsEurope.com travel tools for children
