2 friends and I are headed to Cinque Terre in a few weeks. We are landing in Pisa. To keep things easy, I was going to buy train tickets in advance, but it looks like that are for a specific time only.
I’m worried if I buy tickets for, say 1:30 and our flights are delayed we will need to purchase again.
My question, simply, is are the tickets good for an entire day or specific time only?
Thanks for any input.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Depends on the train. If it is a Regionalle train, the tickets are valid for a 4-hour window. For a long distance train, the tickets are valid for that train only, and have train ID and seat numbers on them.
The normal solution if you are arriving by plane, and therefore can't say when you will emerge from the airport, is to buy tickets when you arrive at the station. Italian train tickets are some of the cheapest in Western Europe, this will not break the bank.
You also have to factor in possible delays in passport control.
And the Cinque Terre is (as the name suggests) an area of 5 towns. Each has a station, so you need to decide which you want to stay in (and travel to).
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks. We are staying in Monterosso. I guess we will wait and get the tickets there, to be on the safe side.
Posted by
World
138 posts
Yup, depends on the train, but as far as I remember I missed Rome-Venice train once and was allowed to board the next with no problem. That was Itotreno train, though, maybe not the case for regional trains like yours. I would feel safer if I bought the ticket once I arrived there.