Hello went on Rail Europe site - travelling venice to Florence to cinque terre(staying in monterosso but goes to la Spezia - correct?? then on to rome. Totals for the two of us is $300.00
First of all do most people book trains (travelling early may), do they fill up?Is there only one train available at the time shown and then that's it?
Is the insurance worth getting, ?? Anyone have experience with it ?
Thank you
Posted by
Minneapolis
1277 posts
Hi Elaine. Use trenitalia.com, it will show all trains and possible discounts. Use station names venezia SL, firenze SMN, monterosso, roma termini. For firenze to mont, wait and buy tix in Italy. For others, you will see discounts if willing to lock in exact date and time. The 'base' fare is what you will pay if you wait and buy at last minute. Trains rarely sell out, and you will see there are many per day. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23666 posts
Keep in mind that Rail Europe is a travel agency selling rail tickets to North American. They do not discount tickets nor do they sell tickets for all trains. There may be only one train available at that time but there is another train an hour earlier and probably an hour later. Lots of trains. Go to trenitalia.com to see the complete schedule and the fares. What is the insurance for? That is a 17% premium. You can get trip cancellation insurance for a third of that.
Posted by
Chicago
792 posts
Your routes are very popular routes so there will be many trains every day. You don't NEED to buy your tickets ahead of time. If you show up at the train station, the next train leaving might be full but you can certainly find seats for a train that day.
Some people choose to buy tickets early because it saves money or they feel more comfortable navigating a website than purchasing tickets at the station. You can go on the Trenitalia website and get cheaper economy tickets. If you choose to get tickets at the train stations, the automated kiosks are very user friendly. And you can buy tickets for any leg at any station. For example, when you are in Venice, you can get all of your tickets for the whole trip. Just make sure you change the departure station. The RoninRome website does a great job detailing this. With pictures.
I do not think it is worth it to get insurance for short train trips. Just my opinion.
Posted by
OP
smiththown
68 posts
Got it , thank you. Unsure what the ordinaire with red boxes are on the site,...... also seems one train monterosso to rome says from 56e then when I arrow down, 1st class is less? says others ie economy 2nd class sold out. not easy to understand. I will check out roninrome. Also generally speaking is it better to travel early to next destination or wait till afternoon? Just curious
Thank you
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7180 posts
I like using this website for detailed info and instructions on how to purchase train tickets in Europe:
Posted by
Chicago
792 posts
The roninrome website also does a good job explaining the different types of trains.
I think when you leave is completely your preference! Personally, I like to have breakfast and head to the train station in the morning.
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
I like morning trains. I try to plan on being at my next destination for lunch
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
The price chart boxes when you scroll down may show 2nd class tickets are sold out at that price, not that all of 2nd class is sold out. Both first and second class have three price levels, so it's possible that the super-economy 1st class ticket is less than the full-fare 2nd class ticket.