Using the train - Prices

nickhopkins07

New member
Ciao!

My girlfriend and I are planning to visit the region in July but are struggling to decide the best itinerary and way to travel.

We'll be flying into Rome where we'll be staying a few nights, then looking to travel to Florence, with the intention of staying at an Agriturismo on the outskirts so we can relax in the countryside whilst being able to visit the City at our leisure. Then travelling to stay in/around Siena before travelling to Pisa to fly home.

Firstly, does that sound like a good plan? Can you envisage any pitfalls from doing it this way?

Secondly, what sort of prices would we be looking at via train for the above? We're trying to decide whether to use public transport or hire a car.

Many thanks
Nick
 
check the train sites for costs

Ciao Nick!

Your plan to go from Rome, to Florence, to Chianti and Siena and finally ending up in Pisa sounds really good. Have you already found an agriturismo outside of Florence and a place in Siena to stay at?
You can take a look at some options here: http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/florence-outskirts-farmhouses/

Just know that July is already high season and a lot of agriturismos will only rent by the week. You don't mention how long overall you have in terms of days at each place, it is likely you will have less time than a week, right?
Just outside of Florence, I'd recommend both Agricola Poderino and Poggio al Sole since they both offer stays of less than a week and are still very close.

As far as moving about - you could definitely take the train from Rome to Florence.
Once you're in Florence, rent a car as you'll be out of the city and plan to stay in the countryside - public transportation gets iffy there and it is best to have your own means of travel to see what you want in the time you have.
You can do some general searches on here: http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-car-rental/
I'd recommend renting from "florence rail station" as it will include all of the ones close by.

But if you take a look at www.trenitalia.com and http://www.italotreno.it/en/ and take a look at the trains available - cost depends on the type of train you take (faster ones cost more) - you might calculate that the cost of car rental for 1 day extra is less than the cost of 2 one-way tickets for the train so explore both options (train+car or just car from Rome).

Also look into dropping off in Pisa rather than Florence so that you don't have to catch a train from Florence to the Pisa airport (it is cheap, less than 10 euros per person if I remember correctly).

Hope these tips are useful, let me know if you have any other questions! :)
 
p.s.

p.s. if you decide for some part of train travel, you don't need to buy tickets ahead of time through the websites unless you find and want to take advantage of some special offers. Just thought I'd add that so you'd know.... plus, regional trains (like from Florence to Pisa) actually are not sold online, you have to buy at the station right before traveling.
 
Lourdes,

Many thanks for the reply and info. We'll probably look to spend 5 nights around Florence and 3 around Siena. I was hoping to forgo hiring a car, but I think the freedom it may give might make it worth it.

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions soon!

Many thanks

Nick
 
car rental

Yes, I think once you leave the towns a car is essential to moving around to maximize the time you have and just have the freedom to move around at your leisure.

Just post once some more questions come up, we'll try to help! :)
 
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