Six of us will be heading to Venice from Florence on July 2. I know the train is often crowded. How soon in advance should we make a reservation? Any other tips we should keep in mind? Curious to know how much advance planning is required in order to secure a seat during July. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
The trains in Italy rarely sell out and with reserved seating they aren't overly crowded. There are many, many trains a day between Florence and Venice so the odds of all of them being sold out are extremely low. There is a schedule change every June so you probably won't be able to book tickets for July until then. This won't be a problem for you. Keep checking the trenitalia website and book the fares as soon as you see one you like. If your dates are set, take advantage of the "mini" fares and save some money. If your dates are not set then you can simply show up at the train station and buy tickets on the next available train. It really is as simple as that. Donna
Posted by
Long Beach, CA, USA
359 posts
certain time slots can sell out but inlikely all the trains would sell out. If you know what specific time you want go ahead and buy it in advance
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8166 posts
What they're saying about the mini fares is to go ahead and buy your tickets a day or two ahead of your departure. Mini fares are limited in number, and often disappear with the passenger volume anticipated. They cannot be purchased the day of departure, however. See RoninRome.com for the best explanation of Italian trains, including pictures and instructions on purchasing fares out of the ticket kiosks. Just keep your schedule variable. Trains run very often, so there's always another one in another hour or two.