Transport - Italy - page 1891

» Bikes can be wheeled onto any domestic train displaying the bicycle logo. Simply purchase a separate bi-
cycle ticket, valid for 24 hours (€3.50). Certain international trains, listed on Trenitalia's 'In treno con la
bici' page, also allow transport of assembled bicycles for €12, paid on board. Bikes dismantled and stored in
a bag can be taken for free, even on night trains.
» Most ferries also allow free bicycle passage.
» In the UK, Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC; www.ctc.org.uk ) can help you plan your tour or organise a
guided tour. Membership costs £41 for adults, £25 for seniors and £16 for under-18s.
» Bikes are available for hire in most Italian towns. City bikes start at €10/50 per day/week; mountain bikes
a bit more. Some municipalities, including Rimini and Ravenna, offer free bikes for visitors, as do a grow-
ing number of Italian hotels.
Boat
Craft Navi (large ferries) service Sicily and Sardinia, while traghetti (smaller ferries) and aliscafi (hydro-
foils) service the smaller islands. Most ferries carry vehicles; hydrofoils do not.
Routes Main embarkation points for Sicily and Sardinia are Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Naples. Fer-
ries for Sicily also leave from Villa San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria. Main arrival points in Sardinia are
Cagliari, Arbatax, Olbia and Porto Torres; in Sicily they're Palermo, Catania, Trapani and Messina.
Timetables and tickets Comprehensive website TraghettiOnline ( www.traghettionline.com ) includes links
to multiple Italian ferry companies, allowing you to compare prices and buy tickets.
Overnight ferries Travellers can book a two- to four-person cabin or a poltrona, which is an airline-type
armchair. Deck class (which allows you to sit/sleep in lounge areas or on deck) is available only on some
ferries.
Bus
Routes Italy has everything from meandering local routes to fast, reliable InterCity connections provided by
numerous bus companies.
Timetables and tickets Available on bus company websites and from local tourist offices. Tickets are gen-
erally competitively priced with the train and often the only way to get to smaller towns. In larger cities
most of the InterCity bus companies have ticket offices or sell tickets through agencies. In villages and even
some good-sized towns, tickets are sold in bars or on the bus.
Advance booking Generally not required, but advisable for overnight or long-haul trips in high season.
Car & Motorcycle
Italy's extensive network of roads span numerous categories. The main ones include: