Taking bicycle on Italian Trains

Steve Juniper wrote:

I'd prefer returning from Nice, but my initial checking gives me $US503 RT
San Francisco-Rome but $US1089 if I return from Nice. Will check later. (If
I had sufficient FF miles to travel, return point wouldn't matter - last
year using them I flew into Bilbao and returned from Barcelona with no
problem).

Also rather amusing to see $US484 one way Madrid-Rome and $US205 Round trip.

When we're talking about bicycles on trains in Europe, does that generally
mean assembled and more or less rideable? In other words, is a box with a
disassembled bike in it travel as a big box, or as a bike???


Within Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Ireland (staying in country)
I could always, easily find a train that would take the bicycle intact.
I was even lucky enough to leave my panniers and tent and sleeping back
attached as well (not always allowed).

I have no personal experience with French trains. They used to be known
for making bike transport very difficult (bikes riding on separate
trains - sometimes waiting days for them to arrive), but it's my
understanding that this has changed in the last decade.

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
*****************************

In article , "Peter A.
Vernaci" wrote:

I will be visiting Italy in September. Can I take my bicycle on the train? I
will be traveling from Venice to Roma by way Florence. I may want to take
the train from Ravenna to Ronta. Is this possible?

If you happen to passing through Rome on 22 September, you
have a car-free day (the next one is 7 November). Rome is
actually fun to ride on a Sunday, generally, but this day
would be extra fun with no cars.

I read the answers on this topic of transporting bikes on Italian
trains, and they look right to me. My suggestion about crossing
between France and Italy with the bike is to take the regional
trains. For example: between Nice and Genoa; the train personnel
are very relaxed.

I suggest to spend some time on the Deutsche Bahn web site to
investigate further your Italian train options because their
website if more informative than the Trenitalia web site.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

In your query,
Check the box under "Connections: Means of Transport: "
X carriage of bicycles required.

When the web site returns the results, select "Details" on your
checked routes, and you can see all of the connections.

For some bicycling information regarding Sardinia, I second that
adventure book: "The Lead Goat Veered Off", but for something more,
you might find the next two books useful:

* Vacanze in Bicicletta by Touring Club Italiano, 2003
* Cycling Italy by Lonely Planet, July 2003

Each has a chapter on Sardinia. The first book might be translated
into English by now, since some of their guides are translated, but
I don't know for sure. My local bookshop has the Italian version, so
talk to me offline (amara.graps at ifsi rm cnr it) if that would
help you.

The Lonely Planet Cycling in Italy book devotes 2/3 of a page on
page 365 to the topic of carrying bicycles on Italian trains. All
good information. As a rule of thumb, they say, almost all diretto
(D), regionale (R), and interregionale (IR) trains will carry bikes,
and most have a special bike car at the front or back end of the
train marked with a bike symbol. One remark on the latter, is that
I've traveled before on regional trains that carry a bike symbol, but
that have no bike compartment. In that case, I carry my bike on
(as-it-is) and stay with it in the space between cars, and if
someone asks, I tell them the train is supposed to have a space for
bikes. Also, keep in mind that the bike car could be at the front or
at the back, no one knows, so be prepared to run (ride) between the
front and the back of the train.

The book also mentions needing to buy a supplemento bici (bike
supplement) ticket which costs ~4 euros and is valid for 24 hours.
I don't have enough experience to know whether you are checked for
this, having only taken my bike on the Italian trains a few times up
to now.

Fast trains labelled IC and EC officially only accept bicycles
stored in a bag, with wheels removed. Eurostar trains will generally
not take bikes at all, but maybe this can be tested... :-)

Amara

--

************************************************** *****************
Amara Graps, PhD |Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario
| INAF, Rome, Italy
www.amara.com | http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/dustgroup/~graps
************************************************** ****************
"We came whirling out of Nothingness scattering stars like dust."
- Rumi

(Amara Graps) wrote in message ...
One remark on the latter, is that
I've traveled before on regional trains that carry a bike symbol, but
that have no bike compartment. In that case, I carry my bike on
(as-it-is) and stay with it in the space between cars, and if
someone asks, I tell them the train is supposed to have a space for
bikes. Also, keep in mind that the bike car could be at the front or
at the back, no one knows, so be prepared to run (ride) between the
front and the back of the train.

I have found that most of the trains have a utility space at the back,
and the conductors are usually fine with you putting the bike in
there, leaning it against the side of the car. I use a strap/bungee
to hold it to the side rail.

The book also mentions needing to buy a supplemento bici (bike
supplement) ticket which costs ~4 euros and is valid for 24 hours.
I don't have enough experience to know whether you are checked for
this, having only taken my bike on the Italian trains a few times up
to now.

I have been checked; one part goes on the bike, one you carry.
Technically, you can be made to pay it, and a surcharge, on the train
if you do not have one.

Fast trains labelled IC and EC officially only accept bicycles
stored in a bag, with wheels removed. Eurostar trains will generally
not take bikes at all, but maybe this can be tested... :-)

Many of the EC trains have a cargo/utility car at the rear with bike
hooks. One we used this year had space for about 20 or so bikes.

- rick