My husband and I want to go to Italy for three weeks in May. Obviously I began planning too late to use our air miles with US Airways. Apparently the entire allotment of reward seats to Rome has been filled through October. We had already confirmed availability of an apartment in Montalcino and our (so far) favorite place, the Poggio alle Vigne in Torgiano. Not to be outdone, I began checking available seats to other US Airways European destinations. We can fly into Frankfurt and travel by train to Florence or Perugia, but I need help with determining whether to buy a Eurail Pass (my husband and I are Seniors) or just to wait until we get to Frankfurt and purchase tickets there. We've traveled to Italy and France a number of times, have a rudimentary knowledge of both languages, but have never traveled to Germany and have zero knowledge of the language. Does anyone know how long the train trip would be? Is this plan even feasible? Any help would be much appreciated.
I checked the http://www.raileurope.com site for travel times between Frankfurt and Florence, and think you'd be much better off flying into Zurich, Switzerland.
Frankfurt to Milan is 8.5 hours, then another 3 to Florence. Zurich to Milan is 4.0 hours - with the associated reduction in fare cost - then the 3 additional to Florence.
Don't buy a Rail pass - for a single train trip it would be much better price-wise to purchase a point-to-point ticket.
Have you checked for flights between the two cities? You'll likely find an inexpensive fare that might be a bit more than a train ticket, but would save you several hours travel time. Or checked to see if you can use your miles on an intra-Europe flight? I know United used to offer that option; USAir might, too.
We've traveled to Italy and France a number of times, have a rudimentary knowledge of both languages, but have never traveled to Germany and have zero knowledge of the language.
If it's any consolation, when we were in Germany we had no difficulty finding people who could speak English. Certainly people who interacted with tourists spoke English. But beyond that, many ordinary Germans -- our fellow passengers on trains, etc. -- conversed with us in excellent English.
At the very least I expect you'll get the assistance you need to make your transfers if you fly into Germany and then travel from there to Italy.
Thanks for the quick assistance. Don't know why I didn't think of RyanAir. I'll check their website right away. Since I began to accept this circuitous route, I've becone intrigued with the idea of riding through Germany and Switzerland on the train with maybe a stop or two on the way to Florence. We'll rent a car there for the Tuscany/Umbria portion of our trip. So we might go down on the train and fly back via RyanAir.
when booking the flight to Frankfurt, remember to leave enough time, because the Frankfurt- Hahn airport is more that 100km away from the city. But still, it's an more or less an hour by bus.
I wouldn't take the train either to Florence from Frankfurt....waaaay too long! And you probably have to change a few times...as you are older, that can be difficult...even for younger people...because heaving suitcases up onto the train...(in Germany you might not get too many samaritans to help you) then maneuvering them once you're on the train is draining! There are other discount airlines operating in Germany too...they have the "last minute" booths at the airport that offer very cheap flights to many locations..probably to Florence. I have to check the names of the upstart airlines in Germany. I think one recent issue of Budget Travel listed all of the discount airlines operating in Europe and where they fly in and out of. I would try to fly. It will be worth it in the end...saves time and aggravation. And as others have said, most Germans, especially in and around the airport will speak English...just flag down a young person and you're sure to have them answer back in English! I will try to get back to you with the names of some other cheap airlines in Germany. Rachelle
Posts: 67 | Location: West Palm Beach, Fla. USA | Registered: 19 January 2004
What a great board! Everyone has been so helpful and considerate. Here's what we've decided: We've added a week to our trip and will explore part of Switzerland before we go to Torgiano and Montalcino. I'm thinking the Eurailpass (selectpass I think it's called) will be the best way to go so that we can stop off for a few days in a couple of places. We've never been to Germany or Switzerland, so we haven't decided just where to go yet. If the apartments are still available we'll spend a week in Torgiano and two weeks in Montalcino. Thanks again for all your help. I'm sure I'll be asking for more ideas later. Although we've made day trips to Montalcino and Pienza, we've always stayed in Siena when we were in Tuscany, so I'm not familiar with the small towns around Montalcino. I'll read all about them on the board before I start asking questions again.
Before you buy a railpass go to Railsaver and enter your itinerary.
It might be much cheaper to buy tickets point-to-point. Since you aree starting in Germany you might find that purchasing tickets in the US through Euraide will be almost as cheap as in Europe.
Posts: 406 | Location: Madison, GA, USA | Registered: 31 October 2002
Ira, I checked both websites and I'm sure they'll be tremendously helpful when we determine our itinerary. I've been struggling with rail websites of individual countries and was unaware of Euraide and Railsaver. I'm going to spend the afternoon determining where to go in seven short days in Germany and Switzerland Thanks for your help.
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