Hello Friends,
Would love advice on the best options to take a train for our family of 3 from Florence (sometime in the morning before 12 noon) to Rome (on a Monday.) Thank you in advance for your help!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17784 posts
Two companies to choose from. The latter runs only high speed train, the former is State owned and runs also slower Regional commuter trains.
www.trenitalia.com
www.italotreno.it
You have the option to purchase in advance if you want discounts. Just be aware that discounted tickets are non refundable and generally non changeable in case you change your mind later and are not taking the train you book. If you buy on the day of departure you will be paying the full “Base” fare.
Seats don’t run out (there are trains to Rome every 10-20 minutes) so if you want full flexibility you can buy on the spot just minutes before departure.
So it’s your choice, but if you buy a discounted ticket in advance do so only if you are firm on your plans.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8804 posts
On our trip 3 years ago, we took an Italo train from Rome to Florence. We’d just landed at the Rome airport, took a train to the Termini station downtown, and an express Italo train was leaving in a very few minutes, so we bought tickets then and there. I don’t recall the price, but it was far cheaper than expected, and the trip to Florence was smooth and quick.
Coming back to Rome at the end of our time farther north, we took a slower Ferrovia train. It made many stops, and as we got closer to Rome, more and more people got on, some really loud and not very well behaved. When the train reached the Termini station and we got off it, we had the longest walk along the platform to reach the actual station building and the exit. The train must’ve parked as far from the exit as possible, which just made that journey all the longer. I wasn’t sure we’d ever reach the end of the platform. As long as it’s not excessively more expensive, faster is the better choice.
Posted by
84 posts
a slower Ferrovia train
Ferrovia means Railway (singular), I can't understand what you mean and what train you have actually used. Not all local trains stop at the secondary set of tracks in Termini station, it happened to you but it doesn't happen to every passenger on a budget.
jennyd, as a general rule you should learn about the different types of service offered by different Trenitalia trains (Freccia vs IC vs Regionales); this way you will avoid using local trains for long journeys.
Italotreno is a smaller, private company that runs only high speed trains. Sometimes in combination with their own buses.