Train, Airplane Or Car?

Francesca

Francesca

Community Member
Apr 29, 2013
113
4
18
When you travel from one part of Italy to another, what do you prefer?
To be honest, airplanes are very expensive and it's hard to find a low cost company. Trains are OK, with the exception of the ones filled with too many people.

What do you prefer? Would you rather travel by train, car or airplane?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arturo Denta
I think flying is the best way if you can find a cheap flight that leaves at a reasonable hour. If not, I usually take the night train and get a bed in the sleeping carriage. That way the journey is passed while your sleeping. It does cost quite a bit but well worth it!
 
I visited Arenzano last summer, and i used car rental services. They are good in their services, cost is also affordable. Be honest, i do not know much about train, and airplanes are obviously expensive.
 
I usually travel by plain, when flying from Italy to another country. There are low cost companies you can choose now from, such as WizzAir or RyanAir or others, depending on your destination (not all companies fly everywhere).

Regarding trains... hm, tough decision. I would say I prefer to use the car instead.

For instance, going to the seaside is a 1-2 hours drive (at max.) and it costs about 20-30 euros.
Using the train, you first have to be there on time. Then, maybe the train will be late. Maybe the air conditioning doesn't work, maybe it's full, maybe you find some weird guy who takes you luggage and puts it in the overhead compartment and then asks for money (it happened to me when I was in Milan!!). Plus, it's more expensive.
 
Unless I've to go to the 2 big islands I usualyl travel by train, but going from the north to the south can require a lot of time
 
When in Italy and in most other European countries, I usually prefer to travel by train unless I'm under a time constraint. I like the larger amount of space and I like to enjoy the scenery while on my way to my destination.
 
Travelling long distances by car is very expensive and the cost of fuel is ridiculously high, (30cents higher per litre than in France !! :eek: ) as the roads are so busy, dangerous ! Give me the train anytime !

V
 
  • Like
Reactions: Luca
I like the trains. You get to enjoy the scenery while you travel. It's convenient and the trains go everywhere I wanted to go. I found them easy to book tickets. They generally ran on time and people at the stations were always helpful, when giving directions. Love Italy.
 
Vicino said:
Travelling long distances by car is very expensive and the cost of fuel is ridiculously high, (30cents higher per litre than in France !! :eek: ) as the roads are so busy, dangerous ! Give me the train anytime !

V
Click to expand...

Usually the highways in Italy are expensive too (in comparison to other country).
 
Yeah, they really are.

The thing with highways in Italy is that you enter the highway and they register your car (obviously). Then ,depending on how much time you have spent on the highway, you pay on your way out. So, if you drive really, really fast, like 150 km/h fast, or even faster, you pay less (if you're lucky to get out alive :D) but if you're like me, a person who prefers to actually arrive at the destination and play it safe, you will spend a lot more time on the highway, so you will pay more money.
No matter if I take the highway or the SS roads, I don't go over 100 km/h, which is safe, but expensive on the highway.
 
@Rosie - On the autostrada, (toll motorway) the amount you pay is based on the KM travelled, not by time. They are expensive and you have to really be careful with the speed as they are full of speed traps.

I do admit though, a max speed limit of 130 KMH is plenty enough for me.
 
Francesca said:
When you travel from one part of Italy to another, what do you prefer?
To be honest, airplanes are very expensive and it's hard to find a low cost company. Trains are OK, with the exception of the ones filled with too many people.

What do you prefer? Would you rather travel by train, car or airplane?
Click to expand...

I like to go by train. I agree with @BonnieA, I love looking outside the window and enjoy the landscapes!
Now trains are even faster, if you are able and willing to spend a little more you can enjoy a ride at a really high speed.

I love writing and reading while I am traveling by train. It is a really good place to think and get to brainstorm with yourself about life and all. I live in Brazil and I think it is a real pity that they don't have the railways there.
 
Train is best way to visit one place to another and some places of Italy you can hire luxury car for visit here and there. In north Italy Lake Como is world famous travel spot and there you can find car on rent easily.
 
Much as I like trains for comfort and relaxation I think travel by car is better. If you travel by car you would be able to stop in at different places that catch your attention. With the train you can't do that. You would also be able to set your own schedule by car.
 
Unless you are close to an airport I don' think planes are worth it, especially if there is a viable alternative. I hate all the time you waste waiting to check in, then to board, plus you have to hang around for your luggage at your destination.
 
That's true Jane :) Whenever I travel home by plane, it takes more time to check in and everything than to actually fly to the destination! :D

Vicino said:
Travelling long distances by car is very expensive and the cost of fuel is ridiculously high, (30cents higher per litre than in France !! :eek: ) as the roads are so busy, dangerous ! Give me the train anytime !

V
Click to expand...

I disagree :D Unless you are traveling alone, of course.
I will give you an example: last year I went to the seaside (near Genova), we were two people and went by car. The fuel cost us around 30 euros in total and if we would have taken the highway, we would have probably paid around 45-50 euros in total.
By train, which I took to Genova this winter, together with 3 other people (so we were 4), it cost us 30 something euros, per person, so over 120 euros in total. Compared to 30, the cost for fuel.... well, I'd say we made a bad choice :D
 
I took some trains in Italy, and I was always really impressed by them. Compared to the trains I have taken in North America, the ones it Italy were always on time and were always super clean. Even without speaking any Italian, we were able to book tickets on the trains fairly easily.
 
In this period I've takes some "high speed" trains, they are a bit expensive (but not like airplane) but I really liked them. you can move from Milano to Rome really quickly
 
Yes, that's true :) I didn't believe it, I thought the route Milan - Rome is of 8 hours... I always thought if I ever go to Rome I would take the train at night, sleep for 8 hours and wake up in Rome. Now that I think about it, that would be pretty cool....

Back on topic, trains are very convenient, for long distance routes. They're also convenient if you have a job or school in another city, a monthly pass is extremely cheap compared to the money you spend on gas.
 
I find the trains especially in the south are very unreliable. I waited almost 2 hours for a train to come. This was a few years ago before smart phones existed. However the train just never showed up. We ended up taking the next train which was really annoying because it messed up out whole day.
I don't think I would ever drive in Italy, especially in the south with all the mountains and windy roads. Flying is expensive and time consuming, so I would have to stick with the trains even though they are very unreliable.
 
Top Bottom