Buying Rail tickets ahead of time, should I get the insurance?

First off, use the official rail website for whatever ticket you want to buy (Trenitalia, etc). Rail Europe is a reseller and it pops up on top of Google searches because it is a paid sponsor. How much are the tickets, and how much is the insurance? I can't imagine that it's worthwhile to insure them, especially if they're inexpensive. Rail Europe probably pushes it because it's a money maker for them. If you're not positive about your schedule, then maybe it's better to buy them on the spot as opposed to in advance and with insurance. It really depends on the nature of the tickets (price and whether they have to be bought in advance), but honestly I think insurance for train tickets is overkill. Strikes are announced ahead of time (so it won't be a surprise) and you can prevent missing a train just by building in some cushion.

I have only bought maybe a half dozen routes in last 5-6 years.. Amsterdam-Paris, Paris to Nice , Paris to Rouen, Paris to Lyon, the Eurostar.. and I have always found that insurance wasnt worth it to me as I got the tickets so cheap by buying months in advance.. I think trying to make a claim would be more hassle than its worth to me ..

I'm buying 2nd class rail tickets from Rome to Naples, Naples to Venice and Venice to Rome. The tickets are actually less expensive than thru Trenitalia.

I have heard that there is a big price difference between buying long distance rail ahead of time, hence why I am looking now for June. I don't want to wait until the day of the trip. The cost for insurance is $102.

Here are links to two places where you should be able to see all the available trains (not always the case on Rail Europe) and not pay extra fees (also not always the case)

TrenItalia (If you want Italo trains, see below.) Trenitalia insists that you use the Italian spellings of city names: Venezia, Milano, Torino, Genova, Firenze, Roma, Napoli.
Trainline.eu (Covers both Trenitalia and Italo)

There's a second train company, Italo, that has fast trains on some of the major routes.

That insurance costs almost more than the tickets themselves! Having used the Trenitalia website for a random day in the middle of June, these three trips can be made for around EUR 90, all on high-speed Frecce trains.

Check to see if your travel insurance (you did buy a travel insurance policy, right?) covers these. No sense paying twice.

I don't know if I'm looking at this wrong or what, but I can get a one way ticket for my family from Rome to Naples for $51 usd on Rail Europe. Just checked Tranitalia and it was $144!

Rail Europe gets a lot of flack on this board as offering tickets at inflated prices, but that is not always the case. I booked all of our Spain and France tickets through them a few years ago and they were marginally cheaper than the train line. But it varies so if you see a cheap ticket be sure you are comparing apples and apples, and buy it.

What dates are you looking at for all of these trips?

I'm finding lots of fares for two adults and 2 children around $50. Your must not be using Trenitalia right.

BTW, how much will RailEurope add for shipping?

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Check the times. Often RailEurope doesn't offer all the times that Trenitalia offers. For a date in mid-May, RailEurope didn't offer any trains after 7:40, and that one was $124 for 2 adults and 2 children. The 7:26 IC is $56 0n RailEurope and 41,60€ (about $51) on Trenitalia.

Rail europe adds 7.99 shipping. But is free over $300. Is there a shipping fee with Tranitalia?

I think I found my Rome to Naples, comes to $43. Saves me a few bucks. These say 2nd class seats, which I assume are the same that I would get on Rail Europe.

I will now look for Naples to Venice and Venice back to Rome.

Is there a shipping fee with Tranitalia?

I wouldn't know. I never travel in Italy, but German Rail sends you an email with a ,pdf ticket at no charge.

I know it looks like we are changing the point of this thread by thrashing RailEurope, but the thread started out by the OP, at least in appearance, seeming to imply that RailEurope had better prices. The following examples are why I doubt that the do in Italy, because they don't in other countries.

For example, the 11:36 direct ICE (623) from FRA to Munich costs 29,90€ per person (~$37, today) from German Rail. The same train from RailEurope is $48. Even with a reservation it's only $42.50 from the Bahn. RailEurope seems to require a reservation (not optional). There are many of us here who would not make a reservation on some routes.

But RailEurope seems to try to be competitive on highly visible routes, like FRA to Munich, where it is only overpriced by $5½, but puts the screws to you on routes where it is harder to compare. Last October we went from St. Goar to Pfronten-Ried, in the Allgäu. (I discovered Pfronten years ago as a very cost effective way to visit the castles in Füssen plus a beautiful venue on it's own.) On the Bahn website, I booked the entire trip, St. Goar to Pfronten, for 29,90€ per person, plus seat reservations on the IC from Bingen to Ulm (9€). The total cost, at today's conversion rate, including seat reservations, was $85.

On RailEurope, I can't even ticket St. Goar to Pfronten. I have to book St. Goar to Kempten for $96, then Kempten to Pfronten for an additional $24, for a total of $120 (vs $85 from the Bahn, $35 or 41% more).

But it gets even worse. After three nights in Pfronten, we went to Lindau, on Lake Constance. We used a Bayern-Ticket, 31€ or $37, for the bus that we caught a block from our accommodation, to the station at Pfronten-Ried to Kempten to Lindau. RailEurope wants $24 for the train from Pfronten to Kempten plus $96 for Kempten to Lindau, plus the don't ever include the bus to the Pfronten Bahnhof, for over $5, or a total of $125 (vs $37).

I could go on, but the point is that RailEurope doesnt understand ticketing in Germany (and probably any other company), so they often show highly inflated prices for tickets, particularly if you deviate from the popular routes. Just don't use them.

With Trenitalia, you get a PDF file sent to you in an e-mail. You have to print it out (ideally before you leave home) and show it to the ticket inspector on the train.
Trenitalia, AFAIK does not post physical tickets outside Italy.

Is there a shipping fee with Trenitalia?
Like many other railway companies (such as Deutsche Bahn and OEBB) Trenitalia sends you the tickets as a pdf for printing at home. Totally safe procedure which never failed me.

Thank you for all of your responses. A few more questions as I'm a total newbie. I'm looking at super economy, which I assume is 2nd class, correct? Also, with 2nd class (super economy), is your luggage close by so that you are able to keep watch over it? Thank you all so much. I'm looking at the frecciarossa, frecciabianca and frecciargento trains.

In answer to your original question, forget the insurance (and Rail Europe)...not worth to use either one.

Non refundable and not changeable so be sure you are OK with being locked into that train.

Kath, The price levels (Super Economy, Economy and Base) are not the same as 1st and 2nd class. You get all 3 levels in both classes.
For example, Rome to Florence:

Base: 2ª CLASSE 47.00 €, 1ª CLASSE 67.00 €
Economy: 2ª CLASSE 34.90 €, 1ª CLASSE 44.90 €
Super Economy: 2ª CLASSE 19.90 €, 1ª CLASSE 29.90 €

Info from Trenitalia website: http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Super Economy, Economy and Base tickets are all for the same seats (2nd or 1st class). You could be sitting next to someone who paid twice what you paid, or half. It is only 1st and 2nd class which are segregated (2+1 or 2+2 seating).

Luggage arrangements are the same in 1st and 2nd class: overhead racks, behind the back of two back-to-back seats (A-shaped space), or (sometimes) in floor to ceiling racks. All in the same coach as you are in.
And, all luggage is "hand luggage", you have to get it on and off the train yourself.
For more info on luggage on trains, including photos, see here: https://www.seat61.com/luggage-on-european-trains.htm

Now I'm really confused. What type of seat would be the best? We want comfort obviously. I'm so sorry for all of the questions.

We only travel 2nd class on Italian trains and our bags are just large enough that they don't fit in overhead racks.They're stowed in the space provided for them at the front or back of the carriages. Our carryons always stay with us.

The exception to this would be some of the local commuter trains, like the Circumvesuviana. You want to keep ALL of your luggage with/very near you on that one, however you can manage to do it. Larger bags that don't fit in your seat area will probably fit overhead, and you'll keep hold of your carryons. It is possible for that train to be standing-room only during busiest times/sections of route so in that case, you'll just stand with a hand on your bag. Same with any regionale train that may fill to capacity.

Please don't take up needed seating room on commuter (or regionale) trains by placing a bag on the seat beside you. :O)

2nd class seats on any of the 'fast' or regionale trains are perfectly comfortable. Buy the lowest price (economy/super economy) 2nd class tickets available for 'fast' trains as long as you know you can commit to those specific trains. Unless you're taking some day trips, you're unlikely to be using the regionales but you don't need to pre-purchase for those anyway: no seat or carriage assignments so tickets are the same prices for walk-ups as in advance.

Okay, 2nd class cheapest option it is. I am considering this for the longer trips from Naples to Venice and Venice to Rome. Thank you so much!

If you're looking for a newbie-friendly website for buying train tickets, try https://loco2.com. They supposedly don't mark up their tickets. Be sure to select Euros as your currency and not GBP's.

The only "insurance" I've ever bought for travel is that I pay extra for "flexible" train tickets.

I am considering this for the longer trips from Naples to Venice and
Venice to Rome.

Kath, whether to book the 'fast' trains shouldn't even be a consideration for those trips. You don't want to trade price for hours sitting on slow trains if your time is short to begin with. It's a minimum of 5 hours from Napoli to Venezia S. Lucia, and nearly 4 hours from Venezia s. Lucia to Roma Termini on the fastest of train options.

The only reason to book first class would be to obtain a single seat as most have a 2:1 configuration. If you are a woman traveling alone, you might consider it, otherwise 2nd class is fine. We took 1st class from Paris to Barcelona but that was 6 hrs + and the additional comfort for a minimal cost was worth it.

Don't worry too much. On our first trip to Italy in 2005, we just bought tickets the day before we wanted to leave at a tobacco store (in Rome) and at the train station (in Monterroso). You will do fine.

Another thing, you don't have to take the cheapest option. We like to ride in first class on trains for a variety of reasons. There's nothing illegal, immoral or fattening about spending more money for a few more perks!

On our first trip to Italy in 2005, we just bought tickets the day
before we wanted to leave at a tobacco store (in Rome) and at the
train station (in Monterroso).

Sure, that's an option but it's also the most expensive one where Freccia (fast) trains are concerned. I have a hunch that budget may be top of mind for our OP, who is traveling with a family. Then again, I could be wrong!

Yes, I am budget conscious. Hence, why I am looking to buy early and get the best price. I see a place for a coupon, but don't see any available. :( I also was trying to register through Trenitalia, but it looks like I need to be Italian to do so, as there were no drop boxes that offered U.S. and U.S. cities.

Thank you all so much. I'm so sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. I'm overwhelmed and have a huge fear of ending up in the wrong place.

Italian rail fares are usually quite reasonable if you're able to buy in advance. It's always worthwhile to look at all the options available on the day you want to travel--or at least for the morning, afternoon, or evening, as you prefer. The fares on the fast trains are departure-specific, so they can vary quite a bit on the same day. Frequently mid-day departure are cheaper than morning departures.

Don't forget to specify your children's ages (as they will be on the date of travel), because that may save you quite a lot of money.

Sure, that's an option but it's also the most expensive one where Freccia (fast) trains are concerned. I have a hunch that budget may be top of mind for our OP, who is traveling with a family. Then again, I could be wrong!

The point that I wanted to make is that buying train tickets is not brain surgery. It can be intimidating, but the OP has plenty of time and options.

trying to register through Trenitalia, but it looks like I need to be Italian to do so, as there were no drop boxes that offered U.S. and U.S. cities.

You are right, it doesn't say "United States"/ Spell it the Italian way, "Stati Uniti d'America". No problem.

Yes, it took me a while to find the Italian word for United States. But even at that, when it came to where my passport was issued the only thing that came down in the drop-down box with police station. Then the city next to that drop-down box, only had Italian cities. It must be only for Italians. Which is a bummer.

I've never bought European train tickets in the US, but folks here have recommended both trainline.eu and loco2, which reportedly sell at the same prices as Trenitalia. Maybe try one of those.

I did it! Got all of my tickets on Trenitalia today. Now, just praying we make all of our trains as I bought non-refundable. I was not able to register, as I believe you need to be an Italian resident to do so. If anyone knows how I can register as a U.S. citizen, I'd appreciate the help. Either way, I have the pdf tickets in hand and I feel at ease that that part of the planning is done. Thank you all for your advice! I am very grateful for your input.

Kath,trying to figure out how to take trains from Naples to Rome for 6 of us.So,you booked ahead ? High speed,second class ? How much did they cost for an adult ?We are going in June.

kathyknapp5006, it may be best if you start a NEW thread with your question. Include the dates you need to travel, where you're wanting to travel to, and number/ages ages of people in your group. Kath's situation, as far as ticket prices available when she and her family are traveling, may be different than yours.

And this is a great primer for learning about Italian trains, including how to buy tickets:

https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm