How to plan a walking trip by train and bus

On the Serra route to Oropa, the walk starts at Santhià railway station. The return works differently: a bus connects the sanctuary with Biella San Paolo station. Look up the ATAP bus for your travel date first, then look for a train that leaves after the bus arrives.

Open the walking route and your chosen stages. If you are only walking part of it, use the start and finish towns of that section, rather than those of the complete route. Note the exact names and compare them with the map.

A town may have several stations or stops, including ones far from the centre or trail. The town’s name alone does not establish where to get off. Appy’s route pages help you identify stages; transport search checks options for your travel date.

Think of the journey as a sequence: your departure point, train or bus, arrival station or stop, local transfer, and trail start. Check each step. A station in the same municipality does not prove that the walking route starts beside it.

If you need a local bus, verify the stop, direction, operating days and timetable with its operator. If you plan to walk from the station, account for that distance separately from the stage and check the pedestrian route. A line on a map is not automatically part of the official walking trail.

Search the return journey from where your walk ends. The departure time tells you when to be at the station or stop, not when to reach the trail’s finish. Include the transfer between them and a margin that fits your plan.

Do not treat an average walking time as a promised arrival. Breaks, diversions and your own pace can change the day. If getting home depends on one departure, consider a shorter final stage or an overnight stop before travelling back.

Before purchasing, compare the date, stations, stops, passengers and the change or refund conditions shown with the offer. If the journey involves separate tickets, check each one’s rules: do not assume a connection is protected.

Train and bus availability depends on the journey and date you search. This guide does not list guaranteed connections or fixed prices. Appy searches available offers; for local services outside those results, check directly with the operator.

In the Appy app, you can explore route maps, stages and elevation and search train or bus travel. On the website, compare walking routes and open their individual stages before moving to transport search.

Put the finish of your last stage, the stop you leave from and the departure time on the same line. Save the onward connection beside it. If the first timetable changes, you can see at once which other ticket or departure you need to check.