Italy - Rail pass or buy as needed?

Don't use Rick's site as a price comparison. Look up actual prices on Trenitalia. On some routes if you prepurchase ahead of time you can get cheaper tickets but those tickets must be used for that day and time, not changeable or refundable. Rick's site uses full fare prices as the comparison. Buying ahead of time usually beats the rail pass which is no longer considered the cheapest option.

Also remember that fast trains require a reservation and you will pay a fee for that with a pass.

Thanks for the feedback. Looked at Trentitalia and have a good idea of the prices. Is it better to purchase each leg there before I begin my Italy trip, or just buy each day as required? Also, any thoughts on 2nd class versus 1st Class?

A Rail pass is rarely cost effective for Italy, as tickets are relatively cheap there, especially for the Regionale trains. As someone else mentioned, I wouldn't bother using the cost comparison on Rick's site. If you want more exact numbers, check the cost of current fares on the Trenitalia website.

It would help to know where on Lake Como you'll be staying, and which of the five Cinque Terre towns?

If you're willing to commit to a specific train, date and departure time on routes using the fast trains (ie: Milan to Venice), you can save a lot with purchase of the discounted Super Economy or Economy tickets. Those will include the compulsory seat reservation charge, whereas if you were using a Railpass you'd have to pay separately for the reservation fees. Don't be caught without a valid seat reservation for the train you're riding on, or you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

When travelling on the Regionale trains (most likely from Milan to Lake Como), you MUST validate your ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or again hefty fines.

One other observation is that it would have been more efficient to schedule Venice at the start, as it will take the better part of a day (~6 hours) to travel from Venice to the Cinque Terre. There are two general routes you can follow, via Milan or via Florence. I find the Florence route a bit easier, but either one will get you there.

Hi deliinjan. For any regional trains, it is far better to wait and buy in Italy at your convenience. For the longer routes / faster trains (e.g. Milan to Venice; Venice to Florence), you can buy online in advance, but it only makes sense if you want to commit to an exact train, and the discount is worth it. If you wait and buy at last minute in Italy, you will pay the 'base' price; and trains almost never sell out. Second class is fine; similar but a little more room than coach on an airplane. Enjoy your trip!

Also, if you need to take a train on the day of your flight arrival, ie. if you are landing in Milan and immediately traveling to Lake Como, most people would suggest waiting until you arrive to purchase that ticket in case of flight delays. That way you don't get stuck with a ticket you were unable to use.

Using our cost comparison tools at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes and also https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/cost-maps, I would actually have arrived at the same conclusion that you have now.

Using both maps, which I understand that not everyone sees, we can estimate that full-fare train tickets for your 5 longest travel days would cost $280 per person. Compare to a 5-day saver pass at $206 per person, if you have two or more travelers. You may not have added in the cost of passholder seat reservations for faster trains on 4 out of 5 of those days, which adds $50. The short ride from Milan to Varenna is not counted in either scenario.

Thanks to all for the great replies. Very helpful. I think the gist of it is that it is not worth it to buy the rail pass, and just wait and buy each ticket when needed (or at least in country). Laura, my calculation comes out different than yours, though. For six legs, counting the fees, it comes out to about $400 for second class. Here is my itinerary: 1) Milan to Varenna; 2) Varenna to Venice; 3) Venice to Manarola; 4) Manarola to Siena; 5) Siena to Sant' Agnello (via Naples); 6) Sant' Agnello to Rome. Does this change your recommendation any? Also looking for any advice on using the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Sant' Agnello. Some of the reading makes it sound rather suspect or dodgy.

The Circumvesuviana has some peak times where it is very crowded. The four or five stops closest to Napoli are where you need to be vigilant about groups of pickpockets, but most of the time it's fine.

dellnjan - I did the math earlier because I suspected there was something that you missed or that I just know because I'm used to using these maps. With point-to-point tickets, the reservations fees are built in, not extra, on trains that require them. And if you have to add together several dots on the map to make one trip, then you can round down. It is a bit cheaper to buy one ticket for a longer trip than to break it into separate tickets. That's not even taking into account the discount fares that you may get by booking ahead.

Thanks, Laura!

dellnjan, I think you misunderstood some of the earlier posts.

But on site for the day of arrival and for all regional trains. For longer trains, buy as soon as you have your itinerary nailed down and you can save as much a 1/3 the full fare walk up price. But the super cheap tickets go on sale either 90 or 120 days in advance and are non-refundable.

You are correct that a pass is not the cheapest way.

It sounds like a great trip!

Thanks - you're right, I misunderstood, but definitely will skip the rail pass. Good advice!