RSSNice to Rome to Salerno, Italy
I have hit the summer rush of travelers. The Nice train station has lines dedicated to Eurail pass travelers.
This is the first time that I have seen these station signs for Eurail and InterRail (the similar pass for European travelers). It´s a good place to meet other international travelers. Go here for seat reservations and help booking trains that cross into other countries. The reservationists speak good English; and several are young French students fluent in English working these lines as a summer job.
The traditional route from Nice to Rome involves 1 transfer in Genova. But as the reservationist explained to me, these trains quickly get booked out in the summer. Have no fear, she assured me, reciting an alternate schedule off the top of her head. One can go from Nice to Milan, and then take the high-speed ESI train from Milan to Rome. The total travel time is nearly similar if you were connecting thru Genova. Ultimately, I took the coastal train from Nice to Ventimiglia, an IC train from Ventimiglia to Milan, and the ESI train from Milan to Rome. Only the ESI train required a seat reservation, of 5 Euros.
The 5 Euro seat reservation seems rather standard in Italy, as this was also the cost for seat reservation on the train from Rome to Salerno. I ended up on a local train, as the high-speed was booked out. (Which I am finding is quite typical during the summer months when trying to buy a day-of-seat reservation. I like the thrill of determining my plans day-by-day; you may not.)
Train Tip: Book your Italian seat reservations at the station to save money. One of the conductors told me that the normal 5 Euro seat reservation fee jumps to 13 Euros if you have to buy it on the train. I haven´t seen any conductor not ultimately sell the seat reservation on-board, so long as a seat is available. But it is a real roll of the dice.
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24 comments to “Nice to Rome to Salerno, Italy”
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About the Eurail Blog
Benjamin Thomas from the USA has been using Eurail Passes to explore Europe. On this weblog he shares his (train) travel experiences. Intro
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Dear Sir/Madam, I wish to book a train from Nice to Rome, preferably an overnight train. Could you please advice of the possible cost involved. Tha travel date would be 12th of June. Thank you
Do you want to use you Rail Pass to do this? With the Rail Pass, you pay for the seat or bed reservations. Or are you looking for a single ticket? Benjamin.
What train can I get from Nice airport travelling as close to my destination of Santa Stephano in Northern Italy. Any suggestions would be greatly received.
Do you mean the village Santo Stefano d’Aveto, near Genoa?
You can take the bus from the airport Nice Côte d’Azur to the station Nice Ville. From there you can travel in 5-6 hours to Piacenza, which is the train station closest to Santo Stefano d’Aveto.
See http://bahn.hafas.de for exact train times.
i want to travel from Nice to Rome by train but in the day time. what train should i take and whatz the timing?
The fastest connection takes 9,5 hours, with one change in Milano. This train leaves at 10:02 from station Nice Ville. For other options check this timetable:
http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en
My wife and I arrive from the USA at Rome Fiumicino at 9:15 AM August 31st and desire to travel by train to Salerno, Italy that day. We wish to return to Rome center city on the 4th of September. How is the best way to proceed? Tickets Times etc.
From train station Roma Termini there is a direct train connection to Salerno which takes 2,5 to 3 hours.
At the website of the Italian railways, you can find times and prices.
http://trenitalia.com/homepage_en.html
If you only want to travel from Rome to Salerno and back, the easiest thing is to
buy a return ticket for this route at the station in Rome.
If you plan to do more train traveling, you can consider buying a Eurail Italy Pass.
http://www.eurail.com/eurail-italy-pass
Be sure to get out of Salerno a bit and see some of the surroundings. Paestum has wonderful ancient ruins, and is an easy train trip from Salerno. Have fun! Benjamin.
hi Ben
I will be travelling to europe in aug…guess it’s rush summmer break. it’s my 1st time travelling in europe, and i have been doing a lot of reseach for the trip. During the 21 days travelling, i will spend 12 nites on train , n 10 nites at d hotel. trying to decide buying a pass or just book point to point ticket. also what’s the %fully booked for the route during peak sesson? also why is d price on the eurail global pass different at other website ??
Hello Wender. I am not certain what percentage the trains are booked during peak summer season, but they do get full. Sounds like you have done a lot of good research. As soon as you gte in Europe, I recommend that you go to a International Train Travel Desk at one of the train stations and purchase all of the bed reservations that you will need for the 12 nights that you will travel on trains. During August, these can become full more quickly. I am only familiar with the Global Pass from this website. I don’t know about other websites. Have fun, Benjamin.
Dear all, I will be traveling from Cannes to Rome on 13th of August. I have found this German website DB Bahn (http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?ld=212.143&seqnr=3&ident=m5.029811143.1249311188&rt=1&OK#focus) where I found this itenary with direct connections from Nice to Milan to Venice to Rome Termini. This looks ideal, because then we can visit those places as well.
Unfortunately I cannot book this trip online at their website, so I do not know what the estimated costs will be. Does anyone have any other tips where I could purchase these tickets?
I have never been to both France and Italy before, so I do not really know how everything works, so all advice would be more than welcome!
Thank you!
Hello Janella — Are you using the Eurail Pass? If you are, then you need only purchase a seat reservation for that itineray, and you can do that at the train station in Cannes. Benjamin.
Good Morning everyone. Can someone please advise me the quickest way to get from Nice airport on Saturday 10 October (the plane lands at 1600) to either Santa Margherita Ligure or Rapallo? On the return, we need to be back at Nice by 1000 on Thursday 16 October.
Thank you in advance
Hi Benjamin,
I am trying to get from Montpelier to Roma.
Do you suggest I go from Montpelier to Nice to Milan to Roma?
What’s the best/quickest route?
I just bought a global Eurail pass.
thanks!
Connie
Hi Connie — Yes, I would recommend that route. It is beautiful taking the trains along the Mediterranean coast. Considering stopping off in Nice if you have the chance. And yes, in Italy there are fast trains between Milan and Rome, so that is a good connection to make. Look at http://www.deutschebahn.de for timetables. Have fun! Benjamin.
thanks! i made it safe and took the time to spend a day/night in nice..and loved it!
i want to take trail from portofina to nice. how long will it take. do i need to buy eurail pass for 2 countries.
Hi Billy – the best website to check schedules is: deutschebahn.de And yes, because you will be traveling in both Italy and France, you need to make sure that your Pass covers you in both countries. HAve fun! Benjamin
That’s true – in this side of Europe it is pleasure to travel with train! Opposite is East Europe, but that is different story!
Nice Article, tnx!
Hi, this is a great site, and very well thought out and well written.
Best Regards and Best of Luck
Could you please advise the quickest way to get from Rome to Nice on May 28th 2010. Many Thanks
Hi Tammy – Please look at: http://www.deutschebahn.de
Thanks for these tips.
I am trying to plan. If I get the Eurail Pass to travel, then how much time will I need to be spending waiting in lines like these to get seat reservations? How long did you spend waiting in this line in Nice?