We're planning our trip in October and will be taking trains in between the urban areas (Pisa to Rome to Florence and back to Pisa). When can we start to investigate the Trenitalia schedule and know that those times will be available to us when we arrive? I'm just hoping we jet-lagged travelers don't have to stand around long in Pisa waiting for our train to Rome (we're dashing off to Rome right away and saving our exploration of Pisa for the end of our trip).

I'm 90% sold on train travel for this particular trip. I just want to know for sure that we can get to our destination within the next several hours and won't have to wait too long. I've heard that trains between Pisa and Rome run relatively frequently.

I love trains, but I'm planning a trip for my husband and another couple who are train neophytes. I'm hoping the decision not to rent a car will be a popular one

One seasonal change happens on June 15. I think I posted last week that the schedules after that weren't fully posted. Sometimes there have been changes in September. The frequency of trains doesn't change much, but the exact times may change.

Fares only post when the trains can be booked online, 60 days in advance for the reservable trains, and 7 days in advance for the non-reservable regionali. The latter is what you would probably be taking from Florence to Pisa, and you can look up this week's fares and expect them to be the same.

my agent says 60 days in advance

quote:

Originally posted by revans95:
I'm hoping the decision not to rent a car will be a popular one

I love leaving the driving to someone else. Cars are necessary only where the trains don't run.

Just a reminder to pack light...Hauling heavy luggage up and into train carriages can get old real fast.

Given the fact that the Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples line is the backbone of Italian train system, trains run much more frequently (and fast) there.
The Pisa-Rome coast line is relatively slower and less well served.

In fact, with current schedules, the best choice (in terms of time - 3 hours) to go from Pisa to Rome would be via Florence, with one train change.

Schedules are easily predictable, since they are the same every hour. For example:

Pisa 08:29 -> Florence 09:33
Florence 09:53 -> Rome 11:30

Just add 1,2,3... hours for the following trains.

The same thing is true in the opposite direction:

Rome 08:30 -> Florence 10:06
Florence 10:27 -> Pisa 11:31

and so on, adding one or more hours.

Of course, these are not the only trains available, but they are the best combination in terms of speed and convenience.

Have fun.