I'm wondering if anyone has bought there railpasses from RailPass.com. I like the idea of having my tickets paid for brfore we go on our trip. Here are the tickets I will need.
Rome to Venice,
Venice to Vernazza,
Vernazza to Rome.
Thanks for any replys. Ron..
I'll add a bit to Larry and Ron's excellent posts. Amica fares (20% discount) are sold on some trains (mostly faster ones). If any of the allotted seats are still available, you can get an Amica fare up to midnight of the day before departure. So buy your ticket to Venice as soon as you arrive in Rome. If you wish, buy Venice-Vernazza and Vernazza-Rome at the same time. Be sure to ask if Amica fares are available for your routes. There are ticket machines in larger stations. They have an English option and accept US credit cards.
I think I can guarantee that the rail pass will be more expensive than than three separate tickets. There is little advantage to pre-purchasing tickets for Italy. What time of year are you traveling?
Ron, don't buy the railpass just because you get the tickets you need in advance. You'll really pay lots more for the convenience. In Italy, and on the runs you show, you will pay an additional 18Euro seat reservation fee for each Eurostar-category train you board. And, all of your runs above will most likely be on Eurostars. It tells you that on the Raileurope site but you have to dig a bit for it.
Next, you can buy the P2P tickets you need without a railpass on both www.raileurope.com or www.italiarail.com. It's a bit more expensive as both are ticket brokers but you will have your tickets in hand. My biggest suggestion is to not buy tickets a firm ticket on a Eurostar if the train trip is within 5 hours of your plane arrival. If your plane is delayed, your ticket could be toast.
Now the best advice. Buy the tickets when you get there. These trains don't fill up. As a North American, you just may not be used to seeing a passenger train or a train station. The Rome train station is massive and has at least 24 tracks deadheadding into the station. You will be shocked, stunned and amazed at how frequently trains arrive and depart. Plus, the metro is below. 55 trains a day leave Rome for Florence (where you will stop on your way to Venice). Each train holds more people than a 747. Don't fear the train stations or the train system. It's part of the local culture.
Finally, the P2P ticket costs. Rome/Venice 56.10Euro on the Eurostar. Venice/Vernazza 45.90Euro. Vernazza/Rome 33.70Euro. Are we near the cost of a railpass + 54Euro yet? I suggest you buy the P2P tickts only to save money.
Larry always gives excellent advice on train travel in Italy and he is "spot on!" Many traveling Americans DO want to buy EVERYTHING in advance and lock it down ... but you just do not need to with trains in Italy.
The railpasses and surcharges accessed by companies working out of the US (and UK) are galling. This website is great for helping you become an informed consumer. So as Larry says, relax, and get your tickets here. Trains are easy and after you've done it a few times you'll be a pro and wonder why you ever thought about pre-buying and paying those excessive charges!
It's great to pre-plan (like knowing WHEN trains are running) but not necessarily the best path to pre-buy!
Good Luck!
Ciao,
Ron
Thanks Larry & Ron for the info. I will wait until we get to Rome to buy our tickets.
