After much research I thought I had the Trenitalia site figured out. I will be traveling in early June and want to book in advance, knowing that I can not book the Regional portions online. For instance, traveling from Siena to Venice requires a regional train from Siena to Florence then changing to a high speed from Florence to Venice where a reservation is required. Here's my question: when I enter my travel date it brings up all the choices, but when I choose one it seems to skip to the next day. Where it says "Journey Fare Choice" it shows June 3 but then below under "Journey Preferences" it shows the name and number of the train, the date and the departure and arrival stations; but now the date is for June 4. I thought perhaps this train didn't run a Sunday, but when trying to book Venice to Milan the same thing happens. Which date do I go by? I don't want to accidentally purchase tickets for the wrong day. Would I be correct believing that the "*solution applies to the next day"means I should plug a date that is one day in advance of when I really want to travel? Sorry to be so lengthy and possibly dense :) Just don't want to mess this up! Thanks.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8178 posts
Guida: You really don't need to purchase train tickets in Italy before you arrive in the country. And, from Florence to Siena, it's better to use the bus. It's much quicker, and the bus drops you in the city. The train arrives outside the center city, it's not as easy to deal with and it takes much longer to get there. The Florence bus terminal is outside the Florence train station. If you're wanting to book Venice to Milan ticket, just run by a train station a couple of days before you're leaving and use a person at the ticket booth. Purchasing 2 days early, you'll get the "Mini Rate." Or, see RoninRome.com for a picture by picture instructions on the Italian train ticket kiosks. He explains the train system better than anyone.
Posted by
Milwaukie, Oregon, USA
101 posts
Guida, I'm not sure what you are doing wrong; I put in your dates and followed the process up to the point of entering credit card information and had no problems. I have purchased on line a number of times and this has not been an issue. Sorry I'm not much help. Perhaps double check what you are entering. I believe mini fares are capacity controlled and may not be available closer to your journey. I would agree with taking the bus to Florence.
Posted by
OP
Fenton
18 posts
Thanks Michael & David. I'm not sure what I did wrong either, I'll keep trying. Thanks for the bus advice for Siena to Florence, I'll check that out on Busfox. The reason I want to book Siena to Venice is because of the holiday weekend (June 2) . I'm worried things will be a little crowded. We are running on a bit of a tight schedule. Plus I saw some really good mini fares and would like to take advantage of those as well. Thanks again!