Trains Ferries & Buses

It was time. After three years of guiding travellers north of Rome, the south was beckoning. In 2012, I loosely planned a three week solo research trip on a tight budget that would take me to twelve new places. Little did I realise it would be my immersion into public transport in Italy culminating in:

11 trains, 11 buses, 5 boats, 5 taxis, 1 chairlift . . . in three weeks

Small things can and do go wrong, but that is the beauty of becoming a savvy traveller. Now of course I take for granted 101 small details that are not always obvious to travellers embarking on their first Italian adventure. As much as common sense plays a big part, when out of our normal environment, distracted, frustrated, tired, not familiar with the language, it is easy to make a mistake. Here are some of mine.

Can I help you?

Being the ever trusting Australian female, I was conned three times at train stations. Obviously looking disoriented, a well dressed man offered help with directions, grabbed my luggage and took off. When I caught up to him, he demanded money for helping me. An elderly, kind looking lady picked up the bottom of my luggage as I was hauling it upstairs. I insisted I was fine, but she wouldn’t let go. More euros. Walking along the platform holding my ticket, looking for my carriage, an attractive woman in her forties dressed in ‘staff uniform’ approached me, looked at my ticket and beckoned me to follow. Once on the train, I had to part with more euros. Okay, it wasn’t all on the same day, but seriously?

Validate!

If you buy your train ticket at the station, do not board unless you have validated your ticket because it’s too late once you are on the train. Molto importante! Train staff are relentless in checking tickets and will impose a hefty fine. There are small green machines on the platform to validate your ticket. If you have bought tickets online and have a print copy or the booking on your phone, then you do not need to validate.

Buying a ticket

A good website to check prices is thetrainline.com which connects to Trenitalia’s system. It sells tickets for Trenitalia and Italo which is a private train company that started in 2012, so it’s easy to compare prices. You can mix and match legs from different train companies in one journey. If the journey is short, there’s little point in booking a first class ticket. However, it is worthwhile if the trip is three hours or longer and very often doesn’t cost a lot more. It can be advantageous to book tickets online ahead of time to save money and to avoid missing out, as popular routes during peak tourist season book out quickly.

7 train travel tips

• Match your train number on your ticket with the ones on the departures board. Don’t look at the final destination, as there could be multiple trains going to the same place.

• Don’t panic if your platform number doesn’t show up until literally a few minutes before departure. If your train is on the board, it will eventually be assigned a platform.

• Double check your train number with both the large departure board and the small board above your platform. Don’t get confused if another train shows up on the same platform before yours, as many come through the same platforms in a matter of minutes.

• Luggage can be placed on luggage shelves at one end of your carriage or in the overhead racks.

• Don’t wait until the train has stopped to stand up and collect your belongings. Trains only remain in a station for a few minutes at a time.

• Don’t expect train doors to open automatically. You’ll be impatiently instructed to push the circular arrow button once it lights up green to either enter or exit.

• Feel free to take snacks, panini and drinks on board which is a good idea if the journey is longer than three hours.

  

Ferries

There are numerous ferry companies to choose from depending on where you are travelling. One website, directferries.com.au allows you to compare prices. Most times you pay an extra small fee on top of the ticket price if you are travelling with luggage.

The first time I researched Procida, a 45 minute hydrofoil trip from Naples, I bought a one way ticket, not knowing how long I would spend on the island. At the end of the day when I decided to leave, a ferry had just arrived and I couldn’t see a ticketing office, so I boarded thinking I could buy a ticket onboard. No. Can’t do that. Mr. Ferry Man asked me for a card, so I gave him a business card. Not sure why, but I was allowed to stay onboard. Three days later Mr. Ferry Capitano tracked me down via email in Sicily where I was hiding out (having a romantic liaison is more accurate), very upset that I had not paid 13 euros and to do so immediately. I phoned him, sounding remorseful, and paid my debt.

On the bus

There were numerous bus trips on this research trip: Salerno to Atrani, Amalfi to Ravello, Amalfi to Bomerano, Positano to Praiano, Marina Grande to Anacapri. Some buses are really, really small and defy all logic as to how many people, standing room only, are allowed on. General rule of thumb is to always buy your ticket first, generally at the tabaccheri AND validate your ticket in the little machine when you get ON the bus.

One time I ran to catch the bus, validated my ticket and relaxed into my seat, ready to enjoy the journey. One stop before the destination, the ‘ticket police’ got on to check all the tickets. No problem, I’ve got this. My ticket hadn’t validated properly and I was promptly fined.

Taxis

If you are catching a taxi from a major airport into the city, say Fiumicino into the historic centre of Rome, stand in the taxi queue, even if it is long. This is advice from one who hates queuing. You will invariably be approached as you exit the Terminal, even in the taxi queue, by drivers offering a supposedly better rate. Generally it isn’t. There is a fixed rate written on the door of the taxi when you catch it from the taxi rank.

If in a town or city, you need to go to a taxi rank, as it’s not a thing in Italy to stand on the side of the street and hail a taxi

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana!

Deb