I will be traveling to Italy in September. We will be flying into and out of Pisa then traveling to Lucca and Cinque Terre. Which train app should I be using to purchase my tickets? Trenit! or Trenitalia? Do I need to purchase tickets in advance? Thank you for any insights!
Posted by
Green Bay
22519 posts
Pisa to Lucca and Cinque Terre are all regional trains. No advance purchase required, no seat reservations taken, always the same price. Use the Trenitalia app.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/information/mobile-ticketing.html
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8764 posts
Trenitalia https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html is the site you should be using, it is the official state railway site. You can download their app off the Play store or the App store. Trenit! I am not familiar with, it appears to be a third party seller, though it will show results for the private rail companies in Italy (Italo and Trenord)
However, most of your travel likely will be done on regional trains, so they will be operated by Trenitalia, so just use their app.
Posted by
OP
Illinois
55 posts
Thank you!!!
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2008 posts
Cathy, I purchased all of our train tickets directly from Trenitalia. I uploaded their app to my phone, and it was invaluable for buying last minute regional train tickets. I would purchase the tickets in the cab on our way to the train station.
P.S. I sent you a private message regarding restaurants, sightseeing etc.
Posted by
Los Angeles
5257 posts
Read and heed the Man in Seat 61
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
8337 posts
Except Seat61 recommends using Trainline
Don’t do that
Use Trenitalia
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32512 posts
cathleen,
As you'll be using mostly Regionale trains, it's just as easy to just buy the tickets from one of the ticket kiosks in the station. They're very easy to use and they provide a choice of languages. You'll be presented with a paper ticket which MUST be validated in the machines before boarding the train. Passengers with unvalidated tickets may be subject to a hefty fine.
One point to note is that on the route fro Pisa to the C.T., some of the trains may be Freccia for one leg (there's usually a change in La Spezia). The tickets for the Freccia trains come with compulsory reservations, which will specify your carriage and seat numbers. Tickets for those trains are specific to train, date and departure time so can only be used on the one train specified on the ticket. Boarding the wrong train may result in hefty fines!
When buying tickets, you'll have to specify which of the five towns in the Cinque Terre you'll be going to. Check the Trenitalia website to see which trains are used for each of the trips you'll be taking.