Train travel

The cost of the ticket is one of three price levels: super-economy, economy, and base fare. You will probably pay base fare at the station.

As you go through the purchasing/selection process, the type of fare will be noted with its restrictions, if any.

If you are asking whether you will get a discount at the station for a ticket you purchased online, you will not.

Just click on it and it will show all of the price levels.

No. The price is the same on-line or at the station. However, discounted tickets, Super Economy and Economy, are limited in availability so would most likely not be available at the station if you tried to purchase the day of travel or a couple of days early. However, if at the station two or three months before, then those ticket probably would be available and the price. There is no extra discount for purchasing on-line. And do not buy any Regionale ticket on-line.

No, but I don't think you are asking the question you think you are asking.

The price online today is the same as the price at the station today. But, you are not in Italy and cannot go to the station today.

On the day before you travel (whenever that is), the price online will be the same as the price at the station. But it will be a higher price than the price today. If you want the cheaper price you must book early, and since you are not in Italy your only option is to book online.

Note, I am talking about long distance trains. Local trains (regionale) are fixed price, no advance booking and you might as well get yout ticket at the station on the day.

willie,

The Trenitalia website defaults to the lowest ticket price available at the time, and you can click on the price arrow on the right side to see which prices it's quoting and which ones are sold out.

If you're buying tickets up to 120 days in advance, there may be Super Economy tickets available which are heavily discounted. There's a quota for these and once they're sold out, the website displays the next highest price tier. As you might appreciate, these tend to sell out quickly as soon as the tickets are offered for sale. Note that once purchased these are non-changeable and non refundable, so choose carefully when buying.

Once the Super Economy tickets are sold out, Economy tickets will be available which are also discounted, albeit not as much. These tickets have limited change features, and usually a fee associated with changes.

When all the cheap tickets are sold out, the only thing left will be Base fare, which is the same price you'd pay if buying a ticket on the day of travel. Those are at the highest price level but have the greatest number of features in terms of changes or whatever.

If you'll be using Regionale trains, it's awkward to buy tickets in advance for these, so the best practice is simply to buy them at the station from a Kiosk when in Italy. These typically do not have any price breaks and are usually the same price all the time.

With Regionale tickets, you MUST validate these prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot. With tickets for the fast trains such as Freccia or InterCity, these have compulsory seat reservations, are specific to train, date and departure time and can ONLY be used on the one train listed on the ticket. If you board any other train, again hefty fines collected on the spot.

So, allow me to summarize other poster's responses for my own clarity: There is no advantage to buying ONLINE, but there is an advantage to buying EARLIER. Except for Regionale. Right?

You have an advantage in buying earlier if you can commit to fixed dates and times. Very much like airling ticketing.

Jtraveler, your summary is correct.