Has anyone got a good connection online to buy train tickets? And at a good price? I have noticed quite a disparity in the pricing. I have looked at RailEurope, ItaliaRail, Eurorailways & Trenitalia. A one-way ticket from Bologna Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia has ranged from 16.5 euro(Trenitalia) to $53.00(Eurorailways). Any reason why the price difference? I am putting in the same information for the train and class of seat every time I do a search. I want to buy the train tickets ahead of time as we have time restraints when we arrive in Bologna. I want to be sure that we have tickets for a particular train time. Thanks!
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
The reason for the price differences is because Trenitalia is the official Italian railways site, and all the others are just middlemen/consolidators so of course they will cost more. Definitely book with Trenitalia if you can, but a lot of people have trouble with their credit cards on there (I had trouble with one card, but not another, so I booked 2 tickets last week with no problems but I know others have been totally unable to do it with no particularly good explanation as to why).
Also, when you look at the list of fares on the trenitalia, see if an AMICA fare is available - you save 20%, I ended up saving about 6 euros on each of my two tickets - hey, that's several portions of gelato! ;) good luck :)
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you take an Interregionale train rather than a EuroStar Italia train, the Trenitalia fare is €8.20 for 2nd class and €13.10 for 1st class. Only a slightly longer ride that the ES. No reservations are possible on regional trains. Your ticket will be good on any of them throughout the day.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Debra is correct. Note that Eurostars run about every hour between Bologna and Venizia Santa Lucia during the day. The run is 1hrs 42mins. We went one-way first class and it cost 60 Euro for two. 2nd class for two is probably just over 15 Euro. However, you will need seat reservations for either 1st or 2nd class. If you will be in Italy 2-3 days before this travel event, you can easily buy the tickets at any train station, travel agency (most sell Trenitalia tickets) or even easier, the ticket machines in the train stations. You can use your Visa card. Don't fret about trains so full you have to buy well in advance. The trains run frequently between these two cities throughout the day. Here's a sample sample schedule
Posted by
OP
NEW HAVEN, CT, USA
8 posts
Hi all and thank you for the info. and advice. I went with Europe on rail.com out of Massachusetts. I paid the same rates as Trenitalia showed for the trains but with an added $14.00 service fee. Not bad for the assurance that my train tickets and seats are reserved for the times that I need. I missed the DHL delivery today but will be picking up directly tomorrow. Thanks again. I love this helpline!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Europeonrail shows trip for $30, plus $14....$44 total. Trenitalia shows $23.50 + $0...$23.50 total...almost half the price, and with "ticketless" solution. Reservations alone for passholders on the route Lisa mentions $21 at Europeonrail...RailEurope at $11.