Hey travel pros!
I got "elected" to be the travel coordinator for our 2 weeks in Italy. I'm looking at Trenitalia for first class reserved seat tickets for one of our day trips. Can I buy tickets for all 5 of us on my phone to show the conductor once we board, or do each of us have to have them? We will most likely be sitting together. (FYI, I know I can do this for Amtrak in the US, but with Italy you never know).
Thanks!
Do you imply that Amtrak might be more advanced than Trenitalia? Frankly, Amtrak is pretty primitive by Italian standards.
If 5 of you are traveling together, then you should buy tickets with the INSIEME ("together") or the FRECCIAFAMILY offer (the latter will be available if there are children under 14).. These offers are available up to 10 days prior to travel.
When you enter the number of passengers (specify the number of adults and children), in your case 5, the INSIEME and/or FRECCIAFAMILY offers will be displayed. Children under 14 travel free in groups of 2 to 5, where there is at least one adult.
Everything should be displayed in your phone (I'm assuming you are the head of the family). As in airplanes, tickets are nominative, so you must specify everybody's name when purchasing. All you need is the PNR, which you could even print on paper, in case you fear your phone might die while you travel.
It’s also a good idea to be sure another person in your group has a ticket copy/ screen shot on their own phone in case your phone doesn’t have power or malfunctions while at the train station. After all—Technology can have technical issues.
Just to add: the Italian train system is very well run and organised.
I’ve been taking trains in Italy for over 30 years on Trenitalia and Italo.
You will enjoy your journey!
If the OP wants to take advantage of the group discounts (INSIEME or FRECCIAFAMILY), I don't think the 5 of them can purchase it separately. They have to purchase together and travel together.
As I said you need to enter the names of each passenger, date of birth, and their email and contact number for each. I don't think you need to enter a passport number and expiration date. Lots of Italians have no passport. The conductor however might ask for ID to verify passenger name and date of birth (especially if you travel with children under 14, since they travel free in groups of 2 to 5.
No passport numbers required. Just the burthdates and names.
Here are the details re the Insieme discount:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/offers/insieme_offer.html
It doesn't take that long to create a profile for each member in your group - obviously you first need to create a Trenitalia account for yourself. But once the profiles exist, it's a snap to buy tix.
You should be able to make seat selections to keep your group together as part of the booking process.
Correction: The passport numbers/expiration dates Are NOT required by Trenitalia to buy train tix on its website.
www.Trenitalia.com
www.Italotreno.it
Where are you coming from and going to?
We’ve never found first class to be necessary on Italian trains, especially not for short distance which I assume your day trip will be
It might be easier to use the website on a desktop computer to book 5 people than it will be on the app
Thanks all....I am traveling with a bunch of nervous Euro-neophytes and I want to make it as easy as possible. We will be traveling from Grosseto to Rome, which I realize I could drive, but I'll be driving enough throughout Tuscany and Umbria without adding the stress of dealing with Rome. First class tickets aren't that much more expensive, and since Italian trains seem to derive great pleasure in fining tourists who don't realize you need to punch your just-purchased ticket on the platform, I want to avoid these types of unpleasant surprises. Happy travels to you all.
