Please sign in to post.

Train registration and invoice

I’m booking train travel from Rome airport to Florence. A ‘warning’ comes up if I ‘purchase without registration’ then I will not receive an invoice.
Is there any advantage/disadvantage to registering in order to have an invoice?

Posted by
3812 posts

Sorry, but you are the only one that knows if you need an invoice or not.

Conductors couldn't care less about your taxes and your expense report, they just want passengers to tell/show the PNR code.

Posted by
32171 posts

As long as you receive the ticket with the PNR code, as that's the most important part.

Note that you can also buy tickets at https://www.trainline.eu/ at the same price as those charged by the rail networks. They also sell tickets for Italo Treno and a number of other rail networks in Europe. Registration on the website is required, including payment information, but after that the process is very user friendly, and you can print tickets at home.

Posted by
56 posts

Thank you, Ken, for the Trainline link! I've been trying to figure out how to get to different points throughout Italy in June and this was very helpful.

Posted by
8889 posts

Jan, the operator of most of the trains in Italy is Trenitalia. Website: https://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
That should be your first stop in looking for trains.
Trainline is a reseller that (unlike most online resellers) lists all trains and charges the same prices as the railway company, i.e. no mark-ups. Trainline also allegedly is better than Trenitalia for accepting non-European credit cards.

You also need to know the real names of the stations you want to travel between (not the English translations of the names).
If you are a first-time traveller on Italian trains, I suggest you read theis webpage: https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm

Posted by
3812 posts

When was the last time that trenitalia.com did not accept a non-european credit card? 10 years ago? Maybe 5? Anyway nothing to worry about, it's US banks that can flag a transaction abroad as suspicious and block it.

Companies like trainline sell tickets from all railway companies and let you see all the schedules at a glance. The problem with such re-sellers is that you won't be protected if you miss a transfer because the first train is late and the second one is run by a competing railway company.

This and not make tourists getting used to real station and city names, the real names you'l have to look for on monitors and departure boards.

Note that there is a timetable change on June 9, any re-seller selling those tickets before Trenitalia and Italotreno is selling tickets that do not exist.
Same for re-sellers showing the schedules of trains running after June 9: trenitalia and italotreno run the trains, if they haven't uploaded the summer schedules... all the others are just preying on anxious tourists.

Posted by
10 posts

Thank you for all replies. I had read ‘seat 61’ a few months ago, was good to review. I did purchase tickets online last night from Rome airport (Fiumicino Aeroporto) to Florence (Firenze S.M. Novella), taking Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, then Frecciarossa to S. M. Novella.
I’ve printed the tickets, and ‘chatted’ with Trenitalia. It’s my understanding that we will need to validate the Leonardo Express tickets in a machine on the platform, but no validation needed on the Frecciarossa ticket, just board.
Now my question is: can anyone walk me through arriving in Roma Termini on Leonardo Express, to finding correct departure platform for the Frecciarossa? We only have 24 minutes. We’ve never been in Roma Termini. I’ve been trying to bring up maps, but no success yet. (A little background - we arrive at Rome airport on the only daily flt from Split/Rome at 5pm. We booked the latest Leonardo Express/Frecciarossa leaving the Rome airport terminal at 7:53. We are meeting our children who fly into Florence that same day. If we miss the connection, we will need to overnight near the Rome train terminal and buy another ticket for Florence for the next morning, hopefully available.)
As I write this, i am now wondering if we should absorb the cost of the train tickets and look to hire a driver from the Rome airport to Florence? Or is it possible to hire a guide to meet the arrival train to walk us to our connection? I’m brainstorming. Any thoughts anyone?

Posted by
3812 posts

Tickets purchased on-line do not need to be validated (and printed out). They couldn't be re-used anyway.

Note down the 4 digits code of the train to Florence. Look for that code on monitors/boards, the last column is headed "binario/platform". Go to that platform.
Knowing the train code and the departure hour from Roma Termini you can search online for the intended departure track.
Same for the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, do not get on the FL1 local to Tiburtina.

I would have just purchased a through ticket to Florence at the airport station. Discounted tickets can't be refunded whereas full price BASE tickets are worthless one hour after the departure of the booked train. Flight can be delayed for hours, Getting train tickets after a flight seems a pointless risk to me.

A driver would cost an arm and a leg, since cars cannot run at 300 kmh you'd pay more to arrive later. I assume you'r taking Frecciarossa 9572, after Termini it calls at Roma Tiburtina station and departs to Florence at 21:00. If anything else fails , jump on a cab to Tiburtina. There is a fixed fare from FCO to Tiburtina 24/7.

Posted by
3112 posts

Twenty four minutes is more than enough time to change trains at Termini. You'll arrive on track 24. Follow the crowd to the head of the track and turn right. Walk inside the secure area until you see a Partenze board displaying the departing trains. Look for your train by number rather than destination and then walk to that track, which will almost certainly be in the middle of the station. Don't leave the secure area.

If you arrive at the Fiumicino train platform early, stop by the Trenitalia ticket window and ask if you can exchange your Leonardo Express ticket for an earlier Leonardo Express, which would give you more time to change trains. I say this in case the Leonardo Express portion of your ticket was priced at Base fare rather than at a discounted price, in which case it should be exchangeable. Worst they can say is "No."

I wouldn't try to arrange a very expensive private transfer to Florence simply out of concern that you might miss the train.

Posted by
10 posts

Thank you for instructions and map. I ‘chatted’ with Trenitalia re taking an earlier Leonardo express out of Fiumicino Aeroporto, should we arrive earlier than expected to the airport train platform.
No changes on the same day of travel.
However, we could of course purchase new Leonardo Express tickets (not expensive) bringing us to Roma Termini a bit earlier, and then use our original Frecciarossa ticket.
Good to know.
Dario, I agree it’s a risk. Arriving from Florida, we originally had a night in Rome both before and after a few days in Croatia. But there was so much family history coming to light that we wanted another day there. Thus we lost our overnight on our return. And now we are taking our chances. We don’t go to Tiburtina - when booking through Trenitalia and looking for a late departure, our best choice seemed to be
Roma Termimi. Wish us luck.
Sent from my iPhone

Posted by
391 posts

trenitalia.com has an app for (android) phones. In theory, you can pull your purchase up on the phone and show that to a conductor.

We're anticipating booking fares via that app.
I loaded the app and had problems with registering - fields with English headings but Terms and Conditions in Italian ...

I emailed them and this is their reply:

Dear Mr ......,

We are writing further to your e-mail sent December 26th concerning our website.

we’d like to inform you that customers can easily require an effective and smart support about browsing and purchasing on our website www.trenitalia.com by filling in the on line form available at

http://reclami-e-suggerimenti.trenitalia.com/Assistenza/TCom/en/Anagrafica.aspx

Best regards.
Giovanni Ferrari
Trenitalia S.p.A.
Divisione Passeggeri Long Haul
Customer Service e Vendita Diretta
Post Vendita

Posted by
3812 posts

Almost every train going from Roma Termini to Florence calls at Tiburtina station a few minutes later.
Nobody will care if you get on at the train you have already paid for at the second stop, so If you miss the Leonardo Express to Termini, 55 euro for a cab to Tiburtina would be cheaper than getting new tickets from the airport all the way to Florence.

Even, why do you want to register?

Posted by
32171 posts

A few further comments......

It's not generally a good idea to buy advance tickets for the Freccia trains, as these specific to train, date and departure time. If the flight is late (or whatever) and you miss the train you've booked, the tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full (Base) price. The best method is to buy tickets upon arrival, although this is not the cheapest method.

It would be a good idea to make a note of departure details on the FCO - Florence trains on the day you'll be travelling, as there are a few that involve an Intercity and a Regionale combination, and those will take considerably longer. Make sure the trains you book are the L.E. and Freccia combination.

"Now my question is: can anyone walk me through arriving in Roma Termini on Leonardo Express, to finding correct departure platform for the Frecciarossa?"

After you've had your Passport stamped at Immigration, walked through the "Nothing to Declare" line at Customs and have retrieved your checked luggage, make your way to the airport rail station. The route is well marked with signs. As I recall, you'll have to go up an escalator or stairs just before the station. You'll be able to buy tickets either from electronic Kiosks or at staffed ticket offices. Buy tickets for both the Leonardo Express and the Freccia at the same time. Your destination station will be Firenze Santa Maria Novella (you'll need to specify that when buying the ticket).

One important point to note is that there are two trains serving the airport, the Leonardo Express and the FL1..... be sure to board the correct train. Also as noted, don't forget to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot. You may find this website helpful - https://europeforvisitors.com/rome/transportation/leonardo-express.htm . You could also use the FL1 train, which travels to Roma Tiburtina but it's slightly slower, with a 48 minute travel time.

When the Leonardo Express arrives at Roma Termini, walk to the end of the platform and check the electronic display boards to determine which Binario / Platform your next train is departing from. The train number will be printed on the ticket. Before boarding, check your ticket for the Carrozza (Coach) number and Seat (Posti) numbers, walk to that coach and board the train. You may also find this video helpful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n8rITO1Eek .

Smaller carry-on sized luggage can be stored on the rack above your seat. Larger items can be placed in the luggage racks at one or both ends of the coach, although these tend to fill up quickly.

Hope this helps.

Posted by
32519 posts

trenitalia.com has an app for (android) phones. In theory, you can pull your purchase up on the phone and show that to a conductor.

There is an excellent app for iPhone, too. Also one for Italo Treno.

"In theory, you can pull your purchase up on the phone and show that to a conductor."

that works in practice too. Just make sure your phone is charged.

Posted by
10 posts

Evan,
good luck. I had no trouble booking tickets on line without registering. Then just printed the tickets.
Dario,
thank you for the info on trains from Roma Termini stopping at Tiburtina. Good information.
Ken,
Great website and video. One question - if you don’t buy tickets ahead of time, don’t you take a chance on the train being full? And if it’s the last train of the night, it would involve waiting until the next morning?
Nigel,
I’ll try downloading the Trenitalia ap, just as a backup.
Thank you all for taking the time to help!

Posted by
32519 posts

if you don’t buy tickets ahead of time, don’t you take a chance on the train being full?

Pretty rare enough to say virtually never at such a late time of day - it isn't the rush hour

And if it’s the last train of the night, it would involve waiting until the next morning?

If it is a Regionale there will be plenty of standing room.

If a Freccia, yes, but see my first answer