I have a question for the expert travelers here....
We are traveling to Rome in November (10 year anniversary!). After several days there, we plan on taking the train from Rome to Naples, then on to Sorrento. Can we wait to buy train tickets when in Rome? Is there an advantage to buying them before we leave the US?
Thank you for your help!!
Yes, you can buy your tickets there. Every time we arrived in a new city, we bought tickets for the next leg of our journey (since we were already at the train station). This saved us waiting in line, wondering if we could figure out the self-service machines, wondering if we would make a train if there was a long line, etc.
We got ours at the American Express Office by the Spanish Steps last May- no service charges and we don't have an American Express Card. We went 2nd class and got Amici Fares. I did bring along the Italian train schedule with my choices and did take my 2nd choice for one trip to qualify for a Amici fare but that was prime season.
Hi Sharon,
We, too, purchased our tickets when we arrived at Rome's Termini train station for travel a few days later to Sorrento and had no problems.
We had a little confusion because we couldn't purchase a ticket all the way to Sorrento, only to Naples. The ticket agent explained that in Naples we had to switch trains to the Circumvesuviana (a local train). The train platform for the Circumvesuviana is downstairs from the main station (where you'll likely arrive), and there are ticket windows where you can purchase your ticket.
This took place in March 2007, so others who have been there more recently will know better than I if things have changed, but I just wanted to mention it to you in case you didn't already know.
Happy anniversary!
Just back from a month in Italy. Buying tickets in the train station is a breeze...we were nervous about the self-service machines but they are available in English and walk you step by step through the purchasing process (used them almost exclusively as lines for the ticket windows can be quite long). You can see the entire time schedule of all the trains, and the varied fares, and make your choice. We paid by credit card for each ticket purchase..very easy. Some trains will require a reservation and be for a specific time, while a ticket on a regional train will be good for any number of departures. You do need two tickets...one from Rome to Naples, and the second for the Circumvesuviana. It's fun and easy to travel by train in Italy...we were all over the place and had a ball.
