Most people I've talked to have said to wait until a few days before I take the train and make the reservations in Europe. Is this practical? How full will the trains be? I am taking trains from paris -cinque terre (night train) Florence-rome, rome-bologna, bologna-venice, and venice-salzburg (night train). We have rail passes so all we need are the reservations. Should I wait until mid-Sept. when we are there, or do it now online? Thanks!
Posted by
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
705 posts
I tend to reserve my tickets before hand as my time is usually tight and need to get from A to B at designated times. I also feel more comfortable knowing everything is in place. Other times I have travelled I have bought my reservation when I was there. I suppose it depends on how tight your time is. Generally I think you'd be fine. I know for me it's a lot cheaper to get the reservations when in Europe. Maybe prebook the first trip and then book the others a couple of days ahead. I'm sure others will have some good advice for you.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Night trains fill up quickly....for some popular runs, it may already be too late for mid-September. With a rail pass, your quickest option is to check out RailEurope, although that'll be the most expensive way. You might also try calling the French railway SNCF direct at 011-33-8-92-35-3539. I know Trenitalia's virtually unreachable by phone for reservations only, but I'm not sure about Austrian rail (OBB)....anyone got any suggestions for that? Remember, too, that reservations allotted to RailEurope pass holders are very limited.
Posted by
Alpharetta, Ga, usa
21 posts
I tried to book Florence to rome on Euro Star and it is booked but the other trains are not for the day we are going. There are 6 of us, so I am also concerned about waiting until we are in Europe.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
If you absolutely have to be on a specific train in order to make your vacation work and not turn into a nightmare then just book the train now. Trains do fill up along popular routes and also on sleepers. I've read all the information about waiting till you get there because it's Easier, more Affordable, and Refundable.
Easier - possibly, more Affordable - yes, refundable - not always. I learned all of this the hard way by waiting until we got to Rome to book our train to Naples and also to Florence - all of the trains were completely sold out.
If you're flexible then wait, else book now!
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
Some of our itinerary is similar to yours for mid-September....Herman at Euraide in Florida is making our reservations right now. He's extremely helpful and easy to work with. I always have my preferred dates, trains, times and train numbers typed up and ready to send to him before I even phone. He charges US$55 no matter how many reservations you need; I think it's worth it because there are several of us going.
His phone number is 941.480.1555.
Have a grand trip!
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA, USA
80 posts
Thanks for all the feedback. I tried using raileurope, and we can make reservations for some of the trains, but night train from venice to salzburg just doesn't come up! It comes up on bahn.de and trenitalia, but not rail europe, so I can't make that reservation! Any suggestions for that? Also, should a reservation only cost $44 dollars? That is for one trip from florence to rome. Is it worth going with euraide and paying the $55 service fee? Does it end up saving you money in the long run?
Posted by
San Jose, CA, USA
424 posts
Jenny, RailEurope is kind of a broker and only has so many seats on some trains.
I paid either 44 or 47 Euro for the trip from Rome to Florence on a EuroStar train first class just this past May.
You might want to reserve your night train in advance some how and then just buy the other train tickets a few days in advance once you are in Italy.
Posted by
Whidbey Island, Wa, USA
27 posts
Hi there, I also used Herman at Euraid and he was great! It was worth it to me to pay the flat fee (which includes his services AND overnight FedEx). I needed a night train from Venice to Napoli and just could not get it done on any other rail sites. I just called him and emailed him my info, and I had my night train reservations in 4 days!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Jenny...you won't save money by going through RailEurope or Euraide because you'll be paying more for your reservation and your overnight train accommodations (plus their reservation/handling fee) than you would if you booked directly with the rail companies. But at this point, it's likely your only option. Another cautionary note for those considering buying rail passes. Point to point tickets are generally cheaper and, with internet access, very accessible these days, (never mind the trouble and expense of making reservations) it's something you might want to consider for your next trip. Very few trains are jump on/jump off trains like the old days.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
We were in Italy mid-Sept last year and had no trouble buying tix the same day or the day before for daytime travel in Italy (Rome -> Naples, Naples -> Venice, Venice -> Bologna, Bologna -> Florence, Florence -> Rome). It was easy to do, there are automated machines in most stations that take credit cards and have an english menu.
However if you are using rail passes, you don't need to buy tix. You just need to make the reservations. It actually might be tougher for you because I think with rail passes you have to travel 1st class (I might be wrong on this). On my trip we went 2nd class.
According to Rick's book, rail passes don't usually save money for travel within Italy.