Going on vacation to Italy? Want to travel around by train? Hen you need to know about Italian train schedules and how to read them. Our guide gives you the facts & information you want to know.
Italy is one of the most fascinating countries of the world. It has some of the most interesting places to visit like the historically significant city of Rome, the city on water Venice and the home of many great artists Florence. The tourism industry of Italy is in full bloom. The industry has received a great boost by the development of extensive railway networks that run through the length and breadth of the country. You will find that all the major cities of Italy are connected via these train networks. Moreover the cost of traveling by train is fairly inexpensive which makes it the number one choice for inter city commuting. The train services are great and relaxing and you get the chance to enjoy the scenic views along the way.
Peak Hour Train Travel in Italy
There is one drawback to the excellence of the train network of Italy. That is the fact that it is very difficult to get yourself a seat on these perpetually busy trains. Given the great value that a traveler gets through these train services most people choose to travel by train. As a result you will find the trains to be fully occupied all year round. In order to ensure that you get a seat on the train you have to make a reservation prior to traveling.
Train Stations & Schedules
Due to the nature of train traveling the train stations are extremely busy places. It is likely for a first timer to get overwhelmed with all the traffic that one encounters in these train stations. For the interested traveler it is important to keep track of the arrival and departure of the train. Seeking the information from a counter on the train station would waste half your day so the Italians have decided to make things easy by providing train schedules for the public. These train schedules are put up as posters on all the train stations and the interested individual can step up to them and read the details.
Reading a Train Schedule
The Italian train schedules have a color coding that makes it easy to decipher the arrival trains from the departure ones. You will find the train schedules in a set of two colors, one white and the other a yellow/orange. The white section will give you all the information regarding the arriving trains whereas the yellow/orange section will give you the departing train schedule. Not only do these train schedules give you the arrival and departure time they give you the complete route which the train will be taking along with all the major intermediate stops that the train will be making.
Seasonal Train Schedule Changes
The train schedules also feature a notes column which a traveler must check out as well. This space is used to indicate any forecasted schedule changes. The train schedules are changed during the holidays and the weekends as well. You will find that the number of trains operating on weekends is quite low when compared to the working days. Hence it is important to be able to read these train schedules in order to avoid any misunderstandings.
