I'm traveling by train with my family from Monterosso, Italy to Lugano, Switzerland in early June and was wondering if I need to make a reservation ahead of time. Also does anyone now if there is a way to see how many seats are available online in 2nd Class on Italian trains?
Posted by
Minneapolis
1216 posts
Hi Bill. In general, you do not need to buy these tix ahead, you could wait and buy them in Italy at your convenience. These routes have large capacity and rarely sell out. However, if you are willing to lock in exact date and time, there are discount tix; but those are usually no change / no refund, so you have to weigh the savings vs. the chance you will miss the train or change your mind, in which case your tix may be worthless. See trenitalia.com for fares and schedules, (but only up to June 12 are shown now). There are a few direct trains a day from Monterosso to MIlano Centrale, and trains roughly every two hours from Milan to Lugano. Allow at least 30 minutes at Milan in case your incoming train is late, or longer if you want to have lunch or take time in Milan. (If time, take a few minutes to view Milan station and architecture; it is historic and impressive). If further questions, feel free to send me a private message. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Bill,
You don't need to make reservations in advance, but you may need reservations for the trains you'll be using, depending on which departures you choose. If you need reservations for a particular segment those will be provided with your tickets, whether you buy them at the time in local stations or buy in advance online. The main advantage in buying advance tickets is that significant discounts are possible in some cases, but keep in mind that tickets for the faster trains are specific to train, date and departure time and are often non-refundable and non-changeable once purchased.
There are numerous trains on that route each day, but the easiest and quickest solution will be to use one of the direct Intercity trains from Monterosso to Milano Centrale. A departure at 10:54 is a good choice, arriving at 13:50. Seat reservations are compulsory on that train, and will be provided with your ticket.
At Milano Centrale you'll transfer to another train for the trip to Lugano. On the current schedules there appears to be a departure at 14:25, arriving at 15:32. That's a Eurocity train so reservations are again compulsory, and will be provided with your tickets.
If you want to buy advance tickets and are willing to commit to a specific departure, you should be able to buy them at www.captaintrain.com which is a very user friendly website.
The rail station in Lugano is located on the side of the hill above the town. When you arrive there, you can either take the Funicular down to the town (or walk), or use a Taxi to your hotel.
While in Monterosso, I'd highly recommend a fine meal at Cantina di Miky which is on the main street near the rail station (they're closed on Wednesday, as I recall).
Buon Viaggio!