Train trip within Italy

It's 1:45 from Florence to Milan on the fast train. It's 2:35 from Venice SL to Milan. I would pick Florence, especially since you have so many nights there. Point to point tickets are almost always the way to go in Italy, rather than a pass. Consider taking the bus from Florence to Siena, rather than the train, since the Siena train station is quite a distance from the historic center. The bus drops you off right where you want to be. Do you have the RS Italy 2011 book? He lays out all the details of doing all this in there. Happy travels.

Where can I get the tickets beforehand in North America before we go? Also, can we make reservations for seats ahead of time?

I agree with Ken about the train times and point-to-point tickets purchased in Italy. Unless you've already been to Venice and Florence, I would not take valuable time from Venice and Florence to see Milan or Pisa on an overnight or even a day trip. You might consider taking a morning train to Milan to catch a quick look at the Duomo and the Last Supper and then continuing on to Florence, about a two hour trip. On the way from Florence to Rome, you could detour one hour by train to Pisa, see the Tower and Duomo and then catch a three hour train ride to Rome. The major museums of Florence are closed on Mondays so you might use that day for a day trip by bus to Siena. The bus ride is only slightly longer than the train and you will make up that time by being dropped in the town.

Josephine, THIS is for you... http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/buying-train-tickets-updated Definitely point-to-point tickets; no passes.

Hmm. I wonder if I'm Ken. :-) Eileen's link is for buying tickets once in Italy. See this site for buying tickets in advance: http://tinyurl.com/RonInRomeTrenitalia And do buy the RS Italy 2011 book. Srsly.

Sorry for the mix up, Michael! I should have said, "I agree with Michael."

The only advantage to purchasing early tickets is the discounts. Try using trenitalian.com -- you might get lucky and your credit card might work. Trains almost never sell out so you can easily buy tickets a day or two ahead of time or on day of travel.

Frank has a typo in his url. Go to the link I gave. It has all the info you need to order tickets online.

Josephine, I wouldn't bother with trips to Pisa (not worth the effort just to see the Tower) or Milan (unless you really want to see The Last Supper or the Duomo. However, you might enjoy a day trip to Siena, which is very easy via Bus from Florence. As the others have said, P-P tickets are your best bet, especially since you're simply travelling from Venice to Florence and then Florence to Rome. I'd suggest buying your tickets in Italy, either from a staffed ticket office or the automated ticket Kiosks. You could easily buy these at Venezia Santa Lucia the day prior to travel and possibly qualify for the discounted Mini Fare (check Ron's website, which someone else mentioned). You can also purchase tickets at the Oltrex Travel Agency in Venice (listed in the Guidebook). Happy travels!

"Hmm. I wonder if I'm Ken :-)" Michael, you may well be; often, Ken is 'Vernon'...;-) "Frank has a typo in his url." Frank, I hope you can get that tended to...sounds painful...(shudders) Michael, thanks for finishing my post for me ;-) (Ron in Rome); I had to immediately get off of the computer, and couldn't finish my thought. And Josephine, Ron's website is fantastic for all kinds of things; I strongly suggest looking at as much of it as you can! If you really want to go to Pisa (I did...!), then look at stopping there on your train ride from Florence to Rome; I did it in reverse very easily many years ago. '