My family (4 people) is traveling to Italy in September and we have purchased Eurail passes, but are not sure about he reservation part. I am wondering if it is important to make reservations before we go, or if we can just show up for the trains we want and buy our reservation before boarding, since it is not the highest tourist season in September. I would rather have the flexibility of just showing up for the train we want, but don't want to get stuck without a seat. I am particularly concerned about these legs of the trip: Venice-Milan, Milan-Genoa, Florence-Naples or Rome-Naples (haven't decided yet). Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Since there are quite a few departures throughout the day for your routes, you should be able to show up at the station and buy your seat reservations for trains requiring them shortly before boarding. However, it would be a good idea to buy them the day before departure. You'll have one less thing to worry about when you're packing up and getting from your hotel to the station.
However, did you compare the price of point-to-point tickets for your routes before buying your passes and did you check to see how much seat reservations will cost on trains requiring them? For travel solely within Italy, p2p tickets are almost always cheaper than a pass. If a seat reservation is required, it is included in the price of the ticket.
Examples: The fare for EuroStar Italia trains for Venice-Milan is 27.60 EUR. With a pass you'll have to pay 15 EUR for the reservation.
The fare for Regionale trains between Milan and Genoa is 9.10 EUR. If you take an IC train, the fare is 15.50 EUR. IC trains require reservations and they cost 5 EUR.
The fare for EuroStar Alta Velocita trains from Florence to Naples is 63.70 EUR. A seat reservation costs 20 EUR. The fare on IC trains is 39 EUR. A seat reservation costs 5 EUR.
For Florence-Rome you will pay 39.50 EUR for EuroStar Italia trains (or 15 EUR for a reservation), 39.90 EUR for EuroStar Alta Velocita trains (or 20 EUR for a reservation), and 16.00 EUR for Regionale trains (no reservations possible).
Compare these figures to the cost of a pass plus necessary reservations. I don't know if it is possible to return railpasses; but if there is a big price differential, it might be worth your while to find out.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Tim is correct. Too bad you didn't give some thought to this prior to purchasing. Years ago it was no brainer -- a rail pass WAS a good deal. But now you really have to do your homework especially in Italy. Italy still has cheap rail fare and the new fee structure is even better. Also we have been trained by the Am airlines to buy tickets months in advance or get screwed when you show up. Except for night trains, seats are almost never problems. Haven't looked but will bet there are at least 20 trains a day between Venice and Milan. I know there is something like 50 a day between Rome and Florence. Good luck.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I suggest that you call the toll-free number for Budget Europe Travel Service and ask them if reservation fees have been lowered. You can also ask them their opinion about how far in advance to buy seat reservations. Their advice is professional, friendly, and free.
Posted by
Texas
518 posts
Even in July there were a few empty seats on every train we took and many empty ones on some. You can probably get seat reservations the day you travel, but you might not get to sit together.
Posted by
OP
Wheaton, IL, USA
6 posts
Thanks so much for your help. I wish I had done some more research before getting the Eurail passes, but I am pretty stuck. I emailed the RS Rail Dept and they said they could be returned for only 85% of what I paid for them, so I figure I will just keep them. They also said that many of the trians have dropped their reservation fees to around 10 Euros or have dropped them altogether as of June. Did anyone find that to be true? Also, if anyone else has an opinion as to whether we should get reservations in advance, I would love to hear it.