Train/bus info Italy

Hi, just to give you an example, you would likely be using Florence's Santa Maria Novella Train Station (Firenze SMN) with the train station around the corner to head to Siena, for instance. Venice has more than one station, and you'll want to go to the Santa Lucia Train Station, so you're on the islands vs. the mainland. Not knowing your itinerary, put your locations into the www.rome2rio.com website, and it will give you complete info of how to go from "Point A" to "Point B".

Per your question regarding purchasing train tickets ahead of time - we always purchase them on-line a few months ahead to obtain a less expensive ticket, and I don't like standing in line at the train stations. Those tickets will have a seat assigned, so you must travel on that specific time & train. But, you don't need to purchase tickets ahead of time. For the spontaneous daytrips to another town, we just purchase the ticket that day when we want to go roundtrip to another town.

I don't know about travel agencies - have never used them.

Rcalr,

Yes, high-speed (freccia), regional( Regionale) & intercity trains run from the same station & each city may have several stations, especially the larger cities.

You can check train schedules on this website: http://www.trenitalia.com

Most bus stations are near the train stations but not always.

The advantage in purchasing freccia train tickets in advance is to get a discounted price.

You may purchase these tickets up to 120 days in advance but they are non-refundable & unchangeable so your travel dates must be firm.

"Would it be better to buy round trip tickets If only in city for few hours or a night?"

This is really up to you.

" Do travel agencies in Italy charge a fee for buying tickets thru them". --> Yes.

A partial answer.
If a town or city has more than one station, it is usually the destination that decides which station a train will leave from, not the type of train. Big towns and cities have one big main station, and smaller ones which are additional stops for the local trains or serve a particular destination. You just need to know what the 'main' station is called: Roma Termini, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Venezia Santa Lucia, Milano Centrale, or whatever.

The Golden rule is:

• For regionale trains there is no price advantage in booking in advance, you might as well buy the ticket on the day. A ticket is valid on any regionale train, but you must stamp the ticket before you get on the train.
• For intercity and High Speed trains there is a big price advantage in booking ahead, but, when you book, you decide which train you are going to travel on (and receive a reserved seat number). Your ticket is only valid on that train, you cannot later change to a different train.

To clarify Priscilla's point, not all trains stop at all stations; some high-speed trains have dedicated tracks that run parallel to the regionale station but don't stop there (Assisi has a regionale station, the freccie run a kilometer away and don't have a stop in Assisi). Most trains leaving Roma Termini don't stop at the other Rome stations. So you need to know which is your departing/arriving station.

Even some small cities, like Como, have more than one station without the "Centrale" designation (another example is Venezia Mestre or Venezia Santa Lucia).

Zoe, thanks for clarifying!

Rcalr,

I don't understand your question: "Could someone explain what bus Autolince Liscio; autostradale, bus/train SPA, and ride share ( safety)?"

What exactly are you asking?

Edit: You may want to read this RS article regarding train tips: http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes

A further clarification: the usual way stations are named is by city name first, then station name. So, there's Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina and Roma Ostiense and Roma San Pietro (and many more, of lesser importance to most visitors). This confuses people who don't expect it. As said above, sometimes there's a "main" one, but it can be more complicated.

Regional trains may stop at more than one station in a city. Conversely, as said above, express trains usually only stop at one, but which one will depend on the particular train.

So, you need to know the full names of your stations, to go to the right one to board the train, and to avoid getting off at the wrong one (or missing it entirely).

Italy does not have round trip discounts for trains; that's why the choice of purchasing one way or round trip is a matter of which is more convenient for you.