Train tickets venice to vernazza...HOW?

How is it confusing? It is pretty straight forward so what kind of problems are you seeing? If you just need to see schedules, bahn.de is an easy site to use but cannot buy tickets there. It is a long trip taking about 6 hrs with two or three changes. Where you change is unimportant. Find a schedule, departure/arrival, that fits your needs. Buy the complete ticket. Then just go from train to train. It will work.

PS The June 23 (summer) schedules have not been posted. Pick any monday in the next month to see the schedule.

I have been to Italy several times. I have never bought tickets in advance, except for international tickets. I will be there again in a couple of weeks. I hope things have not changed since I was there 5 years ago. Does anyone else buy in advance?

The schedule is up for these dates on trenitalia. The super economy are sold out already. I can see Venezia to Milano centrale, arriving at 13:25. Will the regionals train leave from that station and take us to Genoa and on to vernazza? Where do I find those schedules? A different site? I know I wouldn't have to prebook those but it would be comforting to know what the approximate schedules would be.

janelle,

It's not really that confusing. Using the Trenitalia website, choose the departure you want (travel time, number of changes) and if you wish, purchase the tickets for the fast trains in advance. Purchase the Regionale tickets either from the ticket office at Venezia S. Lucia or from a Kiosk. If the Trenitalia website is problematic, use ItaliaRail.com.

I find that the trip through Florence is often a bit easier. For example, there's a departure from Venezia S. Lucia at 09:25, arriving Vernazza at 15:30 (time 6H:05M, two changes at Firenze SMN and La Spezia Centrale - only the first segment from Venice to Florence will save money by pre-purchase, as the other two segments are Regionale. DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding the Regionale trains on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

Buon Viaggio!

If the italian Ministry of Transportation decades ago had predicted that this Rick Steves guy would discover Vernazza and convince millions of Americans that when in Italy you must absolutely visit both Venice and Vernazza, and religiously in sequence, they would have planned the Alta Velocita' (High Speed rail) to go through the Apennines straight from Padua to La Spezia through the Cisa Pass. Instead, they decided to build it from Bologna to Florence, unwisely thinking that some American Travel Guru would discover Compiobbi, along the river Arno. Sometimes you can never tell which direction the future can take.

Thank you ken. I managed to navigate trenitalia and made a successful purchase. If others are looking, better to use your laptop...not your ipad! Looking forward to more train adventures! Thanks again

janelle,

Glad to hear everything is sorted.