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Train Advice

Posted by on

I need to book the following trains.

*June 20 - Firenze S. M. Novella to Monterosso al Mare*

  • what train company to book with?
  • I assume it is Firenze S. M. Novella to Pisa Centrale and then onto Monterosso
  • Do I book these all in advance or just show up at the train station to get tickets?

June 23 - Monterosso al Mare to Varenna Esino

  • what train company to book with?
  • I assume it is Monterosso to La Spezia to Milan to Varenna
  • Do I book these all in advance or just show up at the train station to get tickets?

June 26 - Varenna to Venice

  • what train company to book with?
  • I assume it is Varenna to Milan to Venizia s. Lucia
  • Do I book these all in advance or just show up at the train station to get tickets?
  • Do I book a train from Milan to Venizia s. Lucia in advance and just hope the regional train from Varenna to Milan gets us there on time?

Thank you for any and all feedback.

Posted by
21269 posts

All of these trains are operated by Trenitalia.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

June 20 and 23 are all regionale trains with no reservations and always the same price. so just buy a ticket and show up and go. If you buy at the station, you will have to validate them in the stamping machine on the platform before boarding.

June 26, the section from Milano Centarle will be a Freccia high-speed train, so you may get a discount buying well in advance. The section from Varenna-Esino to Milano Centarle is a regionale and always the same price, but buy at the same time as the Freccia train by specifying Varenna-Esino to Venezia S. Lucia and you will be protected in case of a delay in the first section.

Posted by
535 posts

Even though there is no need to buy regional train tickets in advance, as Sam explains, I found it convenient to use the Trenitalia app on my phone and purchase tickets before I got to a station. That way, you can go directly to the track with no need to validate when you get to the station, and no worry about possible lines to purchase tickets or use machines.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you so much for the replies

So I shouldn’t buy them now but I should be them in advance but closer to the day I want to travel?

Can I book varenna to Milan on trenitalia and the Milan to Venice on Italo? Or is that not recommended?

Posted by
21269 posts

You were worried if your Varenna-Milan leg was delayed. If you book with two different train operators, you are not protected in case of delay of the first leg. It is just like booking airline tickets. Two unrelated airline connections are not protected if the first is delayed. Stick with one operator and no need to worry.

Posted by
1269 posts

Hi. Just to fine tune the above advice... simplest way by far from Monterosso to Varenna is the InterCity train from Monterosso to Milan and then regional from Milan to Varenna. The Mont to Milan leg is an IC train, not regional, large capacity but not unlimited, and there are discounts to buy in advance. Look at trenitalia.com for Monterosso to Varenna-Esino with a sample date in February to see the schedule and prices. June tix won't be shown / available until April or May. Have a great trip!

Posted by
4 posts

Great thank you. I will look in a few months for the regional trains.

Appreciate all the feedback. I feel better about all of this now.

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