Public transport Tuscany

Using the trains to travel around Italy is an excellent way of taking a day trip to visit the many historical towns and cities. The rail network in Italy is quite extensive and travelling between cities and towns by rail is an ideal way to travel. Once on board you can sit back and relax and take in the ever-changing view from the window. Forget the hassle of driving…take the train and enjoy the journey. 

Visit the website www.trenitalia.com to purchase tickets and consult the timetables. 

The best trains to take, even if a little more costly are Le Frecce, highspeed trains between the major cities. The type of train is indicated by the following symbols:

Eurocity (ETR) and EuroNight (EN) – international connection with Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany.

Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca and Frecciargento (Le Frecce) - fast train between Italy's major cities. These cost extra and seats must be reserved. High speed trains, very comfortable but more expensive.

Regionale (R) and Regionale Veloce (RV) - travel within and between regions. Slow trains which stop at every station within a region e.g. from Florence to Siena, it stops at all stations in between, even the tiniest towns.

If you are travelling with a Regional Train ticket (without reservation), please make sure you stamp your ticket at one of the machines on the platform before boarding.

Omio 
Omio is a great website easily allowing you to search for various transport options all on one page. You can also book Trenitalia tickets directly on their website and app as well, making search and booking a breeze. 
www.omio.com 

For motorail 
A good site for motorail service in Europe is 
www.railchoice.co.uk 
For the Italian State Railway, including international trains to and from Italy. 
www.trenitalia.it

You may find the following terms useful when at the train station. 
treni in arrivo - arrivals 
treni in partenza - departures 
binario - platform 
in orario - on time 
in ritardo - delayed

In big cities, e.g Rome and Milan, bus, metro and tram tickets are valid for a certain period of time normally 75 minutes, so you can get on and off as many times as you wish within the period indicated on the ticket. The same ticket will allow you to use all public transport within the one city, however only one metro ride is allowed. When in Rome and Milan, you can buy a special 24hour ticket which offers a full day’s travel on buses, metro and trams.

Bus tickets (i biglietti dell’autobus) must be purchased before boarding the bus. Tickets can be purchased at:
il giornalaio or l’edicola - newspaper kiosk
la tabaccheria - tobacconists
il bar - some bars
il capolinea - bus terminals

The types of buses you can catch include l’autobus (an orange city bus) or il pullman (a coach - usually blue - which is used for travel out of the urban area to the near by towns and villages).

At the bus stop (la fermata dell’autobus), board the bus via front door and rear doors, above which is written ‘entrance’ (l’entrata) and descend the bus via the central door, above which is written ‘exit’ (l’uscita).  Make sure that on boarding you stamp your ticket in the machine near the door.

To obtain on-line bus tickets between major cities and regions visit www.busweb.it

C’è un treno per Roma?  - Is there a train to Rome?
Quando parte il treno per Roma?  -  When does the train to Rome leave?
Parte alle dieci. - It leaves at ten o'clock.
Quando arriva a Roma?  - When does it arrive in Rome?
Arriva alle tre. - It arrives at three.
Che tipo di treno è?  - What kind of train is it?
Devo cambiare treno?  - Do you have to change trains?
Quanto costa un biglietto di solo andata per Roma?  - How much is a single ticket to Rome?
Quanto costa un biglietto di andata e ritorno per Roma?  - How much is a return ticket to Rome?
Vorrei un biglietto di solo andata per Roma.  - I'd like a single ticket to Rome.
Vorrei un biglietto di andata e ritorno per Roma.  - I'd like a return ticket to Rome.
Da che binario parte il treno per Roma?  - What platform does the train to Rome leave from?
Buon viaggio!  - Have a good trip!