Interrailing In Italy

Morf

I'm planning to Fly into Italy(Trieste) on the 15th of June and make my way south to Bari within about 15 or 16 days. Its my first trip on my own and wondering what tips or advice you could give me. I know quite a few people a long the way so it won't all be hostels and I'm learing some Italian.

I plan to get an interrail pass with 8 days of travel as i plan to stay in a few places for more than a day or two. What should i be budgeting to spend to be comfortable?

Any suggestions of places not to be missed would be gladly accepted too!

kerry4sam

i envy you so i do...I cant wait to return again this year. fabulous people, attractions, food, country IMO

i found italy unreal cheap...nothing is as near as expensive as ireland being honest. I can only speak for Florence, Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Rome, Venice, Naples, Pompeii and Capri. Never been to the locations you mentioned but if i can be of help with any of the above just let me know

kerry4sam

the last time i travelled with friends some got the travel passes but they still had to pay money for some of the trains. You have to book your seat on most of the major trains/locations and they assign you the seat the office.

dont worry in the slightest of travelling on yuor own to Italy. The first time i went from the top tothe bot of Italy it was a solo trip and hey! i ived to survived and even returned many times since. The only place i was wary of was Naples. From the moment i arrived i felt uneasy and never truly relaxed until i hit Pompeii and then in Campri if i got anymore relaxed id have been asleep the entire time.

Some hotels will keep your passport during your stay while others wont. I wasnt happy with that so i persuaded all of them to photocopy the details that they send to the the garda stations to register you and i kept it with me at all times.

Always buy bottled water unless you find fountains that enable to to squirt the water upward, not all do by the way.

Let me know anything you need to know regarding any of the aforementioned locations above my me. I could nearly write numerous books now at this stage

menoscemo

When you get to italy you can buy abook of Kilometers it is really chaep. it entitles you to the number of Kilometers you need.
Say you buy 1000 kilometers, they just stamp it at the train station when you buy your ticket from x to y and tell you how many kilometers you have left.
You will only need to pay extra on Intercity or Eurocity trains. The require a 'supplimento'. I suggest however that you won't need to do this as you have 16 days and will no doubt be making many small journeys. Stick with regional or interregional trains. You will see them on the timetables in black in (Intercity trains are in red ink and Eurocity are in blue ink).
Anyway, I remember travelling through italy and back for about €100 a few years ago.
The only train which you might have a bit of trouble on is the overnight train to Bari, a friend of mine had his stuff robbed straight away (in the first hour!!) but really it is just a question of being careful and keeping your valuables close to you. Anyway that was a 12 hour overnight train from Bologna and you will be going there from a bit closer I guess.

Anyway, you will have a great time and will find many backapckers on all the trains along the way. I recommend you visit 'Cinque terre' near genoa and stay a night in Bologna as it is great craic (apart from all the usual tourist stops).

Morf

Thanks for the replies. I guess once I book my flights there I'll get the finger out and try to sort a few of the smaller details. Any idea how much i need to pack? I've read a few suggestions to go very light but I'm a bit wary of this.

Dave!

If you're going to Napoli, definitely stay in this hostel:
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/FabricHostelClub-Naples-15188

It's the best hostel I've stayed in! Just excellent.