Continued Trenitalia Issues

Linda, I had no success paying for train tickets on Trenitalia either so I finally gave up. When I arrived at FCO, I went to the Trenitalia office with a piece of paper listing all the trains I wanted to take and I left with 4 tickets, with only 1 change due to a Holiday where the one train was sold out in first class. You will be fine purchasing them there.

I remember having trouble with my credit card too. They (credit card co) said I was set up for a charge from italy but it was always turned down. Just for kicks I tried my capitol one card and it worked. What's in your wallet? Sorry, couldn't resist.

-Stephen

Just wanted to revive this topic because I am encountering the same problem with not being able to purchase tickets from the Trenitalia website. I tried using a Capital One card for this and resulted in wasting an hour on the phone with Capital One trying to figure it out and got locked out of my Trenitalia account. Has anyone else had this issue recently and can share their experience so I can try and figure this out? We are taking the train right after landing in Milan, so I wanted to buy the first trip ahead of time.

I too was apprehensive about geting train tickets,and wanted to order them prior to going over, but it is easy to get them ether. Don't worry.
Take care in the Milan train station -- it's a trip!

I wasted about 6 weeks of my life (and endless hours of stress)trying various credit cards, AmEx, MC and Visa (which I had previously called and gotten clearance to use)and using different email addresses, all to no avail. Last year I was able to email Trenitalia (I don't think that option is available anymore) and got several calls from Italy, all trying to resolve the problems.The Trenitalia people told me that they have endless technical problems with their system and they never were able to fix the problem. In Italy we bought tickets at machines in train stations without a minute's difficulty. I wish I had would have known how easy it was! I'll never waste any time trying to buy online with Trenitalia again.

Thanks for reporting how easy it is to buy train tickets in Italy. I see question after question on this site asking about buying tickets in advance. That's a great way to make trip planning over complicated and boost pre-trip stress.

As the earlier poster pointed out, most Italian train stations have self-service ticket machines that accept credit cards and then you walk on to the next train.

We see so many posts about problems with the Trenitalia website and the frustration that it doesn't work. It doesn't. Somehow, this seems to translate into the train system itself in Italy working the same way. Panic sets in if you can't have your tickets before you go. Doug and the other posters above have it correct. BUY YOUR TICKETS THERE. The ticket machines in the stations work great. They know which trains require a seat reservation and walk you through it. They also do this in English. Or, you can walk up to the ticket window and buy them there. Trains in Italy do no sell out. Trains between major cities run as frequently as once an hour. You won't believe how easy it is. The most important thing in planning is to know your travel plans. Know which trains you want plus dates and times. Write it down and show it to the agent. You'll have tickets in seconds.

The self serve ticket machines are great, but a friendly warning: the crafty pickpocket crowd targets you and your luggage while you're mastering the touch screens in the self-serve line. Keep an eye on your bags and be aware of people approaching you or standing quite close. I didn't lose any of my belongings but noticed I was watched quite carefully in both Milano and Roma stations.

i too was allllll concerned about getting tickets..but look at it this way: hopping on a train there is pretty much like hopping on a bus here..would u call your local city bus line to reserve a ticket?? i went from rome , florence, and naples, and **NEVER** saw more then 30 percent empty seats..it is just the way they do it...ppl go to work, etc. and use the trains..it is NOBIG**DEAL.
the only problem i had at the machines were the "helpful" ladies showing me how to work it..[btw:it is VERY simple, made for ppl with room temp IQ's]...and they'd then want a "tip"..but yeah..keep an eye on your stuff.

I planned a trip for 3 last year and careful reading of the Trenitalia website tells you, at least it did then, that you must purchase your tickets once INSIDE Italy. It was very easy to do, however you need to ask a reliable hotel/B&B where a good travel agent is, then go there and book your tickets. You should definitely print out your intended itinery with optional time schedules, train numbers, etc. so that the process of buying the tickets is quick and easy. All of those options are on the website. Once on the train a conductor will eventually come around and punch your ticket. I'd definitely go 1st class if you are traveling for any length of time... I went from Napoli to Milano and the ride was wonderful.

Italian trains do get crowded sometimes; commute times mornings and evenings around cities, school holiday times, and on popular routes such as Milan to Venice. Eurostar train rservations are required and are expensive in Italy, so use other trains if possible.

To echo what everyone else has said, the self-service machines are very, very easy to use once you get to Italy, so don't stress about getting tickets before you leave. The Trenitalia site is helpful to get an idea how often trains run on the route you want. For many routes, there are trains leaving hourly and you can buy tickets before you hop on. If there are fewer departures I'd recommend getting them a day or two ahead just in case; when I arrive in a city I usually buy my tickets for the next leg of the trip before I leave the station.

We were in Italy in October, traveling only by train. I too stressed about not being able to get tickets from here; I couldn't even get a password from Trenitalia!

But, I found the web site to be very helpful with schedules. For each leg of the trip, I printed out the appropriate schedule, listing alternative trains, earlier or later, just in case. I bought tickets from the machines a day or two before departure. On one occasion, it was too confusing, and I went to a ticket window, with a bit of wait, but no real problem. I used Amex and VISA for ticketing.

On one segment I wanted first class, but it was sold out. If I were to do it again, I would try to get all first class, if possible. Some of our segments were quite crowded, and even with only one rollabord each, there was scant room for luggage. And the train was full of football fans on their way to a match. Not very restful.

See: http://www.trenitalia.com/en/orari_biglietti/postoclick/index.html

One nice feature of Trenitalia is the ability to make a reservation on line and then pay for it within 24 hours at the station or at any travel agent in Italy that does trains. You have to set up a password. you then make a reservation and are sent an email with a reservation number which you take to the station or to an agent to buy the ticket within 24 hours.

Note-1: Some agents charge a few euros as a fee for the service of buying the ticket. Some do not. The stations do not.

Note-2: You make a reservation, then you say you want to do a PostoClick. Like all other things on their site, this erases your reservation and you restart.

Note-3: It is a nice advantage that you can make a reservation, then have 24 hours to think about it - say if you're not sure or you have to check with "She who must be obeyed".

Don't forget to look for Amica fares first. saves 20% but there are cancellation/change restrictions once you buy the ticket.