Seems like Trenitalia won't show you prices unless you sign up. Anyone know what the 'normal' summer fares are for Rome to Venice, Venice to Florence, Florence to Rome? Also does it pay to purchase/reserve these in advance or should I just wing it? I'll be there mid-August.
Also seems as though the reservation prices with a railpass are just about as high as just getting the normal fares. Is that true?
You do not need to sign up to get prices on Trenitalia. I just went to this website for some prices for friends. You can enter your destinations here...
http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
As i said, I just looked up a price for friends of mine for a Rome-Venice, €44.90 . The Venice-Florence trip is €25.80 and the Florence-Rome is €28.90. Each of this is 2nd class AMICA tickets - all on Eurostar (the fastest trains).
You should not need to reserve seats in mid-August as much of the country will be SOUTH to the beaches. Note many businesses are closed for 2-3 weeks in August... and it's darn hot here too!
You do not need to get a railpass if these are the only trips you are making by train. The railpass would not be effective for these short runs - only if you're making more trips.
Ciao,
Ron
Not correct. Except for local R trains, and given that you are looking at a schedule no farther out than 60 days, the price is usually there. Just click on the shopping cart on the right. If there is no shopping cart, you are looking too far out.
Note also that fares on the Eurostar and AV trains are the highest. ICPlus trains are somewhat cheaper. The following are standard fares on a Eurostar. Rome/Venice 56.10E, Venice/Florence 32.30E, Florence/Rome 36.10E.
Don't worry about advance tickets. These 3 runs are the highest travelled in Italy. 55 trains a day run each way between Florence and Rome (110 total). Your Rome to Venice train will most likely stop in Florence.
Buy your tickets when you arrive and have time to go to the train station. Have all of your date and times down on paper so the purchase is easy and quick. Ask for the Amica fare. 20% discount if they are available (they are limited).
OK Larry - kinda right :)
Joel - the prices I quoted you are, as I said in my post, are ALL AMICA 2nd class tickets on Eurostar. As Larry points out (correctly), there are many other options you can take.
If you have kids (12-26), you can spend 40 euros and buy a Carta Verde and get discounts on their travel. If, like me, you travel the trains a bunch you can join the TernItalia Society and earn points for your travels and get discounts! So the prices I quoted you are generally the quickest, fastest, cleanest, and most comfortable trains on the line.
Tickets are available only 60 days in advance but fares do not change very often so you're safe plugging a 59 day option just to get an idea!
Like booking a plane ticket, there are multiple options available to you on the Italian (and European) train system. Best way to approach it is to go to the website and DIG! Once educated, head to the train station with your best options and price that fits your travels!
Good Luck!
Ron
Joel, we took a similar trip in April. Two of us traveled second class on the fast train. It cost us about $210 euro for Rome to Venice and then Venice to Cinque Terre. It would be similar to Florence. I found the train to be pretty cheap. Cortona to Florence R/T was about 8 Euro. Took about 90 minutes.
The prices are reasonable as Ron said. I paid just about those prices when I was there in August.
