Ironman Italy- any tips for traveling and accommodations

Triathlon Forum
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Planning the trip to Italy and trying to figure out the best flight options as well as where to stay. Shipping and traveling with 2 bikes are also part of the equation.

I flew Singapore air to Frankfurt, Germany before and it was a great experience. If I read correctly, they say they count your bike as a bag and it’s free. Anyone have experience with that?

I’m not opposed to flying to a nearby city and traveling through cities to make my way to Italy. Part of the trip is about seeing a Europe. Although, my friend keeps reminding me- dude, we have the bikes. So, flying into Frankfurt’s and then having to transport 2 bikes to Italy without a bike rack and if we had an SUV… still kinda ruins the autobahn experience! I’m still thinking get the SUV and stop at Porsche to rent the 911 GT3 for a night.

What are some thoughts and tips?

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If you do social media, there are several Facebook pages about Ironman Italy. Most is Italian (surprise!).

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Milan is a great gateway city to get into Italy. You could fly into Milan and than hit Verona, Padua (scrovegni murals, reserve ahead) and Venice on the way down to Ironman Italy as they are sorta on the way. Alot of cool towns in between and a bit south. North is the Dolomites. South is Parma, Modena, and Bologna. Alternative is to fly into say Florence and work you way north. Florence is not to be missed if you are into art.

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Planning the trip to Italy and trying to figure out the best flight options as well as where to stay. Shipping and traveling with 2 bikes are also part of the equation.

I flew Singapore air to Frankfurt, Germany before and it was a great experience. If I read correctly, they say they count your bike as a bag and it’s free. Anyone have experience with that?

I’m not opposed to flying to a nearby city and traveling through cities to make my way to Italy. Part of the trip is about seeing a Europe. Although, my friend keeps reminding me- dude, we have the bikes. So, flying into Frankfurt’s and then having to transport 2 bikes to Italy without a bike rack and if we had an SUV… still kinda ruins the autobahn experience! I’m still thinking get the SUV and stop at Porsche to rent the 911 GT3 for a night.

What are some thoughts and tips?

I did the race in 2017. Flew to Bologna with my gf, rented a car and drove for an hour up to Cervia, where the race is (Highway all the way). My Air bnb host was amazing and though the locals didn’t speak a lot of English, they were extremely friendly and our stay there was amazing. You won’t see a lot of tourists though, as September is considered an off month, but if you walk down the right alley they will treat you with local dishes that make you wonder why you haven’t tried something like that before.

We only had 1 bike, so we got away with a rather small car. Think it was 110Euros for 9 days. Would have given you the Air bnb host but she sold the apartment just after we left. Also, flying to Bologna probably is easier from Europe. But flying to Rome and drive through Italy for the experience doesn’t sound too wrong in my ears.

My recommendation would be to follow the coast on a bike either before or preferably after the race. Fantastic landscape and the peace and quiet in the region is as Italian as in the movies. If you’re more of a beach person you’ll pretty much have 5miles of beach to yourself after the race.

Enjoy

5

I did the race in 2017. Flew to Bologna with my gf, rented a car and drove for an hour up to Cervia, where the race is (Highway all the way). My Air bnb host was amazing and though the locals didn’t speak a lot of English, they were extremely friendly and our stay there was amazing. You won’t see a lot of tourists though, as September is considered an off month, but if you walk down the right alley they will treat you with local dishes that make you wonder why you haven’t tried something like that before.

We only had 1 bike, so we got away with a rather small car. Think it was 110Euros for 9 days. Would have given you the Air bnb host but she sold the apartment just after we left. Also, flying to Bologna probably is easier from Europe. But flying to Rome and drive through Italy for the experience doesn’t sound too wrong in my ears.

My recommendation would be to follow the coast on a bike either before or preferably after the race. Fantastic landscape and the peace and quiet in the region is as Italian as in the movies. If you’re more of a beach person you’ll pretty much have 5miles of beach to yourself after the race.

Enjoy

I have been checking various cities and for whatever reason, there are nonstop flights from Chicago to Rome. I may no that route. Still considering bike fees though into the equation.

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I lived in Italy for 10 years, didn’t do IM Italy though.

What do you want to see in Europe? Big place… In Italy?

Easiest would be to leave the bikes at the hotel / AirBnB post IM and explore Italy. Plenty of beautiful options. Or explore Italy with the bikes, also plenty of beautiful options (Bormio, Dolomiti, Zoncolan, even isola d’Elba).

Have to narrow down the options, I think.

Hope this helps

7

I lived in Italy for 10 years, didn’t do IM Italy though.

What do you want to see in Europe? Big place… In Italy?

Easiest would be to leave the bikes at the hotel / AirBnB post IM and explore Italy. Plenty of beautiful options. Or explore Italy with the bikes, also plenty of beautiful options (Bormio, Dolomiti, Zoncolan, even isola d’Elba).

Have to narrow down the options, I think.

Hope this helps

I want to stay near the race site, so it looks like Venice and Florence are the closest big cities.

Depending on what I can figure out for flights, I may end up flying into Frankfurt, Germany and driving to Italy. I would most likely stop in Munich, Germany along the way. So far, it looks like Singapore airlines may be the best option as they don’t have bag fees and it looks like bikes fly as part of your bag allowance!

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If you want to go Munich, then fly there instead of flying to Frankfurt. There is nothing to see in Frankfurt and not much to see between Frankfurt and Munich, unless you want to stop in Heidelberg.

Driving the autobahn around Munich will probably give the autobahn experience you seem to desire but be careful as the drivers are typically huge assholes.

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Hello and how did you Ironman Italy experience turn out? I am signing up for Italy 2020 and need to get my plan in line.

Any recommendations and race report info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and best regards,
Paul

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I want to stay near the race site, so it looks like Venice and Florence are the closest big cities.

Depending on what I can figure out for flights, I may end up flying into Frankfurt, Germany and driving to Italy. I would most likely stop in Munich, Germany along the way. So far, it looks like Singapore airlines may be the best option as they don’t have bag fees and it looks like bikes fly as part of your bag allowance!

I’ve been to Venice a couple of times - fantastic place - but I’d steer clear of making it your race base as getting in and out with a bike would be a nightmare.

I’ve got an eye on the race for next year too and it’s the logistics of getting there that have me scratching my head.

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Hi, I can confirm that Singapore Air counts your bike bag as if it was a luggage. I have checked in both a bike bag and a normal suitcase on multiple flights using this airline and so long as your total weight is below your allowance, there are no additional charges. I just used this airline 2 weeks ago

12

Hello and how did you Ironman Italy experience turn out? I am signing up for Italy 2020 and need to get my plan in line.

Any recommendations and race report info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and best regards,
Paul

It was a tough day, race wise. Wind the entire bike. No wind at the coast for the run though. Got t done though. 4x Ironman for me! Yeah!

I flew into Rome (Roma). Stayed at a Marriott that ai would highly suggest. Huge pool that I did laps in for my final IM swim workout. Saw the sites, Sistine Chapel and Colloseum. Went to a great restaurant and dance club suggested by the lady at the front desk.

Then went to Florence (Firenze). Had an amazing meal at a local popular scene called Perseus. They cook huge slabs of porterhouse for the table to share. Saw the stature of a David and some amazing churches. Walked the downtown a lot and lived like a local. The guy at the local bike shop helped me do final setup on my bike. Went for a ride, but it was difficult getting out of the city as there was way too much traffic. I should have planned this better. Florence by bike had Strava routes to download.

Went to Cervia for the race. Amazing beach, vacation community. The Adriatic Sea was salty, but water temp was great. Very clean city and nice. Hotels were very nice and some decent local restaurants, but not at all like Florence. It was a good race. Well run, but some things were different. Main thing being that Italy requires you to have a doctor sign off for competition. I did not know this. They accepted a letter from your home country doctor that had to specifically say you are healthy to compete in triathlon. They made you wear your bike helmet into transition when dropping your bike off and also wear your race number. It makes sense as they verify wrist bracelet, helmet sticker, race number, and bike sticker all match. Just annoying as everyone is fumbling through bags and it wasn’t smoothly executed. Transition was long. Really long. Kinda sucked. Lots of fans on the run. 4 loops which I didn’t think I would like, but I did.

I then went to Venice. Great city and worth seeing for sure! Words can’t be spoken.

I lastly went to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. Lots of logistics to make this happen, but I was traveling with friends and this was an important stop for them. Maybe I will never do that again in my lifetime, so it was worth fitting in.

Downfall of my trip- traveling to so many places and dragging my bike around. It was ridiculous.
Best part of the trip, seeing so many cities. Catch 22… you decide.

Highly suggested if you can make this a vacation as well. I went for 14 days. I took the train everywhere and taxis. Taxis are expensive. Maybe renting a car would have been better.

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I’ve just come back from Italy. Loved the race - I’ve done Ironman Wales and Ironman Lanzarote a few times, and those are seriously hilly/windy courses. Ironman Italy was pancake flat, with the exception of one 1.5km climb that you do twice on the bike. There was a crosswind on the motorway/freeway sections of the bike course, but nothing too troubling.

We flew into Bologna airport, and caught the train straight to Cervia (1.5 hrs). We arrived on the Wednesday, which was perfect for a quick recce, registration and check-in etc.

My advice would be stay in a hotel in Cervia for the race. Bologna is 1.5hrs on the train, and most other major cities are a couple of hours away. However, leave Bologna on the Monday after the race! The town literally shuts down around you. The major hotels were closing down on Monday morning, and by Tuesday a lot of them were boarded up for the off-season.

Cervia was like a ghost town from Monday to Saturday, when we left. It was nice and relaxing, and there were a lot of good restaurants still open, but the heart and soul leaves when Ironman leaves town on Monday morning. Once you’ve done the race and spent a day recovering, I’d get out of Cervia and go to Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan - any of the big cities. That’s what we plan to do next year.

Overall I loved it - the event was well managed, the course was really enjoyable, and the weather was good.

Hope that helps.

14

JHarris, thank you so much for the information. I wish I had 14 days to spend in Italy. I plan on Flying into Vienna, taking a short plane ride to Bologna on the Wednesday before the race and staying in a hotel in Cervia. Was thinking to go with Nirvana tours to ride from Bologna to Ceriva, but if you think it is possible to do via train maybe I could save some money and live a little like a local. Plan on only staying in Cervia one night after the race and then heading to Venice like you did. I was thinking about renting a car for this. Plan on one night in Venice and then driving a few hours north to visit a friend in Austria for two days… then flying back home Via Vienna. Would you mind if I send additional questions if they arise?

Thanks again,
Paul

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Thanks so much Ozzie, sounds close to my plan of arriving on the Wednesday prior to the race. Are the trains easy to use dragging along a bike case?

Do you mind if I send more questions as they arise?

Thanks for the response, awesome info.

Best regards,
Paul

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Ozzie, you say the train from Bologna airport to Cervia is 1.5 hours? Google maps showing me 2.7 hrs. Is there a specific express route I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance.

Paul