We have a done fair amount of travelling in Europe and have always paid for train tickets as we went along. But we are getting older and feel the need for a little more security. Hence for a couple of legs of our trip in Italy, in a month, decided to purchase train tickets ahead of time. We specifically used the official Trenitalia website as we wanted to select our seats. The resellers, such as Raileurope, would select your seats for you (I believe this is correct, I might have missed something on their site). Also, Trenitalia seemed to be a little cheaper, but I don't know if this is always the case. Now to my main comment.
We used an email address ending in .net for correspondence. The only document we received was "summary purchase without registration" and "documento fiscale", which appears to be some sort of receipt. But no mention of dates that we wanted on the tickets nor train numbers. I had read somewhere that Trenitalia did not deal well with email addresses ending with .net. I went back to their site and entered in a different email address ending in .com. And then I got, as a PDF; ticket details for each person, each leg, and,either a 12 digit code on a regional train or a PNR on a argento train which I believe that along with a valid photo ID is sufficient to board a train (does it have to be validated??)
This is perhaps a long winded way of asking if we have the right correspondence, and can we board the train without having to either get them validated, our exchanged for a "real" ticket?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32738 posts
You don't need anything to actually board the train unless they try to check the tickets in a restricted area like they are -trying- to do for a few platforms at Roma Termini, but when the Capotreno comes around you have exactly what they need to see now that you have changed your email.
PNR on the faster train, when you print it out don't reduce it and don't fold the paper over the QR or barcode.
Regional information like you have said for the Regionale.
No, neither needs to be validated. Regionale tickets purchased that way are only valid for up to 4 hours on the day you specified. So they don't need validating.
Don't need photo ID either but I always have mine with me.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23266 posts
The ONLY tickets you validate are Regionale train tickets purchase via a ticket machine or at a ticket window. And the only reason to purchase is to take advantage of the discounts that may be available. From what you described you should be good to go.
Posted by
CA, USA
1100 posts
capitainetrain.com sells tickets at no markup and lets you choose seats. For many routes they have print-at-home tickets.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you for your quick responses. We feel much relieved that we have done the right thing, and now have the proper documents - miss the days when we just kind of 'showed up' at a station, bought our tickets from a machine (sometimes with help from a local citizen) and were off
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23266 posts
And you can still show up at the station, buy your ticket from the machine (easier if you have a chip and pin card), and sometimes a local may offer to help. Nothing has change in that regard. Then get on and go. We still do it all the time.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
frweibel, thanks for the info about .net addresses; I don't recall having ever seen that.
(Not including regionale tickets) yes, one may still buy tickets at the station immidiately before one's train departs, but for the savings I receive by purchasing them in advance I may save enough to pay for my hotel that evening. My husband's ticket savings pays for the next evening's hotel ;-)
I would have to look up the current Trenitalia requirements to be sure, but other countries require you to also show the credit card used to purchase those tickets online...even if it's expired.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I have never been asked to show a credit card on Italian trains. In France, I had to show it if picking up tickets. In Germany, I have been asked for it on the first leg of every train journey.