Hi everyone. I'm a newbie to traveling in Italy (though not to foreign travel) starting tomorrow, 12/21/07 thru 1/5/08. My wife, son, daughter (ages 24 & 20) and myself will be going from Rome to Perugia, Florence then Venice and finally back to Rome and home to the States. We messed up and didn't get train passes here in the US. Is it now too late for us? Should we rent a car between cities and forego trains? We're kind of desperate now as it's too late to buy passes for 4 adults and have them shipped to us in California. Any advice from seasoned, travel-veterans is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Point-to-point tickets in Italy are usually cheaper than a pass. Since you'll be traveling during the peak Christmas rush, buy all your tickets when you first arrive in Rome to be sure you get the trains you want.
Posted by
OP
Berkeley, California, US
3 posts
Thanks Kent and Tim!! I'm sure I'm over-thinking this as usual. My wife and I each assumed the other was handling the "in-country" travel arrangements and when we discovered our mistake, we've been scrambling...rent a car? Rail pass? What to do!? Anyway, the P2P tickets bought all at once when we get to Rome sounds very reasonable. Much appreciation for your advice!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If seats are available, you can get Amica fares (20% off) on many routes. To qualify, you must buy your tickets at least 24 hours ahead of departure.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Tim and Kent have the best stuff. However, two extra hints. If you have a very good idea of when you will be traveling (dates, times, destinations and train numbers), write them down and hand them to a ticket agent at the train station. Your purchasing of tickets will go much faster. Or, if you have this information, you can get tickets from the machine at the station. The ticket machines speak English and will accept your Visa card. They work quite well.
You didn't mention what date and time that you wish to leave Rome for Perugia so I've taken the liberty to attach a link to the TRENITALIA WEBSITE that shows a schedule for some of your trains from Rome to Perugia. The schedule is for Christmas day but they run pretty much the same schedule every day. Try to catch the ES (Eurostar) train as it will save you almost an hour of travel time. If you message back quickly with a more accurate date and time, I'll send you the precise schedule. You'll do just fine.
Posted by
OP
Berkeley, California, US
3 posts
Thanks! You guys are THE BEST! We're not quite sure as to when we'll be leaving Rome for Perugia but the schedule sure helps out. I'm so impressed with the response on this site. Happy holidays to one and all!
- Todd