Need Train Booking Help

tb,

The usual advice here and also my suggestion, is just to buy your tickets when you arrive in Italy. As the trains from Milano Centrale to Firenze SMN are mostly Freccia high speed, they have compulsory reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time. If your flights are late or there are any other delays, your tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more anyway at full price (Base Fare). You could buy tickets in advance and take a chance that you'll arrive on time, but it's a gamble. If you're caught without valid reservations for the train you're on, you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

You'll have to stop at the airport rail station anyway to buy your tickets for the Malpensa Express that will take you from the airport to Milano Centrale (trip is about 55M). You can buy your tickets on the next train from Milan to Florence at the same time. Note that the M.E. has two destinations, Milano Cadorna or Milano Centrale, so be sure to board the correct train! Also, DON'T forget to validate your tickets for the M.E. prior to boarding, or again hefty fines!

Thank you for your help. This is our first time to Italy and travelling via train. Considering it is around holiday/Easter time, is it still ok to buy tickets when we get there?

I agree with Ken. Also, immigrations is also a big IF when it comes to timing. It is rare for a train to completely sell out in second class. Every less so in first class. There is train every hour to Firenze. The probability of every train, every hour being full is zero. It is smarter to book after you arrive unless you want to book something six hours or so after you arrive. Of then you plane will be early and you have to hang out in the train station for a long time. Holidays will increase travel but can always fall back on first class.

Thank you. We also will travel from Florence to Rome on 4/5/2015 so that I can book in advance. I was on italiarail.com but am having trouble figuring out how you book 1st class vs. 2nd class tickets.

Technically speaking you don't have first or second class anymore. When you put in your dates, the next screen is a choice of fares available for that date and time - Standard (2nd class) and a bunch of first class - Premium, Business, Business Quiet, and Executive. Take your pick. Personally we always find standard to be more than adequate especially for such a short trip.

The fare for the standard to premium is only a few dollars more. Also, business is the same premium so I may as well go for that.

Looks like you're on the right track. (I also would not pre-purchase tickets to match up with the Milan flight arrival.)

We booked Milano Centrale--->Firenze SMN last week for an early March trip, so it was about 80 days out. Paid 19 Euro ($23) apiece (a great deal) for the Fresciarossa leaving at 15:15, arriving 16:55, 2nd class. We will have been coming down via train from Lucerne, Switzerland to Milano Centrale, and left 90 minutes transfer time at the station just in case.

For you, why don't you book an early-to-mid afternoon departure & see what happens? This would leave you a few hours for bags, customs, transport from airport to train station, etc. And if you book it sometime in January, right after Trenitalia has opened their advance bookings for 4/21 (you can check now, but usually it opens up anywhere from 90-120 days out), you'll probably get the same cheap fares I got and if you get delayed & miss it, so what? You're only out $46. And if you get there early & have to wait a couple hours at Milano Centrale, that's not the worst thing either.