Jacqueline Leiter

How difficult is it to travel in Italy by train with luggage? Is there
room to store the luggage? Are there lots of stairs to contend with.

Richard Murphy

The Italian trains I have been on were not as roomy as the French TGV when
it comes to luggage. The main problem was the narrow aisle by the
compartments, which is hard to get a wide suitcase through....Good luck!

R. Murphy

Douglas W. Hoyt

    >>>> How difficult is it to travel in Italy by train with luggage?

It's not a big problem. You might have to lift it up into the carriage.
Some stations have stairs you have to go down and up to get to the departure
platforms.


<<> Is there room to store the luggage?

People travel with luggage all the time. There is always someplace to put
it. It's not a big deal.


    >>> Are there lots of stairs to contend with.

Lots of stations are pretty much flat, but there can be stairs to deal with
in some stations (e.g., Bologna, Rimini). You can always ask fellow
travellers if they will help carry luggage up or down those stairs.

Luca Logi

Douglas W. Hoyt <> wrote:

    > >>> Are there lots of stairs to contend with.
    >
    > Lots of stations are pretty much flat, but there can be stairs to deal with
    > in some stations (e.g., Bologna, Rimini). You can always ask fellow
    > travellers if they will help carry luggage up or down those stairs.

Both Florence and Rome have very few stairs; especially if you are
arriving by taxi, there should be no stairs to contend with.

ES trains have three stairs to climb (but some platforms are raised). ES
trains were not designed for easy storage of big luggage; there are
baggage racks at one end of the carriage, overhead baggage racks (but
these are not fit for large pieces) and sometimes you can put a piece
between the back of opposing seats.

IC trains have large overhead racks; these is more space for large
pieces, provided you can raise the luggage.

Jane

Jacqueline Leiter <> wrote in message news:<>...
    > How difficult is it to travel in Italy by train with luggage? Is there
    > room to store the luggage? Are there lots of stairs to contend with.

it's not difficult at all if you have one reasonably sized piece of
luggage. if you carry a monster, you might have a hard time. you
normally stow the luggage above your head, or between the seats. there
are two or three steps when you get on the train. just be careful.

i just traveled allover italy by train with a 7 and 10 year old who
handled their own luggage in addition to a small backpack each. a
small backpack in lieu of, or in addition to, a handbag works quite
well.

have fun, and pack light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alan Harrison

"Luca Logi" <> wrote in message
news:1gf1wwo.13u8qc31dyb0xiN%...

    >IC trains have large overhead racks; these is more space for large
    > pieces, provided you can raise the luggage.

Something Luca doesn't mention, perhaps because it's something which
"everybody knows" in Italy, is that many IC trains in Italy are made up of
compartment stock with a side corridor. This isn't the case in Britain,
where compartment stock is vanishingly rare except on steam-hauled preserved
lines, and from my limited knowledge of American trains such stock is rare
there too.

It is more difficult to stow luggage in such carriages, because you must
either lift it into an overhead rack or leave it in the corridor, to the
possible annoyance of the guard/conductor. In my experience IC trains do
tend to have one open carriage (at least in first class_ in which there is
storage at the end of the carriage.

Stairs to and from platforms will not be a problem at either Roma Termini or
Firenze SMN, both of which are terminal stations allowing passengers to move
between tracks on the level at the end of the platforms.

Alan Harrison

Cygne 2003

non-smoking restaurants in Florence
http://www.smokefreeworld.com/italy.shtml#f

Donald Newcomb

"Jane" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > Jacqueline Leiter <> wrote in message
news:<>...
    > > How difficult is it to travel in Italy by train with luggage? Is there
    > > room to store the luggage? Are there lots of stairs to contend with.

    > have fun, and pack light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry I missed the beginning of this thread. My wife has certain
physical limitations and she would find the trains in Italy almost
impossible were it not for the "pack mule" (me) she brings along. My
suggestion is to limit your luggage to no more than one standard 22" rolling
bag plus a tote bag. Any more and you will have serious problems. Test your
ability to lift your fully loaded bag over your head and put it on a high
shelf. If this is hard to do you will have problems.

Frank F. Matthews

Before security paranoia it wasn't too bad. The key was to use the
charts in the station to determine where your car will be on the platform.

Another point is that, if possible, you should separate the tossing of
the bags up to the car and stowing them in the rack. Sometimes there
isn't much time to load up. On departing I let the folks without
luggage get ahead and then toss the stuff down to my wife who stands
guard. Then when it is all off we get organized. Occasionally this
means an extended search for a trolley but we have time. We found the
space for large bags to be reasonable and rarely overcrowded. Getting a
major bag near your seat is hard.

Jacqueline Leiter wrote:

    > How difficult is it to travel in Italy by train with luggage? Is there
    > room to store the luggage? Are there lots of stairs to contend with.
    >

Randee

I second this. I figure if you can't pack it all as airline carry-on
luggage, then you have too much. We typically get by for two weeks or
so in Europe on one 22" roll-around, one garment bag, one small
knapsack, and one small soft sided briefcase (for maps, books, photo
stuff).