train travel in and then out of Itialy

You can buy these tickets in Europe and there's no deadline to do so. However, if you're ready to lock in dates and times for a couple of the longer legs, and get 4 seats together, then both the DB and Trenitalia web site offer advance-purchase discounts starting 2 - 3 months in advance of travel. I would use the German site to book the Venice-Salzburg trip if you're happy with the departure times that are for sale there; they don't sell connecting trains within Italy. The Austrian web site also sells some tickets.

In one of your train journeys in Italy (Cortona/Venice), you most likely will be on a high-speed train from Florence to Venice. It's possible you could also be on one from Rome to Foligno as you take the train to Cortona although most trains are Regionales. No discount on Regionale trains but, if you know your precise travel dates, you could get some nice discounts on the tickets.

With family in Cortona, I'm sure you are already aware that there is no train station in Cortona. You either take a bus from either of two nearby stations or you can have your family pick you up. Train journey takes 2+ hours to Camucia-Cortona. Fare is 11.15Euro. For the train ride from Camucia-Cortona, its a 4.0+hr train ride with a train change in Florence. Your train from Florence to Venice will be a Frecci fast train. Regular fare is 45Euro on this train but you can get nicely discounted fares on this run for as low as 19Euro if you book in advance. The tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged. If you are interested in the 26Euro savings, you will need to know your precise travel dates and times. If not, you can simply wait until you get to Italy and purchase your tickets there.

Thank you both, I had no idea that id have to go to florence to get to venice , I'll have to do some homework and figure out that one for sure . I know my days of travel so now i just have to figure out time of day. Since i have never purchased ticket thru any of these sites but have looked at schedules ( which I have read can change in June, which makes me wonder what happens if i book now and they change in June ?) how do i exactly do the reserve a seat which is recommended , is it a button I click ? Sue

Sue, for the journeys you are showing, the most you can save by advance tickets in Italy is 26Euro. Still, that's 104Euro. Normally, you can normally see and book schedules on the fast trains that require seat reservations 120 days out from the time of travel. I use 119 days as often times the 120th day won't show. You can see the Regionale train runs but you won't be able to purchase more than 7 days out unless it's coupled with a fast train run. Right now, however, I can't see past June 12 until Trenitalia refreshes it schedules on June 14. Trenitalia is notorious for being tardy with their semi-annual schedule updates.

I was re-checking the fares from Cortona to Venice and it's 55Euro for the ordinary fare. 10Euro for the Regionale to get from Camucia-Cortona to Florence and 45Euro to get from Florence to Venice. You can get the 19Euro fare in advance for the Florence/Venice fast train but you will still pay 10Euro for the Regionale train. It's still a 26Euro savings. If you really want to buy these discounted tickets, you'll need to go to www.trenitalia.com and begin searching for the runs on the date you want to travel. Right now, they won't appear. Just hang in there and one day soon, they will. Then, you can buy your tickets in advance. You do not have to register on the site. The discounted tickets are non-refundable. Here's a picture of what I see now. http://gyazo.com/e0d9fb8a5daea67242affa1cc611ce84

Some of the above information while accurate may be a little confusing. First, use the national rail site to book trains within that country. While you can look on dbahn for all schedules, you can only purchase tickets on bahn for trains beginning or ending in Germany. All train travel in Italy should be purchased at trenitalita. Three levels of tickets in Italy - Super economy, economy, and base fate. The availability of super economy and economy vary by train, date, time. S economy are absolutely no change, no refund. Economy is changeable for a fee. The number of SE and E tickets are controlled and sell out early. Never buy a regional ticket on line unless it happens to be part of an extended trip. Regionale train tickets never sell out. And, very important, these tickets must be validated (time stamped) in a yellow or blue machine near the terminal or tracks.

Watch the train schedule. Although lots of trains go between Rome and Venice, they do not all follow the same route.

You cannot buy at ticket until the schedule is available. Schedule actually change very little from one quarter to another. Often it is a matter of only a few minutes.

OBB are the operators of the rail service between Verona and Salzburg/Vienna. Their site will often have super savings so book via that site not DB. You can get from Verona by regional trains or express if you prefer. regards

Hello,

Thank you to all who have replied.

So with these answers I start to have new questions , are there any other options to go from Cortona to Venice other then going thru Florence ? If not then will it be safe for me to buy a ticket on a express train from florence to venice with the idea of just getting a regional train ticket when i get to cortona as long as I allow enough time ? As far as going from Rome to Cortona it appears there are many trains to choose from ( by putting in fake dates) I'm I correct in my conclusion? Thanks again. Sue