Hi! I will be traveling to Italy for the first time this September with 7 other people. The first part of the trip includes the following train trips/tickets: Rome to Florence, Florence to Pisa, Pisa to Florence, Florence to Venice, Venice to Florence, Florence to Pistoia, Pistoia to Rome. Since we will be doing a lot of train travel for day trips, I am thinking about buying a rail pass but know that some trains require a reservation on top of the rail pass. Can I use my rail pass to make reservations at the train station using my credit card to purchase the reservation part of the ticket? Is there a ticket machine were I can just make the reservation with my rail pass? It's a little overwhelming think about all of this. But very exciting all the same. Thanks for the information!
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
Jessica - on this thread EVERYONE says not to buy a Train pass - the point to point tickets are cheap in Italy. There are some discount fares available and they are an even better bargain. I used the website for RailItaly to book by train trips for Sept. and I'm going from Rome to Milan for only 38 Euros and that is even on the fast train. I would also recommend not getting a pass. On the website - it adds in the reservation is one is needed for a particular train and route. Very easy.
Best of Luck.....
Posted by
OP
Aberdeen
4 posts
Good to know. Thank you! Would it be okay then if I didn't even purchase tickets online before the trip? For example, once I arrive at the Rome Airport and take the tram to the train station, buy my train ticket to Florence once I arrive at Rome's train station? My original plan was to buy each train ticket a day or two before I need it at each city's train station using my credit card at the automated ticket machine.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34239 posts
Jessica,
you can certainly do that. If you get them well ahead you can save money. What you give up is flexibility as you will be tied to a specific departure on a specific train. If you get them just before travel time you will pay full price but you can take the next train that has available seats. Its a balancing act and only you know which side of the see-saw you prefer.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Jessica, definitely buy point to point tickets. You can purchase your first tickets rom kiosks at the train stop at the airport when you land, rather than wait until you get to Rome - the lines will be shorter since almost no one thinks to do this. You can also purchase tickets online from your smart phone, just show the train conductor your confirmation which has a bar code. A good strategy with a group is to purchase tickets for the next leg of your trip when you first arrive in the city, rather than wait until you are ready to leave. Lines can be long in Florence and Roma Termini station. By the way, note that Florence and Rome have several train stations: you will probably want Santa Maria Novella station in Florence and Termini Station in Rome. As for Pistoia to Rome, you will have to change trains in Florence (I did this trip a few months ago), there are frequent trains from Pistoia to Florence throughout the day so this should not be a problem. If you plan to go from Pisa to Florence and back as a day trip, you might save a euro or two by getting a round trip ticket ("andare e ritorno"). Have a great time with your group!
Posted by
OP
Aberdeen
4 posts
Yes. Those are the two train stations I plan to use. Thanks for the tip about buying train tickets while still at the Roma airport. What a great idea!