It looks like tickets are now available on the express trains from Florence to Milan in September. I have looked at: Trenitalia, Italiarail, and Loco2.com. They all show different rates and offer different "class" seating. One site says free upgrade to business (awesome) and another site has a similar rate for 'first class'(better yet) and does not even show a 'business' class rate. I am very confused. I want to get the best rate in advance purchasing online. Will someone please tell me which sight I can trust?
What are the prices? Trenitalia operates the trains, so I'd start there. If the travel agencies give you a better deal, consider it. Italiarail does charge a commission, although the Man in seat 61 says he can get it rescinded.
www.trenitalia.com is the official site that I know you can trust.
I think the others are travel agencies. Not sure what to tell you.
The rates vary from 29 to 36 euro; one site offers a senior rate which my husband would qualify for - I don't think it's trenitalia though. Do I understand that once a ticket is purchased, you are given a reserved seat or how does that work?
Yes a valid ticket includes a seat reservation. 29 EUR sounds about right for a SuperEconomy standard class ticket. Some of the trains will have up to 5 classes of service. Usually, there is no senior discount for SuperEconomy tickets. They're pretty cheap to start with.
Edit, a random mid September day shows SuperEconomy tickets for 29.90 EUR are available in Premium, 5 EUR cheaper than Standard. That is on Frecciarossa trains with 5 class service.
Betty,
The most reliable website to use for trains in Italy is Trenitalia as they operate the rail network, so there are no surcharges or extra fees. However you can also buy tickets at www.captaintrain.com at the same prices as Trenitalia. I'm not sure "Business / First Class" or whatever is worth the extra cost. If using different websites, comparing prices for second class will be less complicated, as there are several levels of "business class" (and second class on the fast trains is perfectly comfortable).
There's no advantage in buying an advance ticket for the train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino, as there are no price breaks and seating is only second class. I'd suggest buying that a few days before travel, either using a Kiosk or staffed ticket window at the Florence station. One important point though - you MUST be sure to validate (time & date stamp) the ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines!
I do wish to buy my tickets in advance for the speed train and think if I can get first class for the same or better rate than standard- why not? There is a box you can check to reserve your seat. I was wondering if the single seats in business class face each other? It is hard to tell on the diagrams. Or should I just get the tickets and not worry about the seat assignment?
What site are you on?
Hi Sam,
I'm looking at Trenitalia. At the bottom of the page there is a box to check for choosing seats. It then leads you to a seating chart. The business section has single seats on one side and doubles on the other side. I would like to get singles so my husband and I can face each other with a table in the middle, but I'm not sure that is what we will get. I don't want us to be seated behind each other. I've seen photos and seating diagrams and they show seats both ways.
The gray rectangle between the seats represents the table, so pick seats on either side of the rectangle.