I've been advised to purchase my train tickets online prior to my trip to Italy. I'll be spending two weeks in Italy, traveling from Rome, to Florence, with the last stop in Venice. I tried using one of the web sites but found it very confusing. Any advice would be appreciated!
Posted by
California 🦋
5222 posts
Steve,
This is a great website to help you navigate train travel in Italy (or Europe): http://www.seat61.com/
The official Italian Railway website is: http://www.trenitalia.com/
When you use above website, you must enter the name(s) of the train stations in Italian:
- Rome = Roma Termini
- Florence = Firenze S. M. Novella
- Venice = Venezia S. Lucia
You can buy discounted train tickets in advance up to 120 days in advance, but these type of tickets( Super-Economy, Economy) are non-refundable & unchangeable so your travel dates must be firm.
EDIT: Which website did you find confusing?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
steve,
Who advised you to purchase your train tickets online prior to your trip? That's generally a good idea to save money, but there are a few "caveats" to be aware of.
It's best to purchase only tickets for the fast trains online (ie: Freccia, InterCity) as those are the ones that will save money. If any of your routes will involve Regionale trains, those are awkward to purchase online and come with restrictions. There are no price benefits for Regionale tickets in advance, so it's best to just buy those when in Italy, either at a staffed ticket office or from a Kiosk. That may have been part of the problem you were having with the website, as Regionale tickets are only listed seven days prior to the trip.
If I'm only making a few trips, I'll generally just buy my tickets a day prior to travel. While the cost is a bit higher since I'll be paying Base Fare, it provides some flexibility in terms of departure times. Keep in mind that the fast trains have compulsory reservations, which are specific to one particular train, date and departure time, so you MUST travel ONLY on the train listed on the ticket. If you board any other train for whatever reason, you'll be deemed to be travelling without valid reservations and will face hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot!
Posted by
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1234 posts
Steve,
I have been to Italy several times and never pre-purchased tickets on line. I buy my tickets in the city I am currently in for the next city. I decide then. That way I have more flexibility as to when I want to depart, if I want to leave early I can, or if I want to stay for lunch, I can. I have never, ever had a problem. Tickets are not that expensive, for the most part, and the extra couple of euro's is worth it for the flexibility.
Posted by
Green Bay
20159 posts
I'm the opposite. Why pay 75 euro for something that, with a little foresight and planning, I could of bought 2 months ago for 19 euro. I already know I need to get from A to B on a certain day, so why not get a deal.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
I, too, buy my train tickets ahead of time to save money. I don't need to be that flexible when on vacation and treat train tickets like airline tickets. I know when I'm scheduled to travel and make sure that I'm at the station on time. To me there is no reason to pay full price for something when I can get it for much less with just a little planning. After all, it's not as though you won't have made hotel reservations for the next stop.
Donna