We are going to arrive a few days early for our Heart of Italy in mid September. We hope to take a train from the airport to Rome and from there get a train to Pompei and then another train to Sorrento. Will be ok getting our tickets when we arrive? It looks like all those trains leave fairly regularly.
Thank you for any advice.
Posted by
Wengen
2535 posts
Buying tickets are you go is possible. For regional and local trains (like the one to Sorrento) it doesn't even make any difference wether you buy in advance or not. For long distance trains buying in advance does however often give you a discount.
So just have a look at www.trenitalia.com and www.italotreno.com and compare prices for today with those two weeks from now to give you an idea of how much you often can save.
Posted by
North Carolina
2499 posts
Although you might be able to get a discount on tickets for the fast trains by buying in advance, it’s not a good idea to do so for your arrival day, in case of flight delays. If you miss your discounted train, there’s no refund.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
Why getting "an idea" when the fares up to December 11 have already been uploaded on official sites?
Keep it simple and enter your actual day of travel in September. Getting tickets on the day you will pay the top Base fare on trenitalia.com/en.html and the Flex fare on italotreno.it/en
Not more.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23642 posts
The only ticket that might be discounted is between Rome and Naples and it is not smart to buy discount tickets for your arrival day. Too many things can go wrong and discount tickets are no refund, no change. Ticketing and prices changes on Italian rail is not the same as our airlines. In Italy -- three levels of tickets -- Super Economy, Econ, and Base. For each train a set pool of SE and E ticket are set aside and sold. Trains at odd times may have more discount ticket than peak trains. When those tickets are all sold, that is it. No more discount tickets. So those tickets tend to sell out early but very irregularity as to their availability. The base fare is always available and never changes in price.
Buy your tickets as you need them. At the airport you can buy both the Leonard D express train to Rome -- these tickets have to be validated (time stamp) prior to boarding. If not an expensive on the spot fine. And your tickets to Naples. At Naples you need to puy your tickets to Pompeii and then on to Sorrento. It is a private commuter line.
Personally I would headed directly to Sorrento and do Pompeii as day trip later. Working Pompeii in on your arrival would present some serious challenges.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16618 posts
Personally I would headed directly to Sorrento and do Pompeii as day
trip later. Working Pompeii in on your arrival would present some
serious challenges.
Janet, I'm thinking the same as Frank. I can't imagine trying to do Pompeii in a potentially seriously jet-lagged state, and after a series of transport changes...not to mention that it could still be uncomfortably warm at the excavation in mid Sept. We were there in early Oct. the last time and it was PLENTY warm. Nope, this is an attraction I think you're going to want to be well rested and wide awake for.