My wife and I our going on our first trip to Italy. Flying into FCO, then 4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence, 2 in Venice and then back to FCO. I am looking at purchasing a 4 days in two months railpass, one day for the Airport Express, one day for Rome to Florence, one day for Florence to Venice, and one day for Venice back to FCO. Is the Railpass the way to go?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23359 posts
Probably not but you have to do your homework by comparing point to point against the daily pass. What is the per cost of the 4 day pass? For the airport you have to have a first class pass but it is only 14E. Is that how you want to burn one day of your pass. All pass tickets except for Regional trains require a seat reservation for each leg ranging from 3 to 10E so that has to be added to daily cost of the pass. And if you are willing to purchased in advance no refund, no change tickets, some fares can be as low as 9E. So do your homework and you will have your answer.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
For the trip you describe, I doubt a Pass is the way to go. They only make sense if you are planning to travel first class and have multiple trains in a day or long trips . For the easy jumps you are making you will be better off purchasing separate tickets.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Good for you for asking first. Rail passes almost never make financial sense in Italy. Point to Point is virtually always a better deal. You can price it out to be sure, but 99% likely it's cheaper to buy P2P.
Posted by
Redding, CA, USA
1568 posts
We are planning a trip which will include the same cities. Did my research comparing the Point-To-Point vs a Rail Pass. The Point-To-Point tickets are less expensive. No need for a rail pass in Italy.
Posted by
Evanston, IL, USA
7 posts
If I am buying Point to Point tickets, do I need to buy them before I get to Italy? Is it any less expensive that way? Does a Point to Point ticket ensure a seat on the train? If we want to be spontaneous, will we be able to get tickets (for instance Florence to Lucca, and Viarregio to Milan)just a day in advance?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32228 posts
@Julie, You shouldn't have any trouble at all buying P-P tickets the day prior to travel, or even on the day of travel. That's normally the method I use. You might want to check the Trenitalia website to determine if any of the trains you're using require compulsory reservations. If a reservation is required, you'll be assigned a specific Car No. and Seat No. On the Regionale trains, you just sit wherever there's an open seat. When travelling on Regionale trains, BE SURE to validate your ticket! Happy travels!