 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
||
|
|
|
PLEASE NOTE: Each program has its own arrival day and rendezvous plan. See the GETTING THERE section for details.
FLYING/AIRPORTS
TRAVEL TIME: From eastern North America, a direct flight takes 7 or 8 hours. From western North America, figure on 14 to 18 hours if the connections are good. You will arrive THE NEXT DAY.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE TIMES:
On the way in, allow about 4 hours from the time you land to the time of your program's rendezvous (if your flight lands in the same city as your rendezvous). This should give you sufficient time for customs/baggage, transfer from the airport, a wee lie-down, and a shower. In other words, if your rendezvous is at 6pm, your flight should land by 2pm. If your rendezvous is in Florence and your flight lands in Pisa or Rome, budget 5 or 6 hours.
Check in time is typically 2 or 3pm. If you arrive early, the accommodations we use are very good about letting you into your room early if it is ready, or will at least let you drop your bags. Let the hotel know if you are arriving early so they can try to accommodate you as much as possible, but please be aware this is a courtesy.
On the way out, you must consider how much time the time train takes to get to the airport and what time it starts running. If your flight leaves Rome before 11:30am YOU WILL HAVE TO OVERNIGHT IN ROME. Even if you fly into Rome, consider flying out of Pisa, often it does not make much difference in the price of your ticket. Delta has a brilliant nonstop at 1:30pm direct to New York. If your flight out of Pisa is early in the morning YOU WILL NEED TO OVERNIGHT IN PISA OR ARRANGE TRANSPORT (80 euro). Check www.trenitalia.it for schedules. Please feel free to lean on us for advice regarding your travel itinerary.
FLYING INTO PISA: Pisa (PSA) is an international airport, small and easy to manage but with lots of service from the Americas and Europe. It is minutes away from the train station and centro by bus, which you can pick up right outside the arrivals door. For shuttle service to Florence, there is also the Terravision bus.
FLYING INTO FLORENCE: The Florence airport (FLR) is small, much smaller than Pisa. Frequently people think they are flying to Florence but they are really flying into Pisa )(PSA). Check the airport code to be sure. It is easy to get to Florence from Pisa via train or the Terravision shuttle bus.
FLYING INTO ROME: Rome has two airports; Fiumicino (FCO), which services flights from the Americas, and Ciampino (CIA), which is mainly charters and the cheap European airlines like Ryanair. FCO is about a half hour from downtown Rome. There is a train from the airport to Stazione Termini (the main station in Rome). After you collect your bags and clear customs, it only takes 5 or 10 minutes to get to the train platform. You can buy tickets from machines as well as real human beings in a biglietteria (ticket booth). Just be careful you get on the right train; some stop at other metropolitan Rome stations and do NOT stop at Termini. The direct train to Termini is called The Leonardo Express and costs about 11 euro.
HAVE ALL FLIGHTS ISSUED ON ONE TICKET - that way, if any of your flights get buggered, someone is responsible to get you home. International travel has LOTS of possibility for problems. If you use an online service like Expedia, make sure they have decent customer service that's accessible from Europe. Can't hurt to check with a travel agent after you've found flights; at times they can actually save a few dollars.
GIVE YOURSELF LOTS OF TIME FOR CONNECTIONS. As you transfer through countries you'll have to pick up your bags, go through customs, and drop them off again. This can take a long time, especially if there is a delay in the bags coming off. Two or three hours between flights will go quickly; less than 90 minutes and you're probably asking for trouble.
GIVE YOURSELF AN EXTRA TRAVEL DAY ON THE WAY HOME. Flight cancellations are far more common with international travel, especially when starting in Italy. Try not to book anything important for a couple of days after you get back; the trip is exhausting (especially if you're from the West), even without problems.
