train or plane

[pieshops]

We are flying into Milan the day before our cruise from Civitavecchia.

 

There are 3 adults ands 2 kids.

 

Our flight arrives 10:00 am.

 

Originally I had planned on just jumping on a train and heading to the port to stay the night but I have been thinking about maybe staying the night in Milan and heading to the port in the morning.

 

So here are the questions.

 

1. Plane or train to Rome - plane seems quicker and a bit cheaper but with airport security etc not sure.

 

2. should we stay the night or just head to Rome.

 

thanks in advance

[-Lew-]

IMHO train travel is the best option. Currently, travel from Milano Central to Civitavecchia with a change at Roma Termini takes about 4½ hours.

 

Traveling by air would be more of a hassle as you would need to get to the airport well in advance of your flight and arrange transportation to Civitavecchia upon arrival at FCO.

 

Lew

[euro cruiser]

If you decide to stay in Milan, then use the train. If you're going to simply continue on and stay in Rome, then fly since you're already at the airport.

 

Personally, I'd prefer to get the travel over with on the first day, unless there is some reason you want to stay in Milan (something you want to see or do).

 

When you analyze the cost of the additional flight leg vs. the train, you also need to consider the time and hassle of adding an additional type of transit (getting yourself and your bags into town, then onto the train and settled).

Edited May 28, 2014 by euro cruiser

[Twickenham]

If you take the train you'll see some pretty Italian countryside.

If you take the plane, you'll see... a few clouds.

You can actually take a train directly from Milano Centrale to Civitavecchia, so no need to go to Rome unless you want to.

[GeezerCouple]

If you take the train you'll see some pretty Italian countryside.

If you take the plane, you'll see... a few clouds.

You can actually take a train directly from Milano Centrale to Civitavecchia, so no need to go to Rome unless you want to.

 

If you take the train, would you need to change trains?

If so, where? In some of the smaller train stations, the "path" is not particularly luggage-friendly, IF you need to change platforms.

We found it was necessary to lug luggage up and down multiple flights of stairs.

 

We were traveling light. If we had "enough" for a long cruise, we'd have had a serious problem.

NOTE: The "friendly" people who offer to help are more likely either to just run off with your luggage (this we've only read about) or, after INSISTING upon helping, in a very aggressive way, then stand there even more aggressively and keep demanding more and more money. (Had the person been more pleasant, we'd have been more than happy to pay a few more Euros for the help, but he didn't know that, obviously.)

Fortunately, that was the only "off" moment for us.

Fortunately, some other passengers appeared then, but we aren't quite sure what would have happened otherwise...

 

(The man literally struggled grabbing a suitcase away from me, and I was sure it was about to be stolen. So what did happen, wasn't so bad. But it wasn't pleasant, to put it mildly. And we will probably avoid small stations in the future, and perhaps rent a car or something instead. The man continued to stand around looking carefully at everyone as they approached. There were no "officials" in sight anywhere, and we weren't about to try to navigate those down and up staircases again to get back to the station...)

 

Otherwise, the trains were a pleasure (and I do mean that).

 

GeezerCouple

[raindropsalways]

The cathedral in Milan is definitely worth a visit. http://www.duomomilano.it/en/ It is very simple to take the local train from the airport in Milan to the Central train station. Where you could book a hotel and do a little sightseeing. Then in the morning, take the train to Civitavecchia. Note: You cannot begin to see the sights in Rome in an afternoon.

 

If you take the train to Rome to spend the night, you will again have to get on the train (most practical option) to get to Civitavecchia. If you fly into Rome, you can book the hotel in the airport or take the train into Rome. But but you would then have to take another train to Civitavecchia. There are transportation services from the airport to the port or into Rome, but they are not cheap. And is is very unlikely that you would find a hotel in Civitavecchia.

 

Regardless of what you decide to do, have a wonderful trip.

Betty

[pieshops]

ok so now i think i am more confused on what to do lol.

 

If i take the fast train to rome and then the local to the port it seems like even if I hit all connections perfectly it should be about 6 hour trip.

 

If i take the regular train direct to the port it seems to be slower but less changes and will take almost 7 hours.

 

flying will only take an hour but probably add on another 4 or 5 hours with arriving early and getting to and from

 

What to do what to do

[raindropsalways]

I think you may be looking at Eurorail or one of those places. To get the local train schedules, go directly to the Italian train company. http://www.italiarail.com/ You can also book directly with them and it should be less expensive. Regardless, the total train trip should be just a little over four hours. We booked all our trains directly with Trenitalia.

Edited May 28, 2014 by raindropsalways

[mountainmare]

I would take the regular train with fewer changes (Genoa?? Pisa??) and stay in Civitavecchia. We happen to like the town, search on tripadvisor for hotel and B&B options.

The above poster is right--and there is a train with no changes from Milan to Civitavecchia,

Edited May 28, 2014 by mountainmare

[pieshops]

I think you may be looking at Eurorail or one of those places. To get the local train schedules, go directly to the Italian train company. http://www.italiarail.com/ You can also book directly with them and it should be less expensive. Regardless, the total train trip should be just a little over four hours. We booked all our trains directly with Trenitalia.

 

That is for the fast train from Milan to Rome, change in Rome to port correct?

 

You are correct, only things not considered are:

 

The Italtrain does not leave from the main train station so train from airport to another station, change trains then train to where Italtrain leaves from. Then to Rome with another transfer.

 

Thats why i figured in the extra time.

 

What are your thoughts

[pieshops]

I think you may be looking at Eurorail or one of those places. To get the local train schedules, go directly to the Italian train company. http://www.italiarail.com/ You can also book directly with them and it should be less expensive. Regardless, the total train trip should be just a little over four hours. We booked all our trains directly with Trenitalia.

 

 

Also arent Trenitalia and Italrail 2 different companies

[pieshops]

I would take the regular train with fewer changes (Genoa?? Pisa??) and stay in Civitavecchia. We happen to like the town, search on tripadvisor for hotel and B&B options.

The above poster is right--and there is a train with no changes from Milan to Civitavecchia,

 

Looks like there os one with no stops per day but it is a 6 an a half hour ride. I guess 6 or one half dozen of the other with the changes the other way

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Do a nonstop from Philadelphia to Rome and be done with it. You aren't going to be in Milan for any amount of time after an exhausting long distance flight. Kids sleep fine on the plane but parents don't. You'll be exhausted. Unless you book a flight with the same airline all the way to Rome from the US- you won't have the same amount of luggage weight allowance. Domestic flights from Milan to Rome usually only allow 12 kgs- 15kg. instead of 23kg. I ended up spend 200 Euros on overage for only one bag!

 

Kids aren't going to care about scenery- which isn't exactly "stunning"- it's fields and the occasional house. If you go from Malpensa to Milan Central and so forth- it means finding said trains on maybe zero sleep. Pickpockets love weary travelers. So you are kind of setting yourself up for a version of Chevy Chase's European Vacation.

 

Fly straight to Rome and taxi to your hotel. I suggest the Hotel Imperiale on the Via Veneto. They have nice roomy quads.

[pieshops]

Do a nonstop from Philadelphia to Rome and be done with it. You aren't going to be in Milan for any amount of time after an exhausting long distance flight. Kids sleep fine on the plane but parents don't. You'll be exhausted. Unless you book a flight with the same airline all the way to Rome from the US- you won't have the same amount of luggage weight allowance. Domestic flights from Milan to Rome usually only allow 12 kgs- 15kg. instead of 23kg. I ended up spend 200 Euros on overage for only one bag!

 

Kids aren't going to care about scenery- which isn't exactly "stunning"- it's fields and the occasional house. If you go from Malpensa to Milan Central and so forth- it means finding said trains on maybe zero sleep. Pickpockets love weary travelers. So you are kind of setting yourself up for a version of Chevy Chase's European Vacation.

 

Fly straight to Rome and taxi to your hotel. I suggest the Hotel Imperiale on the Via Veneto. They have nice roomy quads.

Thank you for the advice. Milan is a done deal already, we have tickets. We saved $3000 dollars flying in there as opposed to Rome and we are doing Venice on the tail end so it works out well

 

In the end after train or plane we will save well over $2000 dollars so a bit of inconvenience is worth it.

 

We are much more travelers then tourists so the getting there and in between stuff is an integral part of the fun

[rebeccalouiseagain]

If it is high season you absolutely MUST reserve seats on the trains. Keep this in mind. A rail pass will not guarantee you seats. We sat with our luggage on the floor all the way from Milan to Venice one time because I refused to leave our luggage in one spot and hunt for seats elsewhere.

 

If you can- call the airline you are on now to see if you can connect to Rome. This way you don't have to go through customs and won't have to have the puny luggage allowance.

 

I would not do the trains because it require transfers and wait times at Milan Central, Rome or another city that connects. It will take more than 6 hours when all is said and done.

 

Trains strikes are also a reality.

Edited May 28, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[raindropsalways]

I would not do the trains because it require transfers and wait times at Milan Central, Rome or another city that connects. It will take more than 6 hours when all is said and done.QUOTE]

 

Where are you getting this false information. Go to the correct website and look it up. http://www.italiarail.com/ We are two senior handicap ladies that require the use of mobility scooters and we made it all the way from Milan to the port without any problems. At the most, you should only have one transfer, Rome. Oh, you will also have the local train from the airport in Milan to Milan Central Station.

 

Just because you may have not understood what you were booking, do not ruin things for others. It is true that in most European countries one may have to reserve a “seat” on trains but that seat may not be close to your luggage.

 

Italiarail and Trenitalia are of the same company. Italiarail may charge a bit more if you do the conversions from euro to dollars. Most credit cards charge 3% to convert so a lot of European companies will offer an option so they get that 3% and probably a little bit more.

Edited May 28, 2014 by raindropsalways

[4774Papa]

If you decide to stay in Milan, then use the train. If you're going to simply continue on and stay in Rome, then fly since you're already at the airport.

 

Personally, I'd prefer to get the travel over with on the first day, unless there is some reason you want to stay in Milan (something you want to see or do).

 

When you analyze the cost of the additional flight leg vs. the train, you also need to consider the time and hassle of adding an additional type of transit (getting yourself and your bags into town, then onto the train and settled).

Good advise. From Milan, I suggest taking the train to Civi and spend the night there. If you take the train, you would need to depart early. Trains in Italy can be delayed. Also, sometimes the rail workers go on strike.

 

From Rome, you have a bit more flexibility, but the train is still the cheapest.

[pieshops]

I think the plane is now not an option.

 

We arrive in Milan at 10:40 am The only non stops are Alitalia 11:10 and 7 at night, so we would never make the 11:10 and it is silly to wait around until 7.

 

So it is the train for us I think, unless other non stops open between then and now.

 

So the next question is if we land at 10:40 - what time do you think is a realistic time to get a train from Milan taking into account that we would have to take the train from the airport to the train station?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Realistically you could make the 1PM train without any problem. The plane more than likely won't be late. Customs and luggage pick-up take no more than an hour. The trains run frequently and I believe take only 40 minutes to Milan Central. The 1PM train is a non-stop to Civitavecchia. Trains in economy without reservations run about $150 pp. one way.

 

Alitalia has nonstop Milan Malpensa to Rome nearly every hour on the hour. http://www.edreams.net/engine/ItinerarySearch/search. Tickets with luggage run about $165 pp.

Edited May 28, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[pieshops]

Realistically you could make the 1PM train without any problem. The plane more than likely won't be late. Customs and luggage pick-up take no more than an hour. The trains run frequently and I believe take only 40 minutes to Milan Central. The 1PM train is a non-stop to Civitavecchia.

 

Alitalia has nonstop Milan Malpensa to Rome every hour on the hour. http://www.edreams.net/engine/ItinerarySearch/search. I just did a random search. Now there are other air carriers that you can find easily on edreams.com you can use. If you want to save some money but you do have to pay for checked bags and there is a maximum luggage allowance so read the fine print.

 

Thank you

 

Can you give me a link that shows a 1:00 non stop train to Civitaveccia, i can not find t anywhere.

[Twickenham]

I think the plane is now not an option.

 

We arrive in Milan at 10:40 am The only non stops are Alitalia 11:10 and 7 at night, so we would never make the 11:10 and it is silly to wait around until 7.

 

So it is the train for us I think, unless other non stops open between then and now.

 

So the next question is if we land at 10:40 - what time do you think is a realistic time to get a train from Milan taking into account that we would have to take the train from the airport to the train station?

 

Should be able to make the 11:43 Malpensa Express, which will get you to Milano Centrale at 12:35.

 

Frecciabianca direct to Civi at 1:10 pm, arriving in Civi at 7:16 pm. You'll be riding along the Med coast for most of the trip. Check this out on the Trenitalia site.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I used Rail Europe. I had to use a random date in summer since I don't know your exact date of travel.

[euro cruiser]

Should be able to make the 11:43 Malpensa Express, which will get you to Milano Centrale at 12:35.

 

Frecciabianca direct to Civi at 1:10 pm, arriving in Civi at 7:16 pm. You'll be riding along the Med coast for most of the trip. Check this out on the Trenitalia site.

This makes the most sense, and the information is from the source. The other sites people are sending you to are one-off service providers who (a) charge more money and (b) don't necessarily have the latest or the correct information. Go to the source, which in Italy is either Trenitalia (the state railroad) or Italotreno, a fairly recent private competitor.

 

Given the size of your savings, you might consider spending a bit of it on a car service to drive you from the airport to Milano Centrale, if that feels more comfortable for you than dealing with two different trains. On the second train you'll have assigned seats, which makes it all much easier. As far as I know the Malpensa Express runs like the Leonardo Express in Rome, with no seat assignments. Normally I try to minimize the number of different transit methods in one trip, but this is one situation where I'd consider adding another method.

Edited May 28, 2014 by euro cruiser

[pieshops]

This makes the most sense, and the information is from the source. The other sites people are sending you to are one-off service providers who (a) charge more money and (b) don't necessarily have the latest or the correct information. Go to the source, which in Italy is either Trenitalia (the state railroad) or Italotreno, a fairly recent private competitor.

 

Given the size of your savings, you might consider spending a bit of it on a car service to drive you from the airport to Milano Centrale, if that feels more comfortable for you than dealing with two different trains. On the second train you'll have assigned seats, which makes it all much easier. As far as I know the Malpensa Express runs like the Leonardo Express in Rome, with no seat assignments. Normally I try to minimize the number of different transit methods in one trip, but this is one situation where I'd consider adding another method.

 

Trains don't bother my I actually love them so no car service here.

 

Do you know the difference between that coastal route which takes 6 hours and i guess bypasses Rome and the fast train with a change in Rome which takes 4 and a half. Other then the cost and time?

 

Seems if all is relative then we would do the 4 and a half hour one

[GeezerCouple]

This makes the most sense, and the information is from the source. The other sites people are sending you to are one-off service providers who (a) charge more money and (b) don't necessarily have the latest or the correct information. Go to the source, which in Italy is either Trenitalia (the state railroad) or Italotreno, a fairly recent private competitor.

 

Given the size of your savings, you might consider spending a bit of it on a car service to drive you from the airport to Milano Centrale, if that feels more comfortable for you than dealing with two different trains. On the second train you'll have assigned seats, which makes it all much easier. As far as I know the Malpensa Express runs like the Leonardo Express in Rome, with no seat assignments. Normally I try to minimize the number of different transit methods in one trip, but this is one situation where I'd consider adding another method.

 

We had no trouble using Trenitalia.com, both from the USA prior to leaving, and while in Italy, to make new reservations, and to change one.

(To make the change for one segment, after arriving in Italy, we asked the hotel concierge to make the phone call, as we couldn't do that in Italian.)

 

One little hint, if it isn't obvious when you are online, is that for the trains that have reserved seats, you can probably select your seats (rather than have the seats selected automatically).

 

After you've selected the train and the class of service and price, but *before* clicking to get to the seats or to pay, look just below the "box" that shows the fare choices, to the lower left corner. (hope the display is the same for you!)

 

Then you can select your own seats, and the choices will appear in the next window.

 

It was quite easy, once we figured out how the website worked, which wasn't difficult.

 

Then PRINT OUT your tickets and bring the paper copy for each person's ticket with you to show the person checking tickets.

 

We saw someone who tried to display the information on a cell phone, and apparently it didn't display properly, which caused difficulties.

We just prefer paper copies of everything as backup, anyway.

 

The seats on the fast train (this was Rome to Florence) were the most comfortable we'd had on a train, and this includes the Amtrak Acela (which has "okay" seats).

 

The trains were all surprisingly smooth, even when going fast.

 

Nice!

 

We won't hesitate to take those fast trains in the future, and it avoids all the security and check-in at airports (at least for the international flights).

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

GeezerCouple