I plan on getting a France-Italy pass and was under the assumption that I don't need to pay any additional fares (save reservation or bed fares) to use a train. I went to the raileurope site and looked for trains from milan to florence, and the site reduced the fare from 168 to 52 if I have a railpass. I thought the point of the railpass is you don't pay anything extra just to use the train. I would appreciate some guidance.
Posted by
OP
Lawrenceville, GA, USA
79 posts
Nevermind, the fees I was seeing were the reservation costs. One minor follow-up. I fly into Milan and am leaving that night for Florence. Is that morning sufficient to get a reservation for the Milan-Florence train or should I do it before I go to Milan?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Many many travelers buy a Eurail pass with the full expectation that there are no further train costs. Not true as you are finding out. Depending on the country and train category, you may encounter fees and supplements.
As for buying your seat reservations when you get there, you can do this quite easily. You can even show up an hour before the train departure and purchase a ticket on the train using the self-service machine. Or, if that makes you nervous, you can either go to the Milan train station or a local travel agency earlier in the day. You will have to show your pass and pay the reservation fee. If you want a Eurostar, the fee will be about 15-20Euro depending on the train category you select. A P2P ticket from Milan to Florence on the Eurostar is 36.10Euro. It includes the seat assignments that you must pay extra for with your pass. Depending on how much train travel you intend to do in Italy, you may not need a pass for Italy.