Is it worthwhile to purchase a rail pass if my wife and I have the following planned? Or should we just buy individual tickets in advance for the discounts for each leg? We're flying into Venice and departing Rome.
Venice (2 nights) to Florence, Florence (4 nights) to Rome, Rome (3 nights) to Naples, Naples to Sorrento, Sorrento (4 nights) to Naples and finally Naples to Rome (1 night).
First, Naples to Sorrento and back is on a private railway not included in the railpass. The other legs can be bought very cheaply (9 to 19 euro) if you buy in advance and can live with nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets. Even full fare is not that bad. Italy rail pass is rarely (never?) a good value.
The short answer; No.
A rail pass day typically costs $60-$70 plus on the routes mentioned the best trains (fast ones) require a reservation of ~$15 (it can vary by train and time) in addition to the pass. In most cases you should be able to find tickets as you travel cheaper, or if your dates are firm, can buy much cheaper well ahead of time on Trenitalia, on those routes you also could check Italotreno, a private company that is competitive.
The issue with Italy is that trips are typically short and train prices relatively cheap, making a pass a hard sell.
It is unlikely that a pass would make sense money wise. Such short legs and so few trips means you will likely be on the wrong side of your wallet, especially as mentioned above when you add in the 4 legs with mandatory reservation fees of €10 per leg on top of your pass price; when some of the legs can be bought well in advance for €9 including the reservation!
Our dates are firm. We'll check out the rates ahead of time on Trenitalia and Italotreno. We assume the tickets need to be purchased for a particular day which is no problem as our itinerary is set, but also assume we can use the tickets for any time during that day?
Thanks!
The cheapest tickets are for a specific train on a specific day, just like an airline ticket, and are non refundable and non changeable. As you spend more the change becomes more flexible but because all seats are reserved, like on a plane, it is a hassle changing them.
The one which you won't have that trouble on is the Circumvesuviana between Naples and Sorrento which is a commuter train much like a city bus. If when you get on there are seats available sit in one, if not you stand. On that train your ticket is valid for 5 hours and you can take any train once your ticket is validated.
You have an incorrect understanding of how train ticketing works in Italy. All trains - high speed, intercity, express Intercity - required a seat reservation. The sole exception is the Regionale trains which is the slowest of trains and have open seating. Therefore, when you buy at ticket for any of the other trains the ticket is for a specific train, at a day and time, and a seat. The reserve ticket have three fare levels - super economy, economy, and base. SE and E will be discounted, sometimes substantially, will come with restrictions and quantity is limited. Those tickets must be purchased as early as possible on-line. The Regionale train tickets can be purchased at anytime (never on-line) and used on any Regionale train at anytime on any day for 60 days after purchase. That is the only ticket that can be used any time during the day.
To expand on Frank's info, you can buy regionale tickets online but there's no monetary advantage to doing so. If you are making a trip that includes both high-speed and regionale segments, you can buy both segments online at the same time, up to 120 days in advance, but you will give up flexibility.
Thanks everyone! How far in advance should we arrive at the train station after making train reservations? Plan on 30 minutes to be safe?
I don't know anything about how you travel, so I can't say how far in advance would be best for you.
Once you have your reservations you then know exactly the train number, its departure time from where you will board it, the car number (carozza), and the seat numbers (posti).
When you go into the station you look at the big board or the departure screen - just like in an airport - that says Partenza (departures). Find your train number and if you are not too early it will show what platform (track)(binario)(bin) your train will be on.
Walk to that track. In a small station you may be standing on it already, in a big station it may take you 5 or 10 minutes walking, in a very big one a bit longer, depending on how fast you walk.
Each car will have a clear indication of its number on the outside as it arrives. If it is a major train you may be able to see a printed display in the case on the platform which shows how the train is laid out and where your car is. Usually they are in ordern with the smallest number either at the front or rear.
Reading all that you should be able to come up with a good guess of how much time you will likely need given your circumstances.
If the train originates at the station it may be there several minutes prior to departure, and if a dead end station like Roma Termini likely 15 or 20.
If it is an intermediate station the train may only stop a short while and you will need to hop on.
On the Circumvesuviana the train will stop at intermediate stations for only a few seconds, but there are no reservations or passes on that train.
Buy individual tickets. Passes are more expensive. If you are firm on your dates and time, purchase a discounted tickets (Supereconomy or Economy). They go on sale 120 days prior to date of travel.
As far as how long before the departure you should be at the station, as long as you board the train before the doors close (about 10 seconds prior to departure) you are fine.
All you need to do is walk to inside the station, take a look at the board to confirm the track number (binario in Italian) and walk to the track platform. That won't take longer than 5 or so minutes from the moment you get out of the taxi at the curb.
The train from Florence to Rome will likely come from Bologna. The arrival of the train in Florence is exactly 9 minutes prior to departure and as soon as it arrives the descending passengers must come down first. Therefore being at the platform over 9 minutes prior to departure time is useless because there will be no train to board. If you think about it, at the Bologna station trains stop for only for 3 minutes and in that time arriving passengers manage to get off and departing passengers manage to get on board with no problem. The train from Venice to Florence is likely to originate in Venice, therefore it will be available at the track for boarding at least 20 min. prior to departure. But you'll be fine if you arrive closer to departure time.
The train from Rome to Naples could be originating from Rome (therefore available for boarding 20 min prior to departure) or come from the north (Florence). In the latter case the train will be arriving at the Roma station 10 min. prior to departure. Therefore also in Rome, being at the platform more than 10 min. prior to departure is useless because the train won't be there to board yet.
Moral of the story, if you have tickets in your hands the moment you arrive at the station, 20 min prior to departure is plenty with time to spare. Unless first you want to go inside the station's McDonalds restaurant and grab some great American food to eat while on the train.
If you have to transfer in Bologna, you may need about 20 minutes. The station is multi-level with escalators (and elevators), I've been there dozens of times and haven't figured out a way to shave a few minutes. Yet.
Using the map at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/cost-maps, you can estimate that regular, 2nd-class fares for the fastest trains will cost about $55 per leg, without any advance-purchase discount. Since a 4-day Italy Saverpass costs $219 per person and requires extra seat reservation fees, it does not save money for this itinerary, and does not add any hop-on convenience.
I think 30 minutes is plenty of advance-arrival time in stations. In every city except Venice, you'll get a good look at the train station on the way in, so you know what to expect on the way out.
