Required train res, Venice to Florence

Yes, you can wait to make the reservations when you arrive. You could also make them at www.raileurope.com before you arrive. If you know 100% for sure that your vacation plans hinge on a particular train, then I would make the reservation here before you leave. If you have some flexibility and taking an earlier or later train works with your vacation plans, then wait and make the reservations there.

Many people will advise you that there are plenty of trains between the major tourist destination cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, and that is true. However, trains do sell out especially when traveling during high tourist season or on national holidays. You just need to be aware of the facts and decide for yourself which works best for you.

You can easily wait until you get to Venice and Florence to get your tickets. You just need to do something that you don't normally do and that is spending time in a train station. Venice, Florence and Rome all have great train stations.

Your pass will cover the base fare onto any train. If you board a slower regaional (R) train, there are no reservations and the pass is all you need.

However, it is most likely that you will be on high-speed trains between these destinations. The reservation fee, which is separate from the base fare can be as high as 30Euro on the Eurostar. You will have to pay this extra fee.

There are over 50 trains a day leaving Venice for Florence so don't worry about missing any trains.

Thanks for the speedy replies (I'm always impressed with the quick and helpful responses on this website) My main concern is the need for museum reservations in Florence and being able to arrive before our museum reservation times, which we haven't made yet.