How crowded are trains in Italy - both Italian Railway and Eurail?
I'm travelling to Italy in another 3 days and plan to cover all the main cities by train. Can anyone staying in Italy guide me on these points: a) Are the trains very crowded...is it very difficult getting in / getting out with luggage from trains? b) Do people let others get in/ get out easily or do they block the entrances/ exits such that passengers have to squeeze themselves in / out? c) Are there peak hours for crowds ?...so that I can avoid these times if possible. d) How long do the trains halt at stations? e) What precautions should I take in the trains to be and feel safe ?...I've heard thso mucat there is bag grabbing, pick-pocketing etc. f) Is it possible to reserve seats while purchasing tickets for small journeys? g) Do people in Italy understand English? How do I communicate?
After I made all the bookings, I'm beginning to develop cold feet.
zafir2010-07-07T17:53:08Z
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a. Trains are quite busy with tourists at this time of year. Make a seat reservation and you'll be OK.
b. Shouldn't be a problem, you'll be on inter-city trains, not commuter trains.
c. Reserve a seat.
d. Usually between 3 and 10 mins depending on the stop. There will be an intercom message before the train gets to the station, and you start moving towards the doors when you hear that message.
e. If you're travelling between cities there will be few problems. Just don't leave luggage unattended, but everyone will have a designated seat, so you'll be sitting in comfort and safety. Keep valuables such as passport, credit/debit cards, travel documents, on you at all times, and make sure these are secure.
f. What do you consider a small journey? If you're just sightseeing in a city you're unlikely to have luggage with you, and you can't reserve a seat on city public transport. On sightseeing trips going outside a city you can usually get a reservation.
g. Some do, some don't. Get a small English-Italian phrase book which will give you phrases on how to book tickets etc. If you can't work it out, just show the phrase to the train staff. Even if they can't speak English, they are used to tourists who don't speak Italian and will help you.
Have just read that you've made train bookings, that means you've got seat reservations, so you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever. Just relax and enjoy a wonderful holiday.
Just a note: there are no Eurail trains. Eurail is simply the company that sells rail passes. Trains in Italy are run by the Italian natiional rail company TrenItalia.
First, there are no Eurail trains. Eurail is a third party agent that sells passes that can be used on the various national trains in Europe. they do not operate any trains; you will be on Italian trains while you're here.
How crowded the trains are depends on which specific trains you take and on which specific days. Sometimes the trains can be pretty empty and other times they will be packed. Generally, it's not too difficult to get in or out with luggage, but I've seen some people struggling with very heavy over-sized bags on occassion. There are times when you may have to stand on the regional trains - this is especially likely if you're on a train headed for the beaches and don't get on at one of the first few stops. Usually I haven't had any problems here. If you're getting on a train that sits in a station for a while before leaving, then you want to get on early. The fast trains have reserved seats, so you will not have any problem of overcrowding.
You will sometimes find people crowding around the doors waiting to get on while you're coming out. Other times, there will be no people. You'll be able to get off either way.
The early morning trains are less crowded. I usually take the first train in the morning when I'm going out exploring on the weekends and there often is no one else on the platform waiting. There are not so many people in the station in Verona or Bologna when I arrive to change trains either.
At some stations, the trains are scheduled to stop for a minute. These tend to be the smaller stations. In actual practice it takes a few minutes and you have ample time. There may be an announcement of the next stop or a display showing the stops, but not always especially on the regional trains. When the train is slowing, you get up and head for the door. However, in some stations, the trains stop longer - sometimes much longer. This is especially true at places like Roma Termini, Venice Santa Lucia, Florence Santa Maria Novella, Milano Centrale and other stations that are terminals and other large stations like Bologna or Verona that have a lot of tracks.
I've lived here for 11 years and never had any problems on the trains at all. I often sleep on the trains. However, it's always a good idea to be aware of your surroundings and take the same precautions you would anywhere else.
The slower regional trains do not accept reservations. For example, the trains between Florence and Pisa & Lucca if you want to nake a day trip there. Other trains like the fast trains and the intercity trains do. You can reserve seats at the ticket windows or the ticket machines. The machines have an English language option for the interface except in the smaller stations. It's very easy to figure out even using Italian though.
You won't have any problem getting by here in English in the tourist destinations. Not everyone speaks English, but you should manage very well - thousands of tourists who speak only English have successful trips here every year.
Trains are very crowded right now. make reservations. People will help you with your bags if you have trouble. You'll be able to get around with english. The trains and stations are safe, just stay alert. consider a money belt. Don't forget a water bottle for the long rides. Italy is a wonderful safe place to visit. Have fun
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a) The Italian trains are crowded. b) Italians are effusive people they love the contact with others, particularly with American blond girls, and they block the entrances of the trains while the friends kick che butts of us, It happended to me at Bernini station in Rome. c)they are always crowded because Italians love to go to city center to meet friends and flirt with blond american girls. d)I don' t know e)Italy is the country of Mafia, so take careful the trains are not safe places. f) donno g)No, I' ve been to Italy in february nobody spoke English and many of them doesn't understand while I was speaking in Italian, probably they're keen better in regional dialects.