trains from Rome to Florence in March, non refundable/exchangeable vs. base, what about premium?

That is a heck of a price—-better than the Senior which is €50 for two tix.

I would definitely pay the extra €6 for Premium class. Note that this does not include free seat selection—you have to use the “select seats” button and then press “see price” just below that. It says an extra €2, which I assume is per seat.

I will let others weigh in on the time frame.

It makes sense as long as you won't regret wasting 3 hours of vacation time at Termini.

Since budget is a concern, Did you compare Italotreno's and Trenitalia's discounted fares? You could pay as low as 9 Euro pp one way as a subscriber to Italo's newsletter.

Another way to save some money is taking the FL1 train from FCO to Roma Tiburtina (8 € pp) and get there on the Freccia/Italo train to Florence. Tiburtina is smaller than Termini and less crowded, but it isn't a terminal station so you'd have to use the elevators to switch between trains.

Even if you don't pay the 2 € to pick a seat, the system will put you in the same car and as close as possible. When you buy two (or more) tickets in a single transaction you receive a single PNR code, if you weren't seated together the conductors' job would be a nightmare. And, anyway, there are no intermediate stops between Roma Tiburtina and Florence, once the train has left from Rome, you can seat wherever you want.

When I bought tickets on Trenitalia, I saw there is an option of adding refundable costing 1E for each ticket at the final checkout page. Hope it would help to ease some uncertainty. (not sure if it covers same day refund, so a bit more research is needed).

Are you willing to accept the loss if your flight is late? Perhaps check the flight dependability history on FlightAware.
Have a great trip!

Hello sanomh,

Having just come back from a trip where we were delayed and I missed my LHR connection and landed 5+ hours late into Milan I would advise you to pay for the more flexible ticket when you don't control the time you will arrive. Assuming everything goes smoothly you could even consider rebooking on an earlier train - if battling the Trenitalia ticket office seems worth it - or just wait. But being able to rebook simply by asking when you miss a train was a huge help to us at least once on the last trip.

My $.02,
=Tod

Thanks all for the great info and insight. I haven't checked Italo yet or considered tiburtina station yet, but will look at both. If we are lucky enough to get our CF numbers sooner rather than later, I would definitely book that ticket (~20E more for 2 but with one change allowed) because I would like that flexibility, but without that option, I would have to pay more than 3 x the special price to get the base ticket (or more than 2x the economy which if I had to change last minute, I'd end up paying base price). Hopefully I have a little time to see if the CF applications go through.

Interestingly when I put in for seat assignments for the premium, it did show the 2euro charge when I pointed to a seat, but when I actually selected and hit continue the total price didn't change - maybe it would have been added at the last step. But, that's a good point, probably not worth paying for a seat selection now, given that there are only 2 seats across so they are likely to put us together or very close, or we could switch.

one change allowed

Is it allowed without limits? Usually Trenitalia's more flexible tickets, called BASE, are wasted one hour after the scheduled departure of the booked train. With Italo's corresponding top ticket, called Flex, you have two hours.

Of course nobody buys BASE or Flex tickets in advance, there would be no benefit. People Get it at FCO after they have collected their stuff, there is free wifi. Read carefully the T & Cs of the fare you are paying.

Thank you Dario.
I just signed up for ItaloPiu loyalty program, and newsletter. I'll compare the ticket options and surcharges for changing. On Italo's site it looks like changes are available for percent fee. I'm having a little problem with the website but it looks like the economy ticket allows for the best flexibility/price ratio - change up to 3 minutes before train departure with 20% fee and price per person is 22euro. That would be a good deal.

Is there any difference in reliability/comfort/speed etc between trenitalia and Italotreno for the same route?

Also, is there any advantage to Tiburtina vs Termini, in terms of travel from FCO and/or station ammenities and surrounding area?

I usually buy Italo where they serve the same route; we have had good experiences with them, and have found it very easy to change a ticket date online when necessary.. I joined Italo Piú two years ago. Maybe because I am logged in when I look at prices, but I see that they will offer lounge access for an additional 10€ Per person if you choose Prima Class. That might be nice if you have extra time on your hands.

https://www.italotreno.it/en/the-train/lounge-italo-club

Thank you Lola, I did see that they offered lounge access and considered that. Have you ever booked the prima class? It's not much more expensive than the standard but I'd love to hear from someone who has tried it, is it worth it? Also, do you know if both travelers have to be members of italo piu or can I book 2 tickets from my account? The website is a little clunky, perhaps I should consider downloading the app and use that to purchase the ticket?

and surrounding area?

Well, outside Termini you can see the Servian Walls built BC. Outside Tiburtina you can see a bus depot built after WWII.

As I wrote above Tiburtina is smaller, so the shopping area is also smaller. The big pro of Tiburtina is that it's less crowded than Termini and that the FL1 train from FCO is slower-but-cheaper than the Leo Express

change up to 3 minutes before train departure

After a long flight I'd be focused on what happens with a specific fare when you arrive After the train departure. Arriving earlier at the station and paying the difference...that's ok more or less; arriving too late and having to buy new tickets at the full, walk-up fare... that's painful.

So these Special Frecce tix do not require a Carta Frecce? I do not see that limitation, but just want to make sure. I understand they are non-refundable and cannot be changed, but for our journey to Lecce in February that is fine, since we will not be coming off a flight, just starting in Italy.

So, after looking at both trenitalia and italo prices, refund/exchange policies and timing for our 15 March trip, I'm leaning toward buying the 9.90euro extra magic/smart tickets for the 2:55pm train on Italo. If we miss that we will pay full price on either trenitalia or Italo and based on what I can see of today's walk up prices I'm guessing that will be anywhere from 43-60 euro each. It appears that all other discounted tickets have enough time restrictions/refund-exchance fees that it would basically be not worth the difference. In other words I'm willing to lose the 9.90/person if we are so delayed that we just have to pay full price that day for a later train.
I'm guessing that the extra magic price will only be available for a very short time so I want to purchase as early as today. Does this all make sense? Also is there any reason to upgrade to the prima seating for 4euro/person (extra magic non refundable)? From what I've read elsewhere the smart seating should have room for our carry on luggage and the seats are plenty comfortable. The only things I can see besides extra room that comes with prima is available snacks (do you pay for them?, I assume they're not free) and the wording of the free wifi is slightly different (maybe you get entertainment in prima, but we won't need that.)
Any last insights before I purchase tickets would be greatly appreciated.

Makes sense to me.

I should know the answer to the “free snacks” question in Prima class on Italo, but I do not. I remember someone coming through to offer them (bags of chips, etc.) and I had the impression they were free, but we didn’t want anything, so I don’t know that for sure.

Even if they are free, that alone wouldn’t justify the extra cost of Prima.

Thank you all. I just looked through the Seat 61 website, there's a great comparison and some links to photos and videos for all classes of both trenitalia and italo. It does sound like the snacks and drinks are free, although as you say, that's not a big factor. After our day of travel, I'm probably more interested in closing my eyes than eating salty or sweet snacks! One other factor, which may only be a minor plus it it sounds like prima class has a shorter line/separate boarding area, maybe slightly less crowded? Again, not a make or break but I suppose for 4 euro per person it might be worth it. (as long as I can eat/drink 4 euro worth of free snacks too, lol). The truth is we're only gambling with as much as $15/person, not the same category of flights! So, if I think optimistically, that our flight lands on time, we get out of the airport quickly and catch our cheap, early train, it will be a wonderful way to start our trip! If we run late, the stress will be the same even if we didn't buy the cheap tickets.... maybe.

I can see of today's walk up prices

You don't need to see today's walk up prices, the walk-up fares for March 15 have already been published both on Trenitalia.com and Italotreno.it

50 € pp departing from Termini at 15:10 with Trenitalia; 43.90 € pp departing from Termimi at 15:40 with Italotreno. Italo's usually cheaper last minute.

The fare of airport trains is fixed and there are no discounts; 14 € from FCO to Roma Termini, 8 € to Tiburtina.

shorter line/separate boarding area

There are no separate lines/boarding areas on trains, you can freely walk between cars inside the train and use any door to get on. On the other hand, first class cars are less crowded and most passengers wait where their car is supposed to stop. There are monitors hanging over platforms every 20 meters or so with the number of the car that should stop there.

Unless your train is arriving from Naples and just stopping in Rome, you won't need to look at those monitors.

Are you connecting in Dublin from a flight from the states, or will you already be there? Based on my preferred method of travel, after a multi-leg trans-continental flight, I'd like to pamper myself on the final leg. So first class [Prima on Italo] would be a no-brainer for me. An advantage of first class on European trains is the single facing seats, which give you and your traveling companion a semi-private space, which can feel luxurious after flying cattle-car economy.

I say go for your MAGIC fare, as your downside risk is minimal if you have to eat the ticket. But considering the value of an Italo first class ticket from Rome to Florence in just over 90 minutes, I'd find it worthwhile to book the Flex fare at 50E if connecting from an overseas flight. (And from what I see from looking at tomorrow's fares, the Flex fares can increase for last-minute walkups - 67E for Prima tomorrow Jan 8 at 10:55.)

One thing to keep in mind is that with Italo Flex fares you can make changes up to three minutes before departure time - from the app on your phone. So if you were delayed in Dublin, you could re-book there, or upon landing in Rome - or in the air if you have WiFi access on the flight. With that degree of flexibility, you wouldn't have to worry about missing your scheduled time. And if you did miss your scheduled time, with "Extra Tempo" you'd have two hours to book a later departure at the station.

Markcw - I keep going back and forth (you would think I was gambling in a high stakes game) but my latest leaning is to just buy the Italo economy ticket, prima which is currently 27.90euro, but for a slightly later train (dep Termini 15:55 arrive SNM 17:30). That gives us almost an extra hour cushion. Also, it looks like the economy ticket has the same change policy as flex (3 min before or up to 2 hours after with additional fee if there's a seat available) except with a 20% surcharge. Am I reading that correctly? I assume the 20% is over the economy price i.e., 5.58euro. I'm also hoping that if I have paid for prima it might be easier to accept a seat in smart if none in prima are available??? If I look out over the two weeks to see how prices change the closer to the date of travel, I'm guessing I have a little while if I want to wait in case there are other sales/discounts. Of course, looking at 2 weeks out in January may not be a good indicator of what will happen 2 weeks before a March departure.

My main goal is to arrive in Florence before 7pm because our lodging has staffed reception until then, after that it's a "remote" access with an extra charge. Obviously I'd love to be there even earlier to get settled and start our adventures. So, if I book that 15:55 train but it doesn't look like we'll make it, I can always change the ticket via the app or website before the time (whether stuck in Dublin or hung up getting through the FCO airport, there should be time to reschedule).

Yes, I know I'm way overthinking this, but in some ways that's part of the fun of planning!

sanomh - your analytical skills are impressive.

The Prima Economy fare seems to be a safe bet. I agree that if you had to change your departure time, you'd pay an additional 20% [5.58E?] plus the difference in price of the ticket, which would be a minimum of 22E. So not much more than the current Flex fare of 49.90E.

And if the gods were smiling and you arrived in Rome on time, you could decide then whether it was worth the extra money to move up to an earlier departure, if seats were available. That would get you into Florence earlier, so more time to check in.

The amount of information available online is now a potential pitfall to those of us who have a tendency to overthink or over-plan. When I was looking at real-time tram departures from the Prague train station a few years ago, I realized that I had gone way too far, and made an effort to cut back a bit on the planning. Spontaneity should be part of the travel experience.

After thinking I had made a good decision to just book the economy ticket, I got the sale email from Italo and the extra magic discounted ticket is now down to 6.90. So, I am back to buying 2 sets of tickets, one for being optimistic about time to get through the airport and one for being pessimistic (6 hours after scheduled 11 am arrival to FCO).

So, my latest question is back to which station. The biggest advantages to Tiburtina are that it's smaller, less crowded and maybe more manageable to get from one track to another. Trains from FCO are longer, but run more often than the Leonardo express to Termini and a little less expensive. The cost of the Italo ticket starting at either station is the same. Does anyone know if I was holding a ticket that starts at Termini if I could get on at Tiburtina (2nd stop) instead? Would there be an issue with getting through security at Tiburtina with the ticket meant to board at Termini? It seems like it's assigned seats so it shouldn't matter but maybe it's not allowed?

• If there is security in train stations, is't just a guy checking that whoever enters the tracks area has ticket. Arriving by train you are not supposed to exit that area. Since the price is the same, in the unlikely event that a conductor decides to check tickets between Termini and Tiburtina I doubt he/she's going to fine you. However keep in mind you'd be breaking the rules and that Italotreno's grumpy conductors are few, but do exist.
• as I wrote above, transfers at Termini are easier than at Tiburtina; Termini is more manageable because it's a terminal station so you won't need to use an elevator to get from one track to another. You'll just have to walk for less than 200 meters.