Using a global pass to get from MXP to Florence Santa Maria Novella

Your Global Pass is not valid on the Malpensa Express train from MXP to Milano Centrale station, so you will have to buy a ticket, 12 EUR I think. You will need to buy a reservation for the Freccia train from Centrale to Florence, 10 EUR I think. Since you have seat reservation, if you "hop off" you can't "hop on" again without buying another seat reservation.

Thanks for the reply. Do I need to make the reservation ahead of time to go on the Freccia train from Centrale to Florence?

My plane is supposed to get into MXP at about 7:00, But I am not sure how long it will take to get luggage and get to Centrale? Can I just buy the reservation when I get to Centrale?

But I am not sure how long it will take to get luggage and get to Centrale?

Where are you flying from?
It is not getting your luggage which takes time, it is immigration (passport control). This typically takes 30-90 minutes, unless you are arriving from within the Schengen Area in which case there is no immigration.
The trains from Malpensa to Milano Centrale run every 30 minutes, at xx:13 and xx:43, and take 52 minutes.
There is also another variable, depending on how far you are flying, plane arrival times are unpredictable.

Due to all these variables, it is best not to pre-buy rail tickets or reservations for travelling after arriving by plane, unless you leave a big safety margin.
You can look up Italian train times on the Trenitalia website: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
Trains from Milano Centrale to Firenze S. M. Novella run twice per hour. Tickets (including reservations) cost €56 if bought on the day (at the station) and as cheap as €19.90 if bought 2-3 months in advance.
How much is your Global Pass costing you per day, on top of the €10 reservation fee?

I already bought our rail pass. After looking at the approximate prices on Rick Steves site it seems cheaper to buy the rail pass The pass cost me $1500 for the four of us. We will be in Italy for 11 days and I can take as many trains as I want for 7 days. so I figured with us getting to and from airports and other trips we want to take it is a better value? I am just not sure about the reservations, and how far ahead of time I need to book them.

There are two types of trains in Italy:

1) "Regionalle". These do not require reservations. They are mostly short-distance trains, the train from Malpensa to Milano Centrale is a Regionalle. That train is also NOT operated by Italian Railways (Trenitalia) which is why your pass is not valid.

2) High Speed Trains, including the "Freccia" from Milano to Firenze. With a pass you need reservations for these. The reservation will list the seat numbers and will only be valid on the one train, no "hop on hop off".
If you buy a normal ticket for these trains it includes the reservation. Normal tickets are a lot cheaper if bought 2-3 months in advance (see above example). The prices on the Rick Steves map assume you are buying on the day, which is the most expensive way.

You can buy reservations at the station before departure.

For lots of info about trains in Italy, see here: https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm
Especially this section: https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm#Railpasses_for_Italy where it explains ""How to make train reservations with a railpass at the station when it Italy".

Mr Steve's makes people wasting money with passes by listing only the top, last minute prices. They also forget to warn customers that:

• there is a private competitor, Italotreno that does not accept passes and whose discounted tickets are even cheaper than Trenitalia's
• Regionale trains are cheap, as a pass holder you must travel for hours on a Regionale train to break-even a day on a pass and to save money. Unfortunately nobody makes long travels on those slow trains meant for commuters, you would take a Freccia high speed train on that day: 10 € per passenger, for each train with reserved seats.
• Passes can't be used on the airport trains serving Malpensa, Fiumicino and Pisa. They can't be used on the local train going from Naples to Pompeii and Sorrento, either.

In short, there is a reason if no Italian has ever dreamt of getting one of those passes.

Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate. I have a better understanding now. I might have been better off not getting the pass but from my calculations, I don't think I made a huge mistake. One of the reasons I thought the pass was a good Idea was the convenience of hopping on and off the trains with ease. I guess I'll find out if it is as easy as it sounds or if I made a good decision or not. We are staying in Florence for 5 days and Milan for 5 days. Our plan is to use these as our home base and take multiple day trips to visit various cities. We also plan on visiting Switzerland for a day or two.

Well, you got Global Passes, so you must be coming somewhere else besides Italy. Can we ask where?

Be aware that Rail Europe does not list all trains.
Always use the official site for all options.

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAi4a2BRCu_eXo3O_k3hUSJABmN9N1etKLVhZPqvndvuOMXMk1DRzCMrRbS0dQpXautIOWmRoCHFzw_wcB

I am coming from Ohio, in the USA

Dario is incorrect - we do not "forget" to alert customers to these options. They are all laid out at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes, with additional information throughout our rail pages.

Since you're also traveling in Switzerland, see notes about coverage there at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes.

You must be very careful to determine which of the trains you take require seat reservations. On the fast trains requiring seat reservations, traveling with a rail pass but without a seat reservation for that specific train is the same as riding without a ticket and will result in a sizable fine.

Another issue is the slow pace of a lot of ticket lines in Italian rail stations. I hope there's a way to buy the seat reservations you need without standing in line at a staffed counter. The ticket-vending machines are easy to use; I just don't know whether they sell seat reservations as well as tickets.

If you're planning to go high up in the Alps in Switzerland, you'll need to verify the validity of your pass, because some of the very expensive high-altitude transportation isn't covered at all or is just discounted.

Just got your own comparison a point to point adult ticket on the fast train Milano Centrale to Florence SMN IS 25 euro if purchased in advance. That price already includes a seat reservation. And If you are traveling with kids less than 15 years old they would travel free with you on the special Bimbi Gratis ticket.

Italian train travel is really dirt cheap.

I hope that's not true. We are also going from Florence to Rome, Pisa, and a few other cities. We are then going from Florence to Milan. While in Milan we are going to visit other cities and possibly an over night trip to Switzerland. I thought when I looked at all these things we want to do the global pass would be a decent value.

rlytle2000

You bought a global pass which is good in other countries besides Italy. Where else are you using the pass?

The problem is that the rail-fare map shows walk-up prices that would be paid on the day of travel. Most tourists make plans well in advance, at least for the long travel legs. If you have a hotel reservation in City A on June 15, you pretty much know that you're going to need to take a train to City A on June 15; it's only the specific time that's in question. If you could reduce your train fare by 1/2 or 2/3, would you not be willing to commit to a specific train on June 15? Most people would. And of course, that bargain train ticket would include a seat reservation, which the rail pass will not cover.

So, yes, there's a very good chance you have seriously overpaid for your train transportation. If you bought a discounted rail pass, you are stuck with it. If you bought a full-price rail pass, you might consider returning it for a refund. I think the refund is for something like 80% or 85% of the original price, but I haven't checked recently.

Before even thinking about that, however, you need to go to trenitalia.com and price out the tickets you would need for your precise travel dates. If you're traveling really soon, it's possible the bargain-priced tickets are already sold out, in which case the rail pass may not be such a horrible deal. Probably still a bad deal, because Italian trains are relatively cheap and you bought a Global Rail Pass that could be used in higher-cost countries like France, Germany and Switzerland.

global pass would be a decent value.

It isn't in my opinion. Since you can't do anything about it, enjoy your holiday with your family.

you need to go to trenitalia.com and price out the tickets you would need for your precise travel dates

and then you need to compare Trenitalia's and italotreno's prices for all high speed trains you are taking (those going from Milan to Naples via Bologna, Florence and Rome).

Non high speed trains are really cheap, for instance One-way tickets From Florence to Pisa cost 8.70 € per passenger older than 12.

The FULL (aka Base) Fares bought on the spot are:
MILAN-FLORENCE: 65€ (about $73) p.p. One way
FLORENCE-ROME: 50€ (about $56) p.p. One way
FLORENCE-PISA: 8.70€ (about $10) p.p. One way

Prices above are for adults. Kids pay less.
Prices are the same in either direction of travel.

You do the math.

MILAN-FLORENCE: 65€ (about $73) p.p. One way

it's 56 €, you may have mixed up the digits. 49.90 € with Italotreno.

13 € from MXP to Milan's Central station