I'm buying tickets in advance for travel withing Italy as advance 15/7 days purchase you get 30%/15% discount. My question is if we buy online via trenitalia is the reservation charge included? If not, what should I do when I get to italy? Thanks,
Thanks for confirming this and your quick response. I tried booking online and payment was denied. Is it easy to get reservations when in Italy the - meaning, does it get crowded. I land in Venice on July 31 and August 1 leaving for Florence so was concerned about the availability of train seats. Also is 2nd class okay in August (for Venice-Florence-La Spezia-Rome)? Finally, I didn't find any train availability from Florence to La Spezia in late afternoon or evening. Is it because the train schedule's aren't loaded in trenitalia website? I need to get to La Spezia on August 4 afternoon or evening time so we have at least half day in florence.
amit,
Tickets are very easy to buy in Italy, either from staffed ticket offices or automated ticket machines. Purchase of P-P tickets will include the compulsory reservations, if required.
You might want to have a look at This website for an excellent description of buying rail tickets in Italy.
As the previous reply mentioned, you may have problems making purchases from the Trenitalia site using a U.S.-based credit card.
Good luck and happy travels!
amit,
I just saw your latest questions, and have a few comments.
When you arrive in Venice, you can easily buy tickets at travel agents there (listed in the Guidebook). Alternately, take a short trip to Venezia Santa Lucia rail station and buy them there.
It could be crowded at this time of year, as August is prime holiday month, especially for Italians. You shouldn't have any difficulty getting tickets for the trip from Venice to Florence, as there are numerous trains on that route every day. You may have to be flexible in your timing though.
I checked the Trenitalia website and there are numerous trains from Firenze to La Spezia Centrale (most with changes in Pisa). What time were you planning to leave Florence?
Travel from La Spezia to Rome is very easy using the direct train on that route (travel time as short as 3H:44M, reservations compulsory, second class fare listed as 45.50€). I'd suggest taking a few minutes when you arrive in Florence to buy your tickets for that trip. Be sure to specify La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini.
Hope this helps.
The Trenitalia site only shows fares for regional trains up to seven days in advance. There are one or more trains per hour all day long between Florence and La Spezia. Enter a date within the next few days on the Trenitalia site and you'll see all of them.
Yes, the reservation charge is included in the price. Unfortunately, you won't be able to purchase the tickets using an American Credit card. The trenitalia site does not take credit cards from North America or Australia. Just buy your tickets when you get there.
Donna
"The trenitalia site does not take credit cards from North America"
Actually, Canadians can be quite successful in using their credit cards on the Trenitalia website. It's the U.S. based credit cards that have difficulty.
note that at Rome-Termini lines for ticket agents can be quite long and machines a bit confusing. For a small additional fee you can buy tickets at travel agent including one in Termini station.
You will purchase the reservation (or it will be included) when you buy. Just a tip, if you use a reservation agent at the station keep a pen and paper handy when you go to the ticket booth. If you get a representative who doesn't speak much english, and you don't speak much italian, it can be trying.
We recently had an experience trying to get a ticket for a specific train. We had about 30 trying minutes because the representative kept pointing at the computer (like there was a system problem) so we waited and waited, then someone came over who spoke better english. As soon as I wrote down the time of the train we wanted, then the time of the train that was one run earlier with a "?" (implying ok if not this one then that one) and she got us a ticket right away.
We figured out that the agent was waiting for space on that specific train, telling us that there was a "blackout" at the time we were trying to reserve. He didn't ask, would you like another time?
Morale of the story- know your options, write them down and be prepared to be flexible.
I think it's only a small percent of Canadians that have been successful purchasing tickets on the trenitalia site. They are more successful than Americans but still get declined a lot. It's worth trying though, the worst that can happen is you get turned down.
You may want to print out a list of the trains you want to take so you can show the ticketing agent at the station. This way you will get the train you want.
Donna
For a very helpful article, with photos, on using train station ticket machines, go here.
I use the Travelocity site to book my train tickets ahead ~ I know you can do it when you get there but I don't want to waste my precious time in Italy!