Train passes

Train passes rarely make sense within Italy. It's usually cheaper to go with point-to-point tickets. See trenitalia.com

Just checked out that website. It would end up being cheaper to get a pass than to do point to point

I hope you don't mind my asking but are you actually planning to do daytrips out of Venice to these places? Meaning leave Venice in the morning, travel four hours to Rome, then turn around and travel four hours back to Venice that same evening?

What is the price of the pass? Second passes do pay off when doing a lot of long train rides. In your case it might work but also remember you will need to pay a seat reservation 10E per leg of your trip. And finally, I think it is more than crazy to consider day trips from Venice to Rome and Florence. Milan is OK but it is still some distance. A lot smarter to spend a night or two in each of those cities unless you have free room in Venice.

Cassandra, You say you are staying in Venice. Do you mean you are living there? Or that you are currently there, so that you want these trains in the next couple of days? Or do you mean that you will be staying in Venice some time in the future? If you mean that you will doing this in the future, when you went to Trenitalia did you look for the Mini fares? With a bit of advance planning it can save you big money, way cheaper than a pass. If you are looking at a 3 day pass that sounds like you mean separate day trips to each place. So that will be 3 x 2 x €10 = €60 in pass seat reservation charges which would be included in the price of either Mini fares or normal tickets. If you are there now, how will you get your pass? Many passes are not available in Europe.

Cassandra, I'm assuming from the information in your post that you're planning to take day trips to Rome, Florence and Milan on three separate days. As the others have mentioned, Milan and Florence are relatively easy from Venice, but Rome is a different story. As Frank mentioned, the trip will be four hours each way, which won't leave much time to see Rome. It would be a much better idea to plan on spending at least one (and possibly more) nights in Rome, as there's so much to see. Regardng the Railpass, I agree with the others. In Italy especially it would be more cost effective to use P-P tickets (IMO), and try to obtain "Mini" or other discount fares as much as possible. Check www.roninrome.com as there's lots of good information there on rail travel in Italy. It would help if you could clarify a few details on your situation. Are you staying in Venice for an extended period of time, or just visiting there? Happy travels!

We have a room in Venice for a week. The travel time does not matter to us. We live 4 and half hours north of NYC and do day trips all the time. I have been looking at all the information on the point to point tickets. In the end it would end up being more expencive than a rail pass for two people, which would only be $358.
Unless there is a website that give dicounts on point to point ticket that I have yet to find. That information would be great!

Even though you have lodging in Venice for a week, considering staying overnight in Rome. You can find inexpensive lodging. Then you'll get to really enjoy it so much more. Anyway, just a suggestion. Have a great time. I admire your stamina. :-)

Actually, several long trips like that, round trip, may well be cheaper than buying each ticket. She won't get the advanced purchase discounts and needs the flexibility. Cassandra, make sure to buy the right pass. You'll need a 1st class pass if you're over a certain age. Figure how many days you plan to travel and get a pass covering that many days. You'll need seat reservations for each trip, those you get at the station and cost a few Euro each. I would seriously reconsider a day trip to Rome. You won't see much and spend far more time on trains and in stations than seeing sights. It's one thing for you to take a daytrip to NYC - you already know the city and where you want to go and how to get there. If you haven't been to Rome, it can be overwhelming the first time. Either stay a couple nights or plan to go back. I would seriously reconsider a day trip to Milan. Unless you are a big shopper, there just isn't that much in Milan. Other than Naples, Milan is my least favorite Italian (and European) city. Most people see the city in a day if they are flying in or out but I wouldn't think it worth it to in your case. There are lots of other daytrips you could take: Ravenna, Bologna and Veronna are a few examples.

People over 60 are not required to buy a first-class Senior Pass. Those passes are available only if you meet the age requirements, but seniors can buy the regular second-class pass if they want. That's what I've done, and I'm in the "senior" age category. If the pass looks attractive to you, buy it. There are several advantages, the main one being that a large chunk of your travel can be paid in advance. It can save money. I never found it difficult or unreasonably expensive to get the required reservations to go with my pass. Just a stop at the train station, preferably at least a day in advance, will get your reservations on the trains of your choice. Several reservations may be made at the same time, so you can do it all at once if you are sure of your schedule. When buying tickets or making reservations, I recommend that you have everything in writing before approaching the ticket seller. This can speed things up and avoid confusion.