Hi,
We are taking the fast train twice while we are in Italy. We will be going from Naples to Florence and then from Florence to Venice at the end of May. I was wondering how early should I book reservations? Are these tickets that generally sell out and I should buy them now or is waiting an option?
Thank you!
They probably will not sell out but, if you know your itinerary, you may want to book them as early as possible (120 days in advance??) because you can save up to 50%. The low priced tickets sell out quickly.
You can book the Frecce trains 120 days in advance. It is to your advantage to book as early as possible because the fares will increase (like airline tickets) BUT many of the cheaper fares are non-changeable/non-refundable so make sure your plans are set first!
If you are not travelling on a budget you can simply go to the station, pay the top walk-up fare for the first high speed train departing and get on.
Unfortunately flexibility is not free. On trenitalia.com/tcom-en the walk-up fare is called BASE. On italotreno.it/en it's FLEX.
Base and Flexi fares are displayed in advance together with the discounted ones. Discounted fares can't be purchased on the day of travel and come with restrictions (no changes, no refunds). Go on the above sites, enter you days of travel and you'll see how much money you could save.
Italotreno is a private competitor and it's often cheaper than Trenitalia. Follow them on twitter, or subscribe to the company newsletter, to receive promo codes.
Except for long week-ends and early/late august, high speed trains do not sell out. The slow local trains can't sell out.
An excellent place to look at options is www.trainline.eu. You will see both Trenitalia and Italo options and there is no additional charge.
Thank you all!
I appreciate the help!
