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how do reservation fees affect pass/ticket prices?

Posted by (Salem, MA) on

I'm doing the legwork for train passes/tickets for my two girlfriends and I who will be visiting Pisa, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice and Bologna in November/early December. I did a quick comparison and it looks like the Italy Saverpass is about $40 more than buying the individual tickets for each train ride.

What is confusing me is the reservation fees. If I buy an individual ticket for each destination, then do I also have to pay a reservation fee? Or if I buy a railpass then do I pay additional reservation fees?

My question is: what am I really buying when I buy either the individual ticket or the rail pass? I would think I would be buying the seat reservation, like I would for my airline ticket, but is this not the case for the trains?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Posted by
1003 posts

Hi Beth,
it depends on the type of train. in Italy, the Eurostar trains require a reservation, which comes with the individual ticket, but you have to pay extra with a pass. Personally, for myself, I found that buying individual tickets was cheaper than a pass. If you need a reservation and buy an individual ticket, the reservation's included. of course some trains have no reservations so you just get on and sit wherever you want!

Posted by
4132 posts

Any supplements are just that--supplements to either your ticket or your pass.

Which means when comparing pass versus point-to-point, you don't have to take the cost of the supplements into account--they are the same in either case.

Posted by
23626 posts

First, trains in Europe have a lot of capacity and go very frequently between cities unlike US airlines. There will be lots of room in November so the need for a seat reservation is minimal. However, if the train requires a seat reservation it will be built into the price of the ticket and will be issued when you buy the tickets. It is only extra if you have a pass. There is little advantage in Italy for buying tickets more than a day or two in advance.

Posted by
486 posts

here is little advantage in Italy for buying tickets more than a day or two in advance.

Not true. Amica fares are 20% off. They are limited in numbers so buying further in advance can result in a better chance of getting one.

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