SelectItaly for train tickets

This outfit is an online travel agent ( read , middleman making a taste ) Go to Trenitalia , the Italian State Railways to buy your tickets . Right now there are 19EU fares per person available in second class . You really don't need first class ,second is plenty luxurious . In any event the ticket price is less than half what you'll pay those rip-off artists .

I used SelectItaly to get tickets for museums, they charge a fee but I was booking so many places that it was more convenient to let them do it. For train tickets, I always book directly at the Trenitalia site, or buy the tickets when I get there. You can save a lot buying in advance online on the fast trains, but you are committed to a particular train, date and time. Changes, if permitted, cost the full fare. These super-saver fares sell out quickly, but your travel dates don't fall within peak season, so your trains will probably have seats available even if you buy at the last minute.

Trenitalia has a three tier pricing system. Very early with limited numbers is the super economy. No changes, no refund. When those are gone you can get the economy ticket. Not as cheap but can be exchange for another ticket and you receive credit for the amount paid for the economy ticket. When those are gone, it is full fare which is till pretty cheap in Italy. Prices do not change on a daily basis like our airline prices. The number of tickets sold at any level for any train are fixed. No discounts for regional trains. Second class rarely sell out and first class never.

If you are booking trains on the high-speed axes (Napoli-Roma-Firenze-Bologna-Milano-Torino and ...-Bologna-Venezia), you should also check ItaloTreno, Treinitalia's high-speed private railway operator competitor.

Thanks Everyone! Zoe, it's good to know they're legit, even if they make money off of us. It keeps the economy going. :) Convenience counts for a lot in my book. (But I'll probably go directly to the train's website.) Frank, EXACTLY the info I wanted! Thanks so much!! Andre, I forgot about ItaloTreno; I'll look into them. I just found your old post about their start and bookmarked it for when I get around to buying tickets, which happily, I won't do until I need them in October.

Keep in mind that the Italo trains often use secondary stations, so in some cases you will have to transfer to the main station (usually very easy to do, but you're carrying luggage an extra time), or take a taxi, which can offset the savings on the train ticket.

Lori, there are 55 Trenitalia high-speed train runs a day that depart Rome-Termini for Florence. Booking now for October on www.trenitalia.com will reveal fares as low as 19Euro for 2nd class. As Frank pointed out, these tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged. You are locked into a specific train, departing on a specific date and at a specific time. The seat assignments come with the ticket. You do this with plane tickets and don't even blink. It works with the high-speed Frecci trains in Italy as well. You don't need 1st class either. The trip only takes 1hr35min. 2nd class on the Frecci train is so much nicer than any comparison to economy on the airplane.