“I’m going to be in Italy but I don’t want to drive everywhere.”
“Then, take planes and trains! “
“Won’t that be too expensive?”
” Not necessarily…”
Alternative ways of Travelling
If you are planning a trip to Italy and want to explore just a region or two then the best way is to rent s car. Especially if the countryside is what you are interested in. If you are limited on time or wanting to see a lot of the country, then maybe you should look at possible alternatives such as planes and trains.
Flight costs have come down drastically in the last decade thanks to European deregulations and competition. There are several low cost air carriers that offer not only great deals but reach many cities throughout the peninsula.
You need to be a bit pro active and plan ahead. Figure out the in and outs of these low cost air carriers because if you don’t, the costs can go up pretty fast.
Great Prices and Save Time
How cheap can you fly? Well, about Milan to Paris for 20€ or Milan to Olbia for 36€. I’ve flown from Berlin to Milan for only 9€. That’s right, those prices are dirt cheap but they need to be booked in advance. All of your boarding passes need to be printed in advance as well. If you don’t, you could face fees from the airline. Checkout www.tripsavvy.com for a rude wakening on these discount airlines extra fees. If you do everything they say then you are on “easy” street… or flight.
Often the airports that these airlines use are not the common ones that you may be familiar with. Check which airport you are actually landing in, and plan accordingly. For instance if you travel from Berlin to Milan with Ryan Air, you actually land at Bergamo airport. Although only 50 kilometres from to Milan, Bergamo is an other city entirely.
The Smaller the Airport the Better
Sometimes it’s actually better because these airports are smaller and therefore easier to get in and out. But, for instance, Milan is your final destination, you still have some traveling to do. An other example: Easy-Jet has the whole terminal 2 to it self at Milano Malpensa. A bit tricky for your car rental return, as the drop off is at terminal 1. You need then shuttle to terminal 2 once you dropped off your rental. Nonetheless it’s worth the hassle if you consider that it cost me only 110€ for my whole family of 5 to fly one way to Paris. Luggage fees, assigned seats, taxes included. Soon terminal 2 will have rental pick up and drop off.
Planning is Key
Discount airlines often land only in selected airports so you might need to have a strategy in place. For instance you want to visit Milan, Rome Florence and Sicily. The airline of your choice flies from Milan to Rome but not from Rome to Sicily but it flies out of Pisa to Sicily. I, then suggest to go to Sicily first from Milan visit the island and then get on a flight to Pisa, visit Florence as it is only 70km away and then take the train to Rome. Enjoy the capital and all its beauties and then you are off to your next destination from one of Rome’s Airports. Of course if you have time at your disposal you could also drive to all these places. Planning is key.
What I’ve done as well in the past, is booking far enough in advance so the costs are really inexpensive and then book two departure days from the same airport just in case I want to spend extra time there. If the price is low and sometimes it’s as low as 9 euros, I would then forfeit one ticket. That’s always less expensive than calling the airline and pay for a change in dates. You’ll know when you do your budget how much you want to spend in transportation and then make decisions accordingly.
Easy, Relaxing Train Travel
Trains in Italy are easily available, fast and on time 86% of the time( 2016 Trenitalia statistics ). Second class is just fine and naturally less expensive. Trenitalia is the main train company and their trains hit just about every possible town.
Courtesy of Daniel Case
But if you are wanting to see passes in the Dolomites, the poppy fields in Tuscany or the lakes in Veneto, then you need to add a car to your trip. Book your train to the town closest to where you want to go and then rent a car to continue your trip. Make sure car rentals are available at those stations. Because trains are often and fast, it makes planning that much simpler.
Milano-Roma on the Frecciarossa for instance is less than 3 hours. That’s 620 km.
The great thing about train travel is that it always arrives and departs downtown. Making it easy and inexpensive to get to the stations.
Great destinations at your finger tips
Some cities have more than one train station so check to see which works for you. In bigger centres, you can use the public transportation to get to the stations instead of taxis which are expensive and sometimes … questionable. That could be a blog all in itself. Small towns are also connected by train so it makes perfect sense if you are interested in seeing as much as the countryside as possible. Visit www.trenitalia.com and see where you would like to travel to.
Personally I always rent a car as soon as I arrive at the airport and almost alway use it to move about.
And if you do rent, read my post on driving in Italy. https://www.italiabound.com/driving-italy-autostada-toll-highways/
I often don’t use a car if I travel between major cities especially if I’m going there for just one or two days. For instance if on one visit I want to go to Milan from my home of Novara, I would take the train. It takes only 25 minutes to get there. Parking alone would take that long to find in Milan.
And the best part I just show up at the station as a train usually will be by every 20 minutes. If I miss it, I’ll have a caffè al bar and wait for the next one.
Buying tickets can be done online, at a kiosk in the station or airports or in biglietteria ( ticket booth) in the station.
In bigger centres I would avoid the latter. It can be a long wait as many foreigner flock these counters. The kiosks are fast and in any language. It makes the whole process easier.
Online is an other option but at times, I noticed that certain departure times and trains are not available for purchasing. When you purchase on line you are restricted to that particular time departure that you’ve booked. At a kiosks you have the option to get a different train that may be arriving sooner since you are already there.
Which ever choice of transportation you choose is totally based on budget, flexibility and time at your disposal.
Trains are clean well maintained, frequent and fast which makes for a better travel experience.
Till then… Buon viaggio
Are you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post? Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.
