Hey guys....I had some suggest to buy train ticket to point to point rather than buying Eurial pass.....I am going to Italy with my wife and doing alot of short trips on North Italy and going only down as to Rome..... so I am alittle confused....we are traveling in mid-sept but dont want to miss a train if it full and did not buy a pass.....But I was told that how the locals get around is buying point to point train ticket....any suggestions? thanks Shawn
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
This topic is discussed a lot on this forum. Basically, it never really pays to buy a rail pass of any kind in Italy. The point to point tickets are always cheaper. With a rail pass you need to add an extra 10 euros to each leg of your journey for seat reservations. With point to point tickets the reservation cost is already in the price so no additional fees. The trains rarely sell out so you don't need to worry about that. Unless you are traveling on the slower regional trains you will get a seat reservation for a specific train at a specific time. Your tickets will be good for that train only. No one else will be able to use your seats as you have reserved them. You can use the official trenitalia site to check fares and schedules. Use the italian names such as roma termini. http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ad1ce14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD Donna
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Shawn, for the most part, the Italian trains don't run full. The most important question is what are your travel plans while in Italy? If you ride any of the high-speeds, you will need seat reservations. The Eurail pass does not provide them. You either buy them online for a high price or you pay 10Euro for each high-speed that you will be on. You can buy those reservations as you travel. Bottom line is that you don't have a seat on the high-speed until you buy the seat reservation. For the Regionale-class trains which are the local trains throughout Italy, the train can be full and you can still get on. No seat reservations permitted. It's like a bus - you can stand. If you are going to the Cinque Terre, its common to see very full trains between the towns. But, you just push your way on and go to the next town. For almost all other places in Italy, the trains won't be full. You won't miss any trains because of Trenitalia if you choose to travel point-to-point. More information on where you will be traveling please.