| European train travel 10:32 - Jun 9 with 1374 views | Leaky |
Thinking of visiting Rome & Pompeii later this summer would love to do one way by train. Anyone experienced it . Would be good to get what ever discounts are going for an OAP.
May want to visit Monte Cassino as well [Post edited 9 Jun 11:53]
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| European train travel on 10:54 - Jun 9 with 1315 views | hatch |
A few years ago I went all over Italy by train with my wife - wonderful way of seeing the country.
Part of our tour was Florence to Sorrento via Rome, Naples & Pompeii so I can vouch for it. The fast Frecciarossa trains are very comfortable and quick but you do pay a premium, not sure on OAP rates etc. I think there are slower, cheaper options like in the UK but would advise of trying to book onto a Frecciarossa if you can.
Rome to Naples is direct, regular and easy. From Naples it's a short walk to the station for the Circumvesuviana train - this is the most battered, graffiti hit little train you'll ever travel on but it runs a pretty route from Naples via Pompeii to Sorrento.
I've been to Pompeii twice and half a day was enough for me but others prefer visiting the area for a few days. We left Florence around 0800 and got to Pompeii around lunchtime from memory - spent 4/5 hours there then hopped back on the train onwards to Sorrento where we spent a fantastic few days. Highly recommend Sorrento if you've not been before - we also did a day trip to Capri. If you do opt to do something like this, Pompeii train station has luggage storage facilities upstairs that was handy.
Recommend checking it all out in more detail here if you need any insights: https://www.seat61.com/ [Post edited 9 Jun 10:56]
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| European train travel on 11:03 - Jun 9 with 1284 views | artsbossbeard |
Yep, I did it a few years back and it was relatively simple and reasonably inexpensive and can be booked c/o Trainline, so you can add your railcard to your booking for discounts.
Journey time to Naples is circa 2.5hrs by train and then you can pick up a hop-on/hop-off bus to Pompeii (there might well be a nearer stop to Pompeii en-route but we were staying in Sorrento, so Naples was the easiest station for us).
We had a two/three nights in Rome, got the train to Naples and then had a few nights in Sorrento before getting a return train for a flight home from Rome. |  |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| European train travel on 11:26 - Jun 9 with 1204 views | Sharkey |
Consider getting a Eurail card. https://rail.cc/eurail-global-pass-5-days-in-1-month. (They sometimes have sales on these cards.)
What I like about them is that once you've decided to use one of your days, you can break up your journey as much as you like, without caring which train you get on. So you can stop somewhere for coffee and a stroll, then again for lunch, and then again for tea, or whatever (or maybe just on a whim, because you're on a train and you just see something you like the look of. And when you've finished whatever you're doing, just head back to the station and get on the next train going in the right direction, without worrying too much about timetables. It's amazing how many trains there are when it doesn't matter which one you're on. Feels a bit like going back in time thirty years. |  | | |
| European train travel on 11:27 - Jun 9 with 1200 views | WeWereZombies |
Spent a couple of weeks travelling the east side of Italy by train and ferry back in 2008 (including Eurostar from Kings Cross to Paris and then down to Italy by the fast train before slowing things down on local trains.) It was quite cheap and very easy, seem to remember just hopping off the train at Pompeii to go to the ruins, spent all day there but no plaque in memory of Richard Wright and the Pink Floyd film - the Italians have no sense of history. Rome can be challenging in terms of heavy and uncompromising traffic, it is also going to be very hot in summer.
We took a ferry across to Ischia and stayed there a few days, nice island apart from Naples using it as a dumping ground for cars that no longer run. On our return we got an overnight ship to Sicily from Naples and that was very good, as was Sicily apart from Catania (another traffic cursed city) before getting the train that crosses the Strait of Messina by tracks that connect to a track on the ship and then connect to the tracks on the mainland, maximum train nerd points if can travel on that one still. |  |
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| European train travel on 11:28 - Jun 9 with 1201 views | BathBlue |
I’ll second that! He’s a train genius. We are visiting 12 countries in 3 weeks in Europe this summer by train and have planned it all by using Seat 61.
Trains in Italy are excellent by the way |  | | |
| European train travel on 11:54 - Jun 9 with 1128 views | Leaky |
Thanks for that | | | |
| European train travel on 13:19 - Jun 9 with 983 views | Durovigutum |
Was going to try to go to Italy at Easter but the tunnel through the Alps was still under repair so went to Paris for a few days then Nice instead.
I bought the 4 day pass via Interrail and it was very easy. First class wasn't much more. They had a "black Friday" deal that took 25% off. You do still have to pay for reservations on certain trains, some of which are really expensive (Eurostar is OK but limited availability, Zurich to Paris was eye-watering).
Seat61 is the place to read up on this stuff.
I am booked for three weeks in August with the family - 7 cities in 22 days. |  | | |
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| European train travel on 14:08 - Jun 9 with 932 views | KingsCrossBlue |
Me and the Mrs got the train from Rome to Naples last year. It was an absolute dream of a journey. I think we booked first class, but this was still only about £20 a head, for one way and such good value compared to the UK. For that we got massive seats in a private booth, a bottle of wine and selection of cheeses. We really weren't expecting that level of service so had already stocked up at the highly recommended food market at Rome station.
We boarded a few minutes early, but the guard let me have a fag on the platform and let me know when I needed to board. Exceptionally well run |  | | |
| European train travel on 16:46 - Jun 9 with 771 views | RIPbobby |
| European train travel on 14:08 - Jun 9 by KingsCrossBlue |
Me and the Mrs got the train from Rome to Naples last year. It was an absolute dream of a journey. I think we booked first class, but this was still only about £20 a head, for one way and such good value compared to the UK. For that we got massive seats in a private booth, a bottle of wine and selection of cheeses. We really weren't expecting that level of service so had already stocked up at the highly recommended food market at Rome station.
We boarded a few minutes early, but the guard let me have a fag on the platform and let me know when I needed to board. Exceptionally well run |
That sounds great. Well apart from the cigarette and wine. |  | | |
| European train travel on 17:08 - Jun 9 with 745 views | KingsCrossBlue |
| European train travel on 16:46 - Jun 9 by RIPbobby |
That sounds great. Well apart from the cigarette and wine. |
...when in Rome | | | |
| European train travel on 20:09 - Jun 9 with 626 views | Swansea_Blue |
| European train travel on 11:28 - Jun 9 by BathBlue |
I’ll second that! He’s a train genius. We are visiting 12 countries in 3 weeks in Europe this summer by train and have planned it all by using Seat 61.
Trains in Italy are excellent by the way |
I third it. We’ve did a Germany/Austria/Slovenia/Italy/Switzerland tour a few years back and he was spot on with everything. It’s amazing how he finds the time to keep everything up to date. We’re off to Spain by train this year, all planned through his site. |  |
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| European train travel on 20:22 - Jun 9 with 619 views | Pioneer_Blue |
Did this trip at Easter with teenage children. Eurostar to Paris then direct from Paris to Turin. That was with Frecciarossia and echo recommendations of others. We used the high speed line which joins many of the main cities - Turin, Milan, Bologna (excellent), Florence, Rome, Naples. Pompeii town itself is nice to stay for a couple of nights and far calmer than Naples. There's also an entrance into the ruins from the town at opposite end to many of the coach and daytrippers. Pompeii on the Naples-Salerno line. From Salerno you can do day boat trips along Amalfi coast. Can't give you any particular cost saving tips as did it all a bit last minute but even then all the journeys within Italy were pretty reasonable. | | | |
| European train travel on 21:39 - Jun 9 with 574 views | Bluespeed225 |
Great info on here! I'm looking to go from Rome to Anzio, visit the war grave of my Grandad (no one from our family has ever been), seems it's about and hour and a half for about 8 euros! Thats a train service for the people! | | | |
| European train travel on 11:19 - Jun 10 with 284 views | hatch |
| European train travel on 20:09 - Jun 9 by Swansea_Blue |
I third it. We’ve did a Germany/Austria/Slovenia/Italy/Switzerland tour a few years back and he was spot on with everything. It’s amazing how he finds the time to keep everything up to date. We’re off to Spain by train this year, all planned through his site. |
Funnily enough - I contacted him after my last Pompeii trip to update him on a few changes at Pompeii train station and he thanked me and made the edits. So I suspect he relies on the millions of travellers that use his website.
I follow him on social media too and he's out and about quite a fair bit - interesting to follow. | | | |
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