Our family itinerary is Rome to Florence to Venice to Lucerne(side trip to Interlaken) to Zurich. How do I know how to plan the trains? We prefer fast trains. The info is all there but I really don't get it. Can anyone help? Thanks!
Posted by
Charleston, SC, USA
922 posts
There are multiple options for your travel. Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice can be pre-booked via Trenitalia or Treno Italo on-line. You must have a ticket with an assigned seat for these fast (freccia) trains. Both train companies offer fast trains between these destinations but from different train stations. Go to the respective web sites and look for the trains that meet your schedule best. You can often get super economy fares on Trenitalia if you book about 90 days in advance. If you purchase tickets from home ahead of time, you are locked in to a particular date/time. If you know your travel dates, buy as far in advance as possible for the biggest savings. I managed 9 euros per ticket between those cities last November. You do not need to validate tickets for these trains.
As for Switzerland, go the themaninseat61.com. If you have detailed questions, let me know.
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
Check Bahn, the german rail site. They'll show you all the routes and times for the trains to all your places.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Booked on trenitalia.com, currently the cheapest Super Economy fare for Roma Termini-Firenze S.M. Novella and for Firenze S.M. Novella-Venezia Santa Lucia is €19.00. You can book up to 120 days in advance.
Booked up to 120 days in advance on trenitalia.com, you can get a Super Economy fare of €9.00 for Venezia Santa Lucia-Milano Centrale and a Smart fare of €22.00 for Milano Centrale to Arth-Goldau. When you get to Arth-Goldau buy a regional train ticket to Luzern and jump on any train. The fare is 12.60 CHF.
The cheapest discount fare tickets sell out quickly so book those ASAP.
As Robert said, the best site for detailed timetables is the German Rail site.