Rod
Traveller
0 comments
Posted 10 months ago
Hi, we will be arriving in Rome and want to get a train on March 1st 2024, going to Barcelona. We will have 7 nights (we need to be in Barcelona March 8th to board a cruise ship on March 9th).
We are happy to stay more than one night in places. We are interested in local food, drink, markets and places of interest not too far from where we will stay. Let me know what other information you need from me to assist with any information. Thanks for your time. Rod, Sydney - Australia.
MisterSteve
Traveller
920 comments
As an A-B journey this is not as simple as it should be, as you wish to do it the problems would not be great if overnight stops were where the journey gets broken up. But March is very early in the year for tourism in the region - where are the cruises visiting? Most cruise ships use the port of Civitavecchia which is some distance from Rome and the travel time often catches people out when planning things. In your case it could help out! There is an Intercity train from Rome around 10:00 heading north which currently calls at Civitavecchia at 10:45, which is useful. This would take you all the way to Genoa in one go but also offers a chance to stop a day/night at Pisa (13:00). It follows the line through the Cinque Terra area but may be too early for hotels etc to be open. Whether you break this leg of the journey or not you have to get off at Genova (Piazza Principe station) at 15:35 - there is a tight connection to a regional train at 15:43 or later a faster Intercity at 16:58. Genova is a large port and you may have enough of them in your cruise itineries so probaobly wouldn't want to stay any time here. The next section follows the Italian Riviera and which as a few resort towns but the Italian trains end at the border town of Ventimiglia. No trains cross the border but the French come in to the same station. Although not the main resort this town offers a chance for trip into the hills behind the coast with some trains climbing up to Cuneo. Because you must change trains here it makes sense to you it as an overnight (or two) stopover.
From Ventimiglia options are a bit messy. You have to change at Nice or Cannes, and usually at Marseilles (another large port...). You will also have to change somewhere after Marseilles. I would plan that place to be Nimes which is quite historic and worth a couple of nights stay- and there is a direct train to Barcelona at 12:49. From Ventimiglia to Nimes you leave at 10:35 with changes in Nice and Marseilles arriving at 16:35.
Staying in Pisa, Ventimiglia and Nimes - plus a ride into the hills from Ventimiglia would be 4 days and a Eurail "4 days in one month" flexipass might be useful. But the final train and possibly a couple of others need compulsory reservations, so instead of a pass it might be just as easy to buy normal online tickets for those and tickets at the station for the others.
Peter
Traveller
9332 comments
Hi.
Here is a travel report by Alexander by ferry ship from Rome/Civitavecchia to Barcelona:
https://rail.cc/blog/barcelona-civitavecchia-rome
Peter :)