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Today I discovered something about Trenitalia...

Posted by (Forest Grove, OR) on

I have long known that Trenitalia will let you book 120 days out for the Freccia trains. So I usually set a calendar reminder in advance of our trips and log on early in the AM to get a good price 120 days out. I buy outgoing and return tickets separately as the purchase windows open. This is an essential strategy to getting the best fares. BUT I discovered today that the trains are opened for ticketing on an hour-by-hour basis. I wanted a return from Venezia on Dec. 10 about 09:30. At 07:45 there was one train available at 07:25. Hmmm, I thought, I wonder.... I checked at 10:00, and the 09:30 train had opened up. It has proceeded so throughout the day. As I write this at 14:30, trains up through 14:25 are now available, with later trains shown as outside the 120 days.

This knowledge may help you as you try to get the best fare.

Posted by
32405 posts

Laurel,

Thanks for posting. It sounds like they've automated the process, so the tickets open up at precisely 120 days to the hour. I'll keep that in mind for future use.

Posted by
34350 posts

Those cunning so and sos.

That's very good to know.

Enjoy winter in Venezia.

Posted by
7737 posts

Great tip about the hours, but I thought the time period was actually four months, not 120 days. That can make a big difference if there is a February in the mix.

Posted by
1004 posts

Thanks for the tip! It will be helpful as I get closer to my 2015 Italy trip.

Posted by
11852 posts

@Michael, you may be right about 4 months vs. 120 days.

Posted by
11613 posts

I am fairly certain it's 120 days - I have tried calculsting by months and sometimes come up short with tickets unavsilable. I keep a countdown calendar for ticket purchases. Well, now it will be a countdown clock.

Posted by
6898 posts

Great info. That's why I always look 119 days in advance and not 120. Often times, the 120th day doesn't even appear. 119 days in advance works great and the discounts are usually still all there. It's not like the Eiffel Tower ticket website where the time slots disappear in minutes :)

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