Leaving Your Trip in FLORENCE

This page offers help (concrete or informational) on leaving your trip. Topics include...

1. Where you leave your trip (see immediately below).
2. The closest airports.
3. Our “Access Packages,” designed to help you to do so.
4. Suggestions on how to time your ongoing travel, whether you are having us arrange it, or doing it yourself.
5. Service information regarding train travel from your trip end location.
6. Suggested post-trip visits, especially when these are not geographically obvious, but are rendered economical and convenient by direct rail connections.
7. Hopefully helpful hints for those setting up their own travel from the trip.

If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.

1. WHERE and WHEN Do You Leave Your Trip?

Your trip disbands in Florence, on Saturday, at the end of a full riding day.
It is unwise to book ongoing travel before the very end of the day (last train to Milan or Rome, overnight sleeper train...), as it will put undue pressure on you to race through the ride, and generally stress you out.

If you wish to arrange your own ongoing travel (in other words, you do not want to set up any ongoing travel arrangements through us), a couple of hints regarding ongoing travel are offered at the bottom of this page.



2. The CLOSEST AIRPORTS

Florence has a tiny airport, with limited service within Europe.

The closest intercontinental airports are in Rome, Milan and Venice (in order of travel time from Florence).

There is also a nearby airport in Pisa, served by a direct train from downtown Florence.

Yet a third small airport exists in nearby Bologna, less than an hour by train from Florence, plus the time needed to get to the airport (we have never done this, and so don’t know how long that takes).




3. Our ACCESS PACKAGES
as of March 1, 2008

We reach Florence too late in the day for an ongoing flight (and too late to see much of Florence that day). Our Access Package thus includes a night in Florence, and ongoing rail tickets the next day.

Base (Starting) Access Package Price: 119€, 89€ with hall shower / WC.
If you are a North American traveller, the $ price (US or Canadian) on your price chart applies until 35 days prior to trip departure. Otherwise euro prices are transcribed to your invoice in its currency, converted at the exchange rate of the day on which the package is requested (rounded to the nearest whole dollar or pound). Current “mid-market” rates can be consulted from the site we use for conversion. We use the mid-market rate on the day of conversion, and add 2% to cover currency broker exchange commissions (our conversion rates are thus as good as, or better than, any you could obtain, including via your credit card, unless you are a professional currency trader).

Availability is not guaranteed (we usually do guarantee availability, but this is a virtual impossibility in Italy). In addition, within 35 days, costs may be slightly higher. Some extra-cost options also have higher prices if ordered w/in 35 days, and all are subject to availability.

Included:

• A hotel night in Florence, based on shared occupancy.
  Florence is an expensive hotel city (as are all Italian cities). Despite what we think of as a high price, our hotels here are not by luxurious, by any definition. They are superbly located, adequately clean, and not too dowdy. And (perhaps a sign of their relative value) they are always full, way in advance, have draconian cancellation conditions, and are hard to work with. Bottom line: if you want to find your own place in Florence, please, be our guest. This is not work we are looking for. Or, if you want the beautiful room in the converted monastery with a view on a flowered courtyard, and aren’t too close to 300€, let us know. We have some ideas.... Book our package if you already know and trust us, or if you really don’t care about hotels that much. But book it way in advance....
• Breakfast, if you have time / get up for it.
• Ongoing 2nd class train tickets to Rome, Milan or Venice for a Sunday flight (see “Service Information” before you book your flight!).
  Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once booked. See “Extra Cost Options,” below, for flexible tickets.
  
• Seat reservations if you wish to select your train when you subscribe to the Access Package, or an open ticket if you prefer to choose your train locally.
  If you select a precise train, tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once ordered. Conversely, if you select an open ticket, an extra charge of 15€ will apply, paid directly to the railroad, should you travel via a train that requires you to reserve a seat (our Trip Coordinator can help you make the booking locally). Express trains, and virtually all direct trains to Milan or Venice, require seat reservations. A direct local service is available to Rome, however, taking 3.5 hours for the trip, but not requiring that you reserve a seat. Warning: on Sunday afternoon / evening, most express trains to all points sell out in advance.
• A printed schedule / itinerary, highlighting any connections.

Options Offered at an Extra Cost (subject to availability)
Prices are in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price, and are subject to availability. For a general discussion of train upgrades, see here. Topics include the relative comfort of first versus second class, and different types of accommodation available on overnight trains.

• Sunday (or later) tickets to London via “daylight” train (a long trip). Add 169€ if you are also purchasing tickets from London at the start of your trip, 199€ if not, or if you prefer a changeable ticket (in 1st cl., add 240€ or 275€; 1st class tickets include meal service between Paris and London). Paris stopover is available at no additional charge.
• First class train tickets (in lieu of 2nd class) to Rome, Milan or Venice: 19€.
  See next point for the additional cost of modifiable / exchangeable tickets.
• Flexible tickets to Rome, Milan, Venice or Nice: +18€.
  To all other points: +29€.
  Modifiable at any Italian railway station, on a space-available basis, without charge (or through us for 10€). Refundable less 20%.
• Private single room in Florence: no charge for a room with hall shower, +35€ for a room with ensuite facilities.
• Sunday daylight rail tickets to other points.
  All fares include reservation charges where seat reservations are required. Reservation charges are extra if they are not required, and we do not believe you will have any trouble finding a seat without them. But who's to say we know what the crowds will be like on your travel day?
  Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once booked. See “Flexible Tickets,” above, for extra cost tickets allowing you to modify your plan locally.
  These discount fares are capacity-controlled, and subject to availability
  - Nice: 25€ 2nd class, 44€ 1st class.
  - Zurich or Geneva (downtown or airport): 59€ 2nd class, 79€ 1st class.
  - Paris: 79€ 2nd class, 99€ 1st class.
  - Palermo (or elsewhere in Sicily): 69€ 2nd class, 79€ 1st class.
  Other destinations available on request.
• Sunday overnight trains to Sicily, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Zurich, Geneva... 99€, including a couchette. To London: 159€ (2nd cl Paris to London) or 199€ (1st cl Paris to London, includes meal service).
  Sleeping car upgrades are always available, and generally a good idea if they don't break the bank.

Alternate Arrangements, in lieu of our usual packages (subject to availability)
Prices are complete (in other words, they are not in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price)

• Saturday overnight trains to Sicily, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Zurich, Geneva... 139€, including a couchette. To London: 199€ (2nd class Paris - London) or 249€ (1st class Paris - London).
  Sleeping car upgrades are always available, and generally a good idea if they don't break the bank.
• Hotel in Florence (additional nights, or without rail tickets): 85€ per person shared occupancy, 99€ single, including breakfast, taxes and booking charge.
  Shared occupancy rate guaranteed to singles on the post-trip Saturday night only (and only until 35 days prior to trip start), but it may be available for other nights if others stay on as well.
  Rooms with hall shower / WC, when available: -35€ single, -50€ double or twin (for the room, not per person).
• Saturday evening rail tickets to Rome, Milan, or Venice, including “Eurostar Italia” express train seat reservation, without any lodging. 36€ 2nd class, 53€ 1st class.
  Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once booked. See above for extra cost of flexible tickets.
  

4. TIMING Your Trip

If we may influence your thinking on the topic of timing... Florence is, well, Florence. And you will not have much time to see it on Saturday evening (when you arrive after a full biking day). If you have the flexibility to do so, try to schedule your departure some time on Sunday (or later), the later the better. Note that early Su flights from Rome or Milan require that you spend Sa night in the airport city you are flying from, which is too bad, since it costs more, and everyone else is whooping it up in Florence.



5. Service Information
Schedules are approximate – exact timetables can be consulted at http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm.
Best trains are mentioned. Others are slower or have multiple connections.

• To Rome. Express trains take 90 minutes; hourly service from 7a.
• To Milan. Trip time is 3 hours; hourly service from 7a.
  Allow 75 additional minutes to reach either airport by shuttle bus (45 minutes to get to Linate by taxi).
• To Paris. Daylight: all day trip (11 hrs.). Dp. noon, ar 11p. Overnight train departs 9p, arrives 9a.
• To Nice. Daylight service via Genova, depart 8a or 12:30p (this run requires a 2nd train change in Pisa), 7'30" trip time. Direct overnight sleeper service departs 11p, arrives 9a.
• To Geneva or Zurich. Overnight, or in daylight. Day travel time is 7'30", trains run every two hours with a connection in Milan. One daily direct train to Zurich, dp. 3:30p, arrive 10:30p.
• To Barcelona. An overnight service operates via Milan, on Monday night only (not on weekends).
• To London. Daylight service departs at 8a, with multiple connections, arriving London at 10p. Overnight service via Paris (arrive London circa 12:30p).
  An alternate overnight service runs an hour earlier, but costs 22€ additional, and requires an additional connection in Milan at 11p.
• To Pisa Airport. Trains about every 90 minutes, 90-minute trip.
  The first Sunday morning train does not reach the airport until 7:30a (with a connection in downtown Pisa), and the first direct train not until 8a. You can take an earlier train to downtown Pisa, arriving there at 6:40a. A 10-minute taxi ride will bring you to the airport. Pisa airport has the same level of service as Florence's, though generally not the same carriers (Ryanair serves Pisa, Air France serves Florence, for instance).
  

6. Suggested POST-TRIP VISITS

Venice is the obvious choice, but you are in easy reach of Sicily, Cinque Terre, or (for a change of pace) any of the destinations of the overnight trains.



7. Hints on TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY After the Trip
Guests subscribing to an “Access Package” need not read this section.

See also “Timing Your Trip” and “Service Information,” above, as either of these may additionally help.

We gladly provide travel consulting (schedule or routing information) concerning post-trip individual travel. In particular, we have invested a great deal to become railway experts. Our service fees are reasonable: a 20€ charge for all but the most complex projects – or the most simple (for instance, only a 10€ charge applies if the service is limited to the preparation of a routine rail ticket). You will generally find them well-justified by the time they will save you in research, standing on line, overpaying for your tickets, or all three.

But, for some, this type of research is fun. So, here are some hints, intended to start off hardened “do-it-yourselfers.”

Trains. Schedules for all routes can be consulted on this web site:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm

Florence is served by frequent high-speed trains to Rome, and by regular (100 mph) trains to all other Italian cities. Overnight trains run to France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Sicily....



If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.