Early Bird Tickets on Italia Rail

Italiarail doesn't run trains....it's a reseller, selling on the "expectation" that the trains will be on a similar schedule.....

ONLY go with Trenitalia and Italo, and when they release the tickets the prices are the cheapest......as the fares sell out, they go higher....

Changing trains by an hour isn't a big deal though, I usually schedule my "city changing train trips" after lunch and before dinner. If I REALLY wanted to do this deal, I would just pad it a little more.

BUT, no need to try to beat the system (because that would be the ONLY reason that would appeal), as the prices probably won't be that much different.....

You SHOULDN'T buy the train tickets for your arrival day in advance (but buy for your OTHER train trips for sure), due to the possibilities of early or late flights......take the ease of not having to worry about making your train and just buy the "next" one :)

Just to reiterate, for emphasis, ItaliaRail is NOT a train company. They do not run the trains (any more than Google Flights runs an airline) They are a 3rd party reseller. The 2 train companies in Italy are Trenitalia and Italo.

There is no secure advantage to buying a Freccia ticket in advance if you are travelling on an arrival day. There is no assurance that your flight won't be delayed or that you may face delays at Passport Control, baggage collection, or with the Malpensa Express. If you buy one of the cheap categories of ticket, and miss the train, then you have no choice but to buy a new ticket at the current same day price. If you buy the highest category ticket, you will have saved no money at all. So you might as well wait and buy a ticket on the next train when you get to Milano Centrale.

If you will have other high speed train trips during your visit, by all means buy them in advance. But wait until they become available on the train's website, and buy directly from them.

Thanks, all. I knew that about ItaliaRail. I just typed it wrong - lots of names to keep straight. :)

Everything I read and hear says to buy the high-speed train ticket in advance because it sells out. You are both saying that is not true?

They do not sell out. The Super Economy and Economy tickets might sell out over time, but Base fare tickets are almost always available. There are lots of trains running between Milano Centrale and Venezia S.Lucia. It would be a freak event that they all sold out.

I haven't taken the train from Milan to Venice but have used Italo for high speed trains between Rome - Florence - Venice - Bologna (on different trips.) In my comparison shopping I found that Italo was a little cheaper than trenitalia for most trips. I have taken trenitalia at other times (not sure if ever on high speed) but I can't remember thinking there was much difference in comfort or service. On Italo I've done both 2nd and 1st class and there's not a huge difference, but often there's not much difference in price either. Sometimes you can get the 1st class for a given super discount when the 2nd class isn't available at that cheaper price. I joined both and get emails from both but seem to get more from Italo announcing new special deals/offers quite often. It seems like you still have many months before worrying about booking the tickets and a new deal may come along, but....

Remember that most of the super deals are non refundable so not a good choice for your arrival day if coming from another country (flight delays etc). We learned that the hard way in 2023, I had booked 2 sets of super cheap Italo tickets (Rome-Florence) because both sets were still significantly less than the base price. I thought I was being clever covering several hours in case flights were delayed. Well our original flight was cancelled and we didn't come in until the next day so those tickets were a waste. As it turned out flight cancellation was Aerlingus's fault so they reimbursed the full price train ticket (plus airfare, and lost hotel night etc). We lucked out that time, but now I know, day of arrival, I'll just pay full price for fully flexible tickets.

Thank you, all. I appreciate it. I also thought that I would have that all planned out and get the tickets early. I guess it makes sense to wait until we get there.

Just to make sure you have all the info...

YES buy your city to city tickets in advance, for the trips after your first stop in the country. NO need to buy the tickets for your arrival day in advance because it can complicate things unnecessarily. You will be paying BASE fare, compared to the earlier purchases of Super Economy or Economy where you will save money, but it is easier to just get on the "next, most convenient" train when you arrive instead of stressing about missing a pre-purchased ticket or waiting around for longer than desirable to get the train you bought for.

Funny things about sellouts, I suggested in the France forum to wait to purchase upon arrival and they all flipped out. Apparently French trains sell out frequently.

I have only experienced one "sell out" type of situation in Italy, when I was visiting friends in Florence for the weekend and I had to RUSH to the station when my friends had looked at the 5:50 (ish) train which we were planning on taking around 3:30 and found that all trains were sold out between 4:50 and 7:50! I had 20 min to get to the train station to catch the 3:50 train, good thing I was only a few blocks away......though I had to still pack my bag haha