trains: 1st class or 2nd

To me, it's not worth the price difference...most train journeys are relatively short. You can book on Trenitalia to take advantage of the Amica deal, but you can also pick them up at least a day ahead of your departure if there are any still left at that price. People have had problems booking on the Trenitalia website though. I would suggest you try registering first...when your registration is confirmed, you should be able to purchase without a problem. You can purchase up to two months in advance.

2nd class if just fine if you are going a short distance. We were on second class from Rome to Venice. No problem. If it were an overnight train you probably have to travel 1st class. I've been reading you can get a discount fare by purchasing 24 hours in advance. Stupid me, I forgot and didn't ask for discounts when traveling. I thought the over 65 yr. age had to be Italian but I've read also that the seniors can get a discount. Remember wherever you go to ask for a discount. I'll stamp that on my head next time I travel. I am a "coupon" shopper so I kick myself that I didn't save some money on our trip in October by asking for the discount on train tickets. I didn't book ahead of time just in case there was a strike. You will get the more expert advice soon. We did not have any problems getting train tickets a day or two ahead of when we needed them. Happy planning.

2nd class is fine, buy your tickets when you arrive and are ready to travel. It's easy to use the self serve kiosks in train stations, or stand in line at the counter.

Don't waste money on 1st class, it's not like the difference on an airplane between economy and business.

The seats might be a bit bigger in 1st, but who cares?

If a train is an express, you might want to purchase a reserved seat on popular routes.

I always go second class and think it is perfectly comfortable ... far more spacious than the coach seat that I sit in flying over.

There's not a lot of difference in comfort between first class and second class, perhaps a bit more room and quieter, but for the slight price difference it is a fun splurge for a longer trip (i.e. Rome to Venice). First class seems to be English-speaking tourists and Italian businessmen who sleep the whole trip, while second class seems to be more Italians traveling on for fun.

No need to purchase train tickets in advance, especially given the difficulties with accessing their website. Have not had problems getting tickets even right before I board, but if I am set ona particular time once I arrive in a city I purchase my departing tickets before I leave the station. The automated ticket vendors have easy to use English versions.

We bought all our tickets in Rome from a travel agency right near our hotel that sold train tickets. She only recommended we do 1st class for our longest trip, from Rome to CT.

For long distance trips in ITALY, I recommend be in the First Class train cars. Rick Steves said ITALY is the one country in Europe where he recommends riding in First Class train cars. The First Class train cars are likely to be more peaceful and pleasant. If there are crying babies, or annoying children, or thieves, they are more likely to be in the second class train cars. And, for long distance trips in ITALY, I recommend riding in a EURO STAR train. Many foreigners experience stress when traveling in ITALY, and the comfort and space in the EURO STAR trains - First Class - is appreciated. In the EURO STAR trains, Second Class could be adequate for persons who do not have long legs. In my experience in ITALY, the EURO STAR trains had a more comfortable, smoother ride. A reserved seat in a EURO STAR train can be acquired at a travel agency in Rome or other city. It appeared that ITALY has EURO STAR trains for all of the long distance train rides. Ask for Express trains.

If you are traveling alone you may want 1st class. I took one from Pisa to Rome. It is mostly used by Italian business travelers, so that was nice. Some strange man wondered in and saw me and started asking me if I could make hime a cup of coffee in Italian. I just said no, and proceeded to ignore him, but he kept asking me. The other people in the cabin spoke up and said, where in the world is she going to make you coffee. The train attendent then escorted the man back to coach. I didn't feel threatened, but when I'm alone, then I like to take first class. I agree with Rick's upgrade policy if you are traveling long distances too, but coach is fine.

One of the worst bathrooms (no soap, no TP, no toilet seat, no towels) was on a First Class EuroStar and one of the nicest was on a Second Class Eurostar train so you never know what you will encounter in Italy.

They both get you there at the same time but F.C. is a little nicer. I would consider second class to be more than adequate under either of the following circumstances:

1) You are traveling a lightly used route/time/train so the train is not crowded.

2) You get on at the initial departure point of the train.

I have traveled 2nd class all thru Italy and thought it was fine; I'd rather spend the extra money for the 1st class fare on a nice meal or visiting some attractions.

We had both 1st and 2nd class tickets on our recent visit to Italy and Switzerland. We were point-to-point for the whole trip. We started out 1st class but quickly switched to 2nd class when 1st class gave you 3 seats per row instead of 4 and not much else. It just wasn't worth it for the relatively short train rides.

I also don't see enough of a difference to pay for 1st class.

Thanks everyone, I guess I'll plan to go 2nd class. I'm sure we'll survive nicely!!! We can use the savings for gelato.

Kay

We did 2nd class on the Eurostar from Rome to Venice. It was decent although somewhat packed. We also bought our tickets through a kiosk and didn't know the numbering system. It put my wife and I kitty-corner across our seating area. We switched with some others in the area it did the same to. But then passengers changed again in Florence which required more moving to accommodate everyone. We used the amica fare. I would have liked to try this trip in 1st class, but don't feel it's necessary. Just be sure to have your group seated together.
We were in 1st class from Venice to Verona on the Regional (milk run) train. I'm glad we did this. It was spacious and there were less passengers there.

We followed the RS recommendation our last time in Italy and did all 1st class tickets when available. I don't think it was worth the extra money. We also had an experience where the worst restroom happened to be on a first class train. And we also found that 1st class is where you'll find the most tourists and businessmen as opposed to "regular" Italians.

We were stuck in first class on one train trip next to a couple of obnoxious women from New Jersey who talked really loud the whole time and did nothing but complain. One of their big beefs was that some of the transient types who clean windshields for change back in NYC actually make $100,000 a year. (Yeah, right.)

We'll be doing 2nd class on our next trip (especially given the exchange rate). Plus I've been studying Italian and look forward to being able to chat with Italians in 2nd class.