Do you need to buy/reserve high speed train tickets in advance?
And if you missed your scheduled time, does that mean your ticket is voided?
I plan to take a train from Milan to Rome in May and was wondering if I need to buy the train ticket in advance. I am flying into Milan Malpensa airport.
Thank you for any advice.
Hi Jackie -
No, you do not have to buy tickets in advance. The only reason for doing so would be to take advantage of any economy or super economy rates which may be available in prior to the trip. Those tickets cannot be changed without a fee (economy), changed at all (super economy) or refunded if you miss your train; your ticket is voided.
No-fee refunds/changes are possible with base fare (full fare) tickets
Here's a useful guide to Trenitalia's ticket restrictions:
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms-file/html/frecciarossa_en/Info_Tariffe_en_LeFrecce.html
If your plan is to travel directly to Rome the same day your flight arrives in Milan, it's not recommended that you purchase an economy or super-economy ticket in advance unless it is SO cheap that you're willing to eat the cost if you miss your train because of a flight or other sort of delay; entirely possible these days. You could purchase a full-fare ticket just to have it in your hand when you arrive (change if needed) but you could also just as easily buy it when you arrive. Make sense?
Thank you so much for the web link.
Since it is not possible to predict when the plane land I will wait until we arrive in Milan Centrale to purchase the tickets.
Do you want to experience the train ride? If not, check if it cheaper and faster by air. On a random day I see tickets around EUR 35/person.
Yes, flying might very well be a good option as you'll already be AT an airport. Whether that will save any time depends on the timing between your landing, processing through immigration, and next flight to Rome so you'd need to explore schedules.
