We will be traveling from Milan airport to Varrena, then Varrena to Venice and Venice to Rome. Should we purchase tickets here in the States or wait until we get to Italy. If purchased here what is the best web site . I have been looking at Italiarail. Any other suggestions?
Thank you
Posted by
Green Bay
20361 posts
Italiarail will add on a commission to your Trenitalia tickets. I would not buy tickets for the first day of arrival, since you cannot predict when your flight will really arrive, and how long it will take to get through immigration or get your luggage. These are regional tickets and there is no discount to buy early. You can buy them at the Trenord ticket window at the Malpensa train station, or out of the ticket vending machine if you have a PIN and chip credit card. Be sure to validate these tickets before boarding the train.
Varenna to Venice and Venice to Rome should be bought ahead to get the advance nonrefundable prices, and your schedule will be fixed. You can buy tickets at https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
For Venice to Rome, also look at Italotreno. They operate high speed trains on the Venice-Rome corridor and are often a bit cheaper, and some say the trains are nicer. https://www.italotreno.it/en
Posted by
Wilmington, DE, USA
1049 posts
OK, you want this website: trenitalia.com to search schedules. If your journey includes the Freccia line, it will come up. There is no reason to pre-purchase tickets on a regional train other than to have the ticket in hand. They aren't going to sell out. You aren't going to save any money either. Freccia tickets are different - you can save a bundle by buying early. But, changes and missed connections are not forgivable at the lowest rates.