I am getting ready to book point to point train travel through trenitalia.com. Roma Termini to Vernazza, Vernazza to La Spezia Centrale, La Spezia Centrale to Firenze SMN, Firenze SMN to Venezia Santa Lucia.
It seems pretty straight forward but I want to make sure there are no unexpected surprises. Is there anything special I should consider or be on the look out for?
Thank you!
For lots of info about Italian trains, look here: https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm
The portions covered by Regional trains do not need to be prepurchase. There is no economic incentive to do so. There are no discounts on regional trains and no seats are reserved. It’s like traveling on a commuter train or subway in NYC.
The trip from Vernazza to Florence is in most cases aboard regional trains, certainly from Vernazza to La Spezia and from Pisa to Florence. So when you travel from a Vernazza to Florence, you might as well purchase the ticket at the station whenever you want to go, that way you don’t lock yourself on a specific train, and you have the flexibility to change your mind.
If any of the routes you are taking are solely on Regionale trains, there is no need to make advance purchases. There is no savings when booking those trains early and there are no reserved seats. You also might want to download the user-friendly Trenitalia app for smart phones and tablets. I find it easier to use than the online site.
And if Trenitalia won't take your credit card (some people have trouble with their US credit cards), you can book on Trainline for the same price.
All good advice, thank you! My thought on booking early is that my husband and I are early risers and will want to get to the next destination as early as possible. I am concerned that the early trains may fill up quickly and be SOLD OUT if we wait to purchase at the time of travel. Any thoughts?
I have found that in person in Italy buying a train ticket that the agents will give me the best price, something I might not known at the kiosk. For example, family price, etc. when I might think it didn't fit, etc. Also, you can sleep late if you want rather than run and catch a prescheduled train...or leave early (not my thing :-) ).
The only thing you might consider is if your lodging will hold your luggage with an early arrival as most check in times are between 2-3pm.
Only the high speed trains with reserved seats would have the possibility of selling out. Regional trains never sell out and there is no advantage to prepurchasing (Vernazza to La Spezia). But you can save money by buying the high speed tickets early as the cheaper fares get sold out leaving more expensive fares. There is another train option to check as well, linked below. This company may not have routes along all lines.
It is not a good idea in Italy to mosey into the train station shortly before departure time and get in the ticket line. There's a good chance the folks in front of you will be buying complicated tickets. You may be able to use the vending machines; I stopped trying because they wouldn't recognize the number of my senior-discount card. There's no reason to buy regionale tickets early, as the others have explained, but don't cut it too close. I missed a train while I was standing in the ticket line.
Any thoughts?
If morning trains with reserved seats regularly sold out, trenitalia would simply add more trains on that route to make more money.
On Regionale trains your worries make no sense because they can't sell out. Rember that Regionale tickets locally purchased are not train specific, you can use them on any regionale running that route on the selected day. As a result, you must time-stamp those tickets before getting on.
Are your plans set in stone? Get all regionale tickets at once at FCO or at Termini station.
Thank you for all responses, it is so nice to have a community of travelers to share their suggestions. Enjoy your day!
