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By Plane | By Train | By Car
If you are asked by Italian customs of the purpose of your trip to Italy, (they usually ask if you are in Italy for business or pleasure) tell them you are there for pleasure i.e., a tourist. This also applies to Oberlin in Italy faculty and staff. The reason is that if you tell them that you are a student participating in a class, they will require you to have a student visa no matter what your nationality is, even if the class is only one day, and you may risk being denied admission to the country. You are not attending an Italian university and faculty are not being paid by an Italian entity and therefore do not need a student visa.
Group Flight
A group flight from New York City may be available for Oberlin in Italy participants.
Traveling on Your Own:
If you choose not to participate in the group flight, the closest cities to Arezzo are Florence (60 miles) and Rome (135 miles). `You may then take a train, bus or rent a car to get to Arezzo. However, please note that since Florence is small regional airport, prices are likely to be significantly higher than to Rome or other major European cities.
Some students also fly to larger European cities such as Paris, Munich, Zurich or Milan, and travel by train to Arezzo. See the “By Train” section below to see the travel times to Arezzo by express trains from some major European cities with favorably priced airports.
Cut-off Date for International Flights During High Season:
When searching for flights, be aware that there is a cut-off date, usually between June 10 and June 14, after which plane tickets become substantially more expensive. If you are presented with an unusually high ticket price during your search, try different (earlier) dates and you may be able to reduce the ticket price.
Inexpensive Fares:
It is difficult to forecast airline pricing for the summer of 2009, but the fact remains that some destinations or airlines may be less expensive. Generally, flying to hub cities in Europe such as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich or Rome will be the least costly.
Once in one of these cities you may also be able to find very cheap rates on small carriers, e.g., Ryan Air (they sometimes sell flights for less than 1 pound). Be warned, however, that these smaller carriers make money through excess baggage weight. Even so, their prices are still much cheaper than going by train. Be sure to check the current baggage overage rates before purchasing your ticket to avoid surprises.
Also, be sure to check Air Canada’s fares, since they often offer special discounts when traveling to Europe from Toronto or Montreal. You will have to make separate travel arrangements to get to the Canadian point of departure, but if you live on the East Coast or are within driving distance to Toronto, this may be a much cheaper option than flying through New York or other American hubs.
PLEASE READ THE BLOG ON THIS WEBSITE FOR UPDATED TRAVEL INFORMATION. We will notify you by email to check the blog if we hear about good travel deals.
Internet Resources for Cheap Tickets:
Whether or not you buy your travel through the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC), you will need to go to their website (see below) and order an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) card. It serves as your student ID in Europe (don’t expect people to always accept your American student ID – the ISIC card is so common in Europe that most people automatically expect to see one) and will save you a LOT of money in reduced prices for tickets, museum admissions and much more. Check out the ISIC card section on the ISTC for country-specific discounts.
Below are links to ISTC as well as some discount organizations and websites offering airplane travel. Remember to research pricing at least three websites/travel agents before buying your ticket – prices can vary widely between one vendor and another. Also, remember to always check whether fees and taxes are included in the advertised price when you buy an airplane ticket.
For an overview of student travel, also visit About.com’s Student Travel pages (a great general resource that’s FREE) and look under “Student Airfare Finders.”
International Student Travel Confederation
Student Universe
Club Europa Travel
STA Travel
Travelosophy
Travel Cuts
Travel Max
Ryan Air
A map of the rail routes is invaluable if you're planning a European rail adventure. Here are some that are easily available to purchase over the web: European Rail and Eurail Guides
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Rome to Arezzo:
Rome is about 2 hours by car from Arezzo, and about 2 hours and 40 minutes by train. You may take a train directly from the airport in Rome to Arezzo. The Leonardo Express is the name of the train shuttle from Rome's main international airport, Fiumicino, to central Rome's Termini station. A Leonardo Express train leaves every half hour in each direction from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and costs 11 Euros. The train covers the 20 mile distance in around 31 minutes. Important Note: These schedules may change, see the Leonardo Express page for freqently updated schedules.
After you've picked up your luggage, follow the signs to Stazione FS/Railway Station. You'll have to go up 2 floors to find it. Buy a ticket to "Roma Termini" at the FS ticket counter or from one of the machines in the station (see below). If you are returning to the airport on the way back, departure is from Termini, where you'll find the train on track 24. You can buy a ticket at the Alitalia office at track 22, the ticket counter or automated teller.
Florence to Arezzo:
Even though Florence is closer to Arezzo than Rome, you cannot take the train directly from the airport. You must take a taxi or a bus from the airport to the main station. The Aeroporto de Firenze, commonly referred to as Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci or simply Peretola, is located 4 km from the center of Florence. A taxi can make the trip in 15 minutes, and the Bus between the airport and Santa Maria Novella railway station takes 20 minutes.
Lines for taxis at the stand are extremely long, so be prepared to wait or call for pick-up by one of the main taxi services in Florence, the largest of which are Taxi Radio and Taxi Socota:
Taxi Radio Tel: 055 4499 or 4390
Socota Tel: 055 4242 or 055 4798
You may or may not be understood if you speak English, so have your Italian phrase book ready just in case. The ride will cost you a fixed price of 25 Euros (rate hikes may occur).
Types of Trains:
There are several different varieties of trains. They are:
- Locale: stops at every station on the line. These trains are slow, so expect to double the minimum travel time.
- Diretto: will make fewer stops than the Locale.
- Espresso: stops only at major stations.
- Rapido/Intercity (IC)/Eurostar: the fastest train which stops only at major cities. To get an IC train, you must pay a supplement on top of the regular fare. A seat reservation – also an extra cost - is usually obligatory for Eurostar services.
Reading train schedules:
Departures and arrivals are displayed in Italian train stations in the same manner that you see in US airports: on televisions and/or boards with numbers and letters that flip. Be aware that departures (and the departure platform) refer to the final destination, which may not necessarily be the city to which you are traveling. For example, if you are traveling from Florence to Arezzo, you would look for the train that is departing to Roma, and if you’re traveling from Rome, you will look for a train that goes to Firenze – Santa Maria Novella. Each platform has a master schedule for all departures, so you won't have to walk from platform to platform to find the information you need if you’re in doubt.
For more detailed information regarding directions from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Arezzo, please click here.
Visit the ItalyLogue for more information on trains. You may also find complete schedules on Trenitalia's website (see below for the link).
Trains from Other European Cities:
If you fly into a large European city such as Paris, Zurich, Berlin or others, it is possible to take an overnight train to Arezzo. You may need to buy a ticket to a larger Italian city such as Milan, Rome or Florence on a fast train, then transfer to a regional train. Please see below for more information. Be aware that most rapid or non-stop train connections require that you purchase a reservation and/or pay a surcharge in addition to the train ticket. You need to pay attention to this especially if you purchase a Eurail Pass. The websites listed below under “Useful Web Links” will help you figure out more exact travel times and costs.
While it is true that things are closer in Europe than the U.S., don’t think that you can be anywhere in a couple of hours. Below are the fastest approximate travel times to Arezzo by express trains from some major European cities with favorably priced airports which you can compare to arriving in Florence or Rome:
Florence – Arezzo: 30 minutes
Rome – Arezzo: 1 hour 40 minutes
Zurich – Arezzo: 8 hours
Munich – Arezzo: 9 hours 30 minutes
Frankfurt – Arezzo: 12 hours 45 minutes
Paris – Arezzo: 13 hours
London – Arezzo: 17 hours 15 minutes
Berlin – Arezzo: 20 hours
Please be aware that these times are approximations only and can increase a great deal if you take a slower train or have to change trains underway. Our travel agent will be able to help you with more detailed prices and reservations.
Taking an overnight train is often a good option when taking a longer train trip. European trains typically provide sleeping compartments for 6, 3, 2 or 1 person(s), with prices that increase correspondingly the fewer the persons there are in a compartment. You can get a bed (or “couchette” as it’s called) in 6 or 3 person compartments if you are traveling alone or in a smaller group, but expect to have other people sleep with you in the compartment.
Useful Web Links For Train Schedules Departing From (the websites are all in English):
Italy (domestic fares only)
Germany
Switzerland
France
England
Discounted fares all over europe (tickets must be purchased min. 5 days in advance) or Eurail-ACPRail
Eurail Passes
For general information about student railway travel in Europe visit About.com Student Travel. This is an EXCELLENT resource which will help answer many questions you might have.
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You can rent a car online for pickup at the airports in Florence or Rome just the same as in the U.S. Most rental cars have stick shifts (you can get automatics, but that’s only in the luxury car category), and be aware that the driving patterns in Italy are fairly different from what you are used to in the U.S., especially on the highways (autostrade). You can visit the websites of the major U.S. car rental companies such as AVIS and Herz as well as some lower-cost European agencies:
Car Rental Italy
Auto Europe
National (Italy)
For directions, you can either rent GPS navigation system along with your car or you can look up your route on Mapquest Europe.
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