Train travel Rome to Florence
We plan on taking Eurostar Rome to Florence in April. If we reserve 2nd class tickets will our seats be assigned and is there enough room for one medium suitcase per person? Is there a secure place for luggage or just at your feet?
Deb
Del mar, Ca Us 1/5/13
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Hi Deb. (fyi the trains on that route are called 'Freccia....'; the Eurostar runs along the coast.) Yes, when you purchase 2nd class tix, a reserved seat is included in the price. You handle your own luggage. There will likely be room for a carry on or slightly larger bag behind or above your seat within sight; there is a rack at the end of the car for larger bags. To see schedules and prices, see trenitalia.com. If you can lock in to a date and time, you can buy tix in advance for a discount. Otherwise just buy when there, you will pay the 'base' price. Enjoy your trip!
That is an easy trip to make with trains running every hour. Hopefully you are traveling lite but even if you are not there is usually plenty of room for your baggage.
A medium size bag will easily fit on the overhead rack.
But carry a bike wire lock with you in case you have larger suitcases and want to leave it in the storage area at the end of the train car. The storage unit is out of sight from where you'll be sitting, but if you lock with a cable, you don't have to worry that somebody is going to walk away with it.
There are at least 2 high speed trains per hour running in each direction btw Florence and Rome. Unless you book early enough to get a discounted (Economy or Supereconomy) ticket, you don't need to reserve in advance. Just show up at the station when you like and purchase the ticket on the spot. I've never failed to find a seat available in the very next train. At most they run out of 2nd class (1st class never does) and you have to wait for the next one 20-30 min later.
If you purchase in advance an Economy (or SuperEconomy) ticket, you can save a bundle, however there are stiff restrictions. Economy Tickets are non changeable or refundable, therefore you must make sure you're going to get that exact train or you lose your money.
FYI, the overhead racks on most Italian trains are very high, so unless you are tall, as well as strong, they can be more than a little challenging. I travel with a very lightweight retractable cable padlock, which provides peace of mind when I leave my luggage on the rack at the end of the car. As an added benefit, it also makes it harder for other passengers to move my luggage and put their's in its place, which really helps when it comes time to retreive the luggage on a crowded train.
Thanks for all this great advice!
Deb
Sherry,
Would this retractable lock be something you'd buy at a bike store? I'm envisioning locking our 2 suitcases with 1 lock. Does this sound doable?
We are 2 senior women so thanks for the warning about the overhead storage.
I reommend a Pacsafe retractable cable lock. Google it and you'll find several sites on which you can order one. You won't find it at a bike shop.