Rome to Florence to Venice

Yes, fast, direct trains run at least every hour between Florence and Venice and 2-3 per hour between Rome and Florence. You can buy tickets in the station for about $55 each leg in 2nd class, and do buy each one as a separate ticket, since they include reserved seat assignments. You could get some discount by locking in dates and times up to 3 months ahead at www.trenitalia.com, but I consider that a hassle for a short ride and prefer to keep my plans open. See other rail tips at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains.

Another option is Italo, also a fast train, different then Trenitalia. It has a line that runs Rome to Florence to Venice. We bought Prima class tickets well in advance and they were very comfortable. A really nice travel experience.

Yes, you do need separate tickets (Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice). Those trains have mandatory reservations; when you buy your ticket, it's for a specific train. If you get on a train and don't have a reservation for that specific train, you will get a heavy fine.

You can book the tickets in advance online if you want discounts and can commit to non-exchangeable, non-refundable tickets (or tickets with significant limitations on those actions). If you want full flexibility, there's no advantage to booking online; you can just buy them at the station a day or two in advance from machines, which have an English language option and take cash or credit cards.

Look at both Italo and Trenitalia, and you can see the availability (or not) of discounted tickets for your travel dates (as long as they're not too far in advance). You can also see what the full fare is, so you can determine if you want to go for discounts or not.

If you are planning to stay in Florence, you need separate tickets (fast trains give you a carriage and seat reservation). Direct train from Rome to Venice takes about four hours, one ticket. That train stops in Florence and a few of other cities.

Italy has an extensive rail network and there are numerous trains each day to the places you mentioned. Could you clarify if you're planning to spend a night or two in Florence?

Purchasing tickets online is certainly possible, and if you buy far enough in advance there are significant savings. However the cheapest advance tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable so choose your travel dates and times carefully. Also note that tickets for the fast trains such as the Freccia which travel at up to 300 kmH have compulsory reservations and are specific to a particular train, date and departure time. If you board any other train rather than the one listed on your ticket, you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! On those trains, you'll be assigned a Car No. (Carrozza) and Seat No. (Posti), which will be listed on your ticket.

If using Regionale trains such as the Leonardo Express from FCO into Rome (which don't require reservations), it's important to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, as those with unvalidated tickets will also be fined. The same applies to using Bus or Metro in various cities.

When buying rail tickets for travel in Italy (or anywhere else in Europe), it's important to know which station you'll be using since many cities have more than one. In Rome you'll be using Roma Termini, in Florence it will be Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN) and in Venice it will be Venezia Santa Lucia.

You could certainly compare prices and use the relatively new Italo trains, however it's important to note that in some cases these use different stations in some cities. In Rome you'd have to depart for Florence from Roma Tiburtina. Both rail systems use the same station in Florence and Venice. For the Rome-Florence leg, I'd suggest sticking with Trenitalia.

You may find it helpful to watch THIS short video tutorial.

Buon Viaggio!

Thanks for all your help! I'm planning on just stopping in Florence for the day on the way from Rome to Venice; does that change anything re. purchasing separate tickets for each leg of the journey?

"I'm planning on just stopping in Florence for the day on the way from Rome to Venice; does that change anything re. purchasing separate tickets for each leg of the journey?"

NO. As everyone has said above, each ticket is good for only one specific train (date and train number), and is NOT valid on any other train. I'm shouting because this is a very expensive mistake to make.

For example, using made up numbers, suppose you get on train 1111 from Rome to Venice, leaving Rome on September 6 at 10 AM. You must have a ticket that is good for that train (the train number and departure time will be right on the ticket). If you get off in Florence, then get on a later train (later that day or another day, it doesn't matter), it will not be train 1111 from Rome to Venice that left Rome on September 6 at 10 AM. Therefore, you are not holding a valid ticket, and will get a fine. Taking the same train number on a different day, or another train on the same day that's just a half hour later than your original train, is not allowed, unless you change your ticket before departure (if you have bought a more expensive ticket with some flexibility). If you have a nonrefundable ticket and miss your train, it just turned into scrap paper.

The good news is that it's very easy to purchase the correct tickets. Whether you're buying in advance online or using a machine in an Italian train station, there is an English option. Simply take care to specify your start and end points correctly. So, you want a ticket from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella (abbreviated Firenze SMN) and another ticket for the next day, from Firenze SMN to Venezia Santa Lucia (abbreviated Venezia SL). Again, if you're not ready to commit, you can buy your tickets in Italy, as long as you don't mind the full fare (called "base fare").