We will be in Italy for the month of August. We will be traveling to many parts of the country. I am curious about multiple day train passes. Does anyone have experience with these? Where do I buy them? Any information will be appreciated. Dan
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11845 posts
Train passes rarely -- if ever -- pay off in Italy. Point-to-point tickets are the way to go. The "slow" trains, called Regionale serve many small towns, require no reservation, and are inexpensive. If you are taking the high-speed Freccia trains, you can buy advance tickets (non-refundable) at good discounts from either Trenitalia or Italo. These trains require reserved seating so even if you have a pass, you have to reserve a seat to take one.
You can buy your tickets at the station the day of travel for the Regionale or online. Likewise, you can buy Freccia tickets at the station, but many of us buy online, in advance, if we can commit to the schedule. that way we get the deeper discounts.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
You may do better with individual tickets in Italy. What train trips are you planning? You might check Trenitalia.com, total the tickets you plan to purchase, and see if the pass is worth it. You still need to buy reservations for the faster trains, so keep those costs in mind with a pass. Reserved seats are included in the ticket price.
If you want the pass for flexibility, you can usually buy same-day tickets on a point-to-point basis.
Posted by
Green Bay
21303 posts
And those reservations cost money, like 10 EUR per seat, and sometimes if you book several months in advance, that is the cost of some tickets. But even last minute tickets on the fast trains are in the 50 EUR range for distances like Rome to Florence, Florence to Milan or Venice