Train Question....

You do have to have a ticket for each trip but you can purchase a round trip ticket.

Thanks for the clarification!

I thought so, but I just wanted to be sure :)

Happy Travels

since this is your first trip on the train, let me add 2 perhaps non-obvious things. First, look at your ticket to see if it assigns a specific car of the train and seat in that car. For some trains you can sit anywhere in the 1st or 2nd class section, others have assigned seating. There will be a Trenitalia employee by the train when its boarding if you're not sure, but its pretty easy to see by the ticket.

Second, don't forget to validate your ticket before boarding. There are yellow machines by the tracks, just put your ticket in and it stamps the date/time. In my experience they always DO check if you're on the train long enough, and Rome -> Florence is long enough.

I wonder - does anyone know if you have to validate your ticket on a EuroStar train for 1st class service? We ordered our tickets online and we must bring our printed receipt/email with us and it says to "tell the train personnel the reservation code" (from the receipt). Does this mean we don't have to validate it? (didn't really get a ticket so am assuming not necessary) Thanks!

From the train website:

TICKETS AND BOOKINGS
Booking on board Eurostar Italia Trains is free and always takes place at the same time as ticket issuance.
The ticket is valid only for the booked day and train (you can book and buy your ticket from up to two months before departure and as late as three hours after the train's departure from its station of origin). You don't need to stamp your ticket before departure.
It is compulsory to book places on Eurostar trains, so, when getting on board, you must have a ticket valid for that train.
If you board a train without a ticket, in addition to paying your ticket, you will have to pay a 25 euro surcharge. You must however notify the on-board personnel as soon as you possibly can after boarding. The surcharge is not applicable if departure was from a station when the ticketing service was not operative.

No need to validate Eurostar tickets.

I agree, no need to validate. All you need to do is, if you booked online like I did, take your printout on the train with you and go to your assigned seats. When they come through, the conductor will enter your ticket number into his PDA to validate your ticket.

You should still get a ticket when you give them your cofirmation number. Make sure you validate it if they do because they will charge you for a new ticket if it is not validated. CRAZY!!

Answers to two questions above. The best way to get from Rome to Florence (and return) is on a Eurostar. This is Trenitalia's fastest train between the two locations (fewer stops as well). The trip normally takes 1h 36m and costs 33 Euro for standard fare 2nd class. You must have seat reservations for both 1st and 2nd class on the Eurostar. You will end up with two tickets - one for each direction if you buy them there. With online reservations, the conductor has a PDA and will plug in your information to validate your ticket and seat. If your roundtrip is on the E-ticket you should be OK with just your single document. Still, it is best to validate you E-ticket just because you never know. I have seen people sitting next to me fined on the Eurostar for not validating their ticket. They had seat reservations and everything. The ticket wouldn't have been valid on any other train but they were still fined. You'll like the Italy train travel.

Hi...we are also making the same trip, but we are flying into Rome around 7:15 am. I know we need to get from the Rome airport to the train station, on something called the Leonardo Express. This apparently runs every 30 minutes at 5 after and 35 past the hour...but it doesn't appear as though we can buy this ticket ahead of time. Here is my question...if we arrive at 7:15 am into Rome, how much time should we allow ourselves to get thru customs, onto the Leonardo Express and to the Rome train station...basically, what is the earliest departure time that I should buy my train ticket to Florence? And what is the difference between the ES* train and the A train,(the Italia Alta train)?

Sandy, why do you have to decide now? Buy the Florence tickets from the window in the station when you buy the ticket from the airport to Rome; the line is never very long at that window and they'll sell you a ticket for the train you can make. Or if you look up timetables in advance and know that you're going to have an hour or so to spare, you can buy them from the self-service kiosks at Termini.

As for time, give yourself at least 30-45 minutes. The time listed by the airline is when the wheels touch the ground. Then you taxi to the terminal, and wait to get off the plane. Easily 20 minutes there. You're tired and dazed, even if you have no checked luggage you need to orient yourself and walk to the train station. 5 more minutes to get a ticket. So if your plane is scheduled to arrive at 7:15 you're unlikely to make the 7:35 train; you'll be on the 8:05. And don't forget to validate your ticket in the yellow box!

Thanks for the response...I guess it's my A type personality coming thru....I've been reading about the need to have not only a ticket, but also a reservation for seats. And we'd like to be on the faster train, since we will have been traveling all night and just want to get to Florence. Any chance we would NOT be able to get on a train...do they get sold out?

Sandy, go to http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html and you can look up the travel times. (from "roma termini", to "firenze") It looks like most trains take 1.5 hrs and weekdays they have 6 of these trains leaving Rome Termini between 8:30am and 10:30am. Like people have said, this isn't like trains in the USA!

So can one of them be sold out? Maybe, although traveling last Sept & Oct we never had a problem. All 6? I doubt it (but no, that's not a guarantee). As for the reservation, it comes with the ticket when you buy tix for a specific train. The people who need separate reservations are those who buy a rail pass which just entitles you to travel on the days you validate it; Trenitalia has no idea in advance they want a seat on a particular train with reserved seats until they make a reservation.

Trenitalia purports to sell seats on its website although many people have had trouble doing so (and it ties you into a train; what if the plane is late?)

Will it be a problem to get the tickets once in Italy. I need 6 tickets from Florence to Rome Oct 4th.
We arrive in Milan Sept 28th.

Becky - no, not a problem at all. There are many trains from Florence to Rome and you can just buy the tickets when you get to the station.

i too was concerned about seats being "sold out"..[again i was rome/florence, april/may]..that was never a problem...think of it this way: these trains run pretty much like the ones here..say, from chicago to naperville, ill.: they run often, and when i took them , there were always empty seats.lots..the "locals" who use them EVERYDAY, for business, visiting , shopping, don't make reservations, they just get on!
these trains are HUGE! MANY cars[i dunno...25/30?] each seating ..[guess]50/75 ppl.i am sure some one here has that exact count..but the point is:
don't worry.
[find a train schedual and see how many times a day these monsters run..you'll get it]

Becky, I don't think that you realize how absolutely huge the Italian train system is. Although your MARTA system is more modern, the acceptance by the people just can't be described. Walking through the Rome or Florence train station and you would see the same density of people as you would in a crowded area of Atlanta's airport. Their major highways are two lanes in each direction - not 3, not 4 and not 5 lanes. They take the train. And don't worry about seat reservations. If your train needs one, the ticket agent or the the machine will give you one with the ticket. The trains rarely fill up. If they do, get a 1st class ticket. These are always available. If you want to be really brave, take the "R" train (the local). No seat reservations are permitted. You just get on and take your seat. Of course it will take you 3.5hrs and 3-4 train changes to get to Florence from Rome but... you don't have to worry about seats. The big secret is to know what time you will be traveling and the train numbers you want. When you get to the Milan train station, step up to the windown and the agent will book your tickets. You have plenty of time.

I just read the posts about trains possibly being sold out. I was just on trenitalia looking for prices for the train trips we will be taking. For the train from Venice to Florence on 23 October about 6+ trains are sold out for that day. I hope I can leave Venice on that day as I have an appointment in Florence in the afternoon. I was very surprised to have them show up as "sold out". I'm planning on waiting until I arrive Rome to make our train reservations. It will be interesting!!

Miss B. Where are you looking? Here is the early morning TRAIN SCHEDULE for October 23. No train is sold out. Are you trying to buy tickets for more than 5 people? Trenitalia has a limit of 5. Also, Trenitalia will not sell tickets for than 60 days out. It's now 57 days out from your trip. Extremely highly unlikely that they have sold out most of the trains leaving Venice for Florence. Italians just don't travel on the train like that. They buy 1-2 days out or just show up on the day of travel.

following that above thought:
CHILL!!
damn americans are so afraid of EVERYthing..one thing i LEARNED going to italy: CHILL. quit being afraid, stop WORRING...
so say u guys take different trains..so WHT? the first group just CHILLS and checks out the area, goes back to the TRAIN, and finds you a few schedualed hrs later..so WHAT?
CHILL... RELAX...just get there, no world will end, no one will be forever lost in italy: CHILL.[sheech ..americans all the time "concerned/worried.scared."]

canadians , also: applies to you.
i have just seen too many posts since i got back about FEAR..there is not so much FEAR there as is HERE...
you will be enlightened..fear nothing, ENJOY.

Although I think our CO friend might be a little harsh in his criticism about Americans and Canadians.. I do beleive he has a point. There is nothing to fear. It is a gentle beautiful country that embraces us with open arms. The only suggestion I would add .. is to simply enjoy every aspect of your trip. If you miss a connection.. don't worry..There's a train every twenty mins or so.. the public transportation makes everything so easy IF you allow yourself to stop and smell the cappucino.. There's a word the Italians use: "piano" (slow down.. relax..) If you get yourself so wrought up about things that probably will never happen, you'll ruin your trip and it's an experience that can be so amazing. you'll never forget it.." Piano"
Kate

yeah i apoligise..was a little harsh there...its the fear thing that got to me.actually i did have a scarry moment leaving rome sitting at the train station bench..i looked down, and PHHT! my carry bag was GONE! it had EVERYthing: money, passport, everything..i stood , looked around, and SHOUTED "NOOOOO!"..ran a few steps one way, had my backpack to watch..well..i hear a "hey!" i turn around, there is this guy with my pack, he flashes a badge..i don't know what he said or WHY he took it[maybe searching for bombs?] well anyway , i grabbed his head, and planted a wet kiss on his forehead.that was my last interaction in Roma: kissing a cop on the forehead.