Train travel costs

So, should have researched further, found that the prices listed aren't REALLY the prices, just the base price, however anyone know how to get mini prices for kids? For example looking at Venice to Florence is 43 euro, mini price (for the 21st of March) is 9 euro! So two adults is 18 euro, but two adults and a kid puts it into the "familia" price and that's 90 euros? So effectively we're paying 72 euros for a kid!

Mini Fares are great, but if you go that route age is irrelevent. Just count the kids as adults.

The catch with mini fares is that they're non-refundable if you miss the train for whatever reason. Still, they can save you a good chunk of money, as you're finding. But even without them, train travel is a good bargain compared to the alternatives. Happy travels.

I am guessing you don't have a good handle on the costs for alternate transportation modes in Italy. The alternative to the train is either car or plane. For two people the car will be more expensive and that doesn't count the surprise parking violations that show up about year after the trip. Discount airlines might be cheaper but the enormous inconvenience associated with them is not worth it for us. From our travel experience trains in Italy, even at full price, are very reasonable if not cheap by our standards. But I don't know what you were expecting price wise when you state that the trains are quite expensive. Maybe your expectations are off a bit.

for the distances covered and the convenience the train prices are actually a pretty good deal considering the options and of course the mini fares make it even a greater deal

James, The cheapest Mini fare for 21 March is €19.00, not €9.00. There is an allotted number of discount fare tickets for each departure date and time. The prices are tiered so when the cheapest tickets are gone the price goes up one level. For some of the departure times on 21 March the Mini fare is higher and on some they're already gone altogether

Thanks all, I was using the 21st of March as an example, fortunately we don't travel until August so currently can't buy tickets yet on the trains. Good to find that Trains really do seem better travel costs, and also how to get kids prices (or rather, not and just count them as adults) we'll be 5 adults going to Florence (or 4 + 1 kid) and then 3 adults (2 + 1 kid) to rome, so will look for those Mini Fares, seem like the best plan.

Rent a car and you'll be paying $8.35 per gallon for gasoline. 'Nuff said.' Car rentals are best used for day trips. And, parking is a big hassle in any large city. From city to city in Italy, the train is the only way to go. You don't necessarily have to purchase tickets before you hit town. You can run by the train stations (center city) a day or two before you leave to buy tickets. Seldom do trains really fill to 100% levels. With European budget airlines, flying is often the way to go when traveling from major city to major city.

See this thread from Tripadvisor on the extension of the "Mini" fare scheme and advice on the circumstances where a 50% refund for the ticket is possible. http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g187791-i22-k5166154-MINI_fares_now_as_low_as_9_Euros-Rome_Lazio.html

I just came across an article saying that €9.00 Mini fares, which formerly were only sold on a few routes, will now be sold for nearly all Trenitalia high-speed train routes. To have any chance of getting them, book ASAP (up to 90 days in advance).

Thanks for that, Linda and Tim. I'm just about to load up on a load of Freccia for April. Money back in my pocket if I can snag less expensive minis.

Wow! We are considering taking the train from Lecce to Milan in October, which is regularly priced at 94 euros per person. So this would be a great bargain.