Rail travel

There is never need to worry, trains always run.
You are using an unofficial source to see trains running on June 14, but the summer timetable change is on June 9 in 2019. Check again in late April on trenitalia.com and italotreno.it/en

There is very little difference in the train schedules from one time period to another. The first of June, roughly 9th or so, when schedules are updated. Nothing to worry about. Fast trains, no change, take an hour and half. Slower take between three and four hours depending on route and number of changes.

The German Rail schedule website shows lots of direct and 1 change connection from Verona to Florence on June 14 in less than two hours. Same for Trenitalia.

Maybe you need to find a better source of information.

Which trains need to be booked in advance ? Or can I just get train tickets when I arrive at the train station . Our trips will be...

Milan to Venice
Venice to Verona
Verona to Florence
Florence to cinque terra
Cinque to Siena
Assisi to Rome

Thanks for any help I don’t know what I need to book ahead of time or what I can just show up to !

Is rail planner an okay app or can I use another app

Judging from the results you got, no. Use another source.

German Rail has a good app for schedules, but you cannot book Italian tickets from it. See it there is an Italian Rail app. Nothing like going straight to the source.

ulf,

I'd suggest using a different source of information to plan rail trips. As suggested above, the Bahn.de (German Rail) website provides reliable information for trains all over Europe (however you can't buy tickets on that site for trains outside Germany). You could also use the Trenitalia or Italo Treno websites for checking routes in Italy and buying tickets. You can also buy tickets for both rail networks in Italy from Trainline.com.

You can save money with advance purchase tickets for the express trains such as Freccia or Intercity. There are no discounts for Regionale trains, although you can also buy those tickets in advance. NOTE that tickets for express trains are specific to train, date and departure time and can ONLY be used for the one train listed on the ticket. If you board the wrong train by mistake, you won't have valid reservations for that train so will be subject to fines on the spot. Note that the cheapest advance purchase tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable once purchased.

You'll have to know the Italian names for each station you're using when buying tickets. Most cities have more than one station so that's important.

A few thoughts on your plans.....

• Milan to Venice - use the high speed Freccia or Italo trains. Your stations will be Milano Centrale and Venezia Santa Lucia. I'd suggest buying your tickets online if you want to save money.
• Venice to Verona - again, high speed train, although there are some (slower) Regionale trains on this route as well. Your stations will be Venezia Santa Lucia and Verona Porta Nuova. I'd suggest buying your tickets online if you want to save money.
• Verona to Florence - both Regionale and Freccia used on this route. Try to choose a Freccia. Your stations will be Verona Porta Nuova and Firenze Santa Maria Novella. I'd suggest buying your tickets online if you want to save money.
• Florence to Cinque Terre - Mostly Regionale trains used on this route, although there are some combinations with Freccia / Intercity and Regionale. There will usually be at least one change. Your departure station will be Firenze Santa Maria Novella and your arrival station will be whichever of the five towns you're staying in. You didn't mention which town that was? I'd suggest buying your tickets at the station in Florence, either using the Kiosks or staffed ticket office.
• Cinque Terre to Siena - this will also involve a combination of train types and some changes. The Bahn.de website will show all the solutions. The station in Siena is listed as "Siena". Note that the station is at the bottom of the hill so you'll have to take a Taxi or Bus up the hill to the town. I'd suggest buying your tickets at a station in the Cinque Terre (Monterosso has a full service ticket office).
• Assisi to Rome - trains on this route are a combination of Regionale, Intercity and Freccia. Use the Bahn.de website to choose your preferred train. Departure station will be Assisi and arrival station will be Roma Termini. I'd suggest buying your departure tickets at the station in Assisi when you arrive there.

Hope this helps.

Do you have to purchase your tickets early?

Answer: Only if you can commit to a specific date and time and you want to save money.

FYI, the OP already bought a Eurail pass so won't be buying tickets. OP will have to make reservations on the high-speed trains, however. See this thread if you haven't already.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/italian-rails

The OP seems to be good at posting questions but not reading the answers.

You don’t need to book any train travel in advance in Italy (that I know of) . However, the “longer out” from your departure date you book, the cheaper the ticket will normally be. The easiest and best app I have found for booking tickets in Italy, and most of the EU is, Loco2.

Daisy, that is true IF purchasing individual tickets but the OP is using a Eurail pass and just needs to purchase seat's reservations.

Again, the OP does not need to purchase tickets. The OP has a Eurail pass. What the OP needs to understand is that they need to make the required reservations for the high-speed trains and how to do that.

Kathy,

Thanks for the clarification on the rail pass. I didn't see that mentioned at the top so was not aware the OP would be using a Pass.

In that case, there's no price advantage for buying reservations in advance. In the same situation, I'd just buy the reservations at local stations, a day or so prior to travel. I often buy my departure tickets when I arrive in a particular city, since I'm at the station anyway.