i will be traveling from N.Y. to Venice for 3 days and then heading to Cinque Terre on the 4th day.
I would like to get information on the train to Monterossa and then on the return going into Malpensa in Milan.
what is the most expedient way to do this. The train travel is what i am finding difficult to get organized.
We did this trip in reverse this summer (from Monterosso to Venice). The route we took transferred at Milano Centrale. Assume you could do the reverse trip just as easily. Just leave a bit of time for the transfer. We had allowed 50 minutes, which is usually more than enough time, but the train from Monterosso arrived about 51 minutes late, so we watched our connection pulling out as we were pulling in. But they promptly booked us on the next one that was leaving an hour later, so it all worked out.
Bought the tickets on Trenitalia web site, about 3 months before the trip. 4 adults came to 76 Euro total. Piece of cake. Just make sure you validate your tickets at the station (little machines near tracks) before you board. For some reason, that's a really big deal that for the life of me, I don't completely understand.
For your Monterosso-Malpensa leg, just book that one as a separate ticket from the same site: http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
Good luck!
thanks. on the return do i get off at Milano centrale and switch trains for malpensa. if so, are the trains close or should i allow time here as well.
any suggestions for a place to stay?
"that's a really big deal that for the life of me, I don't completely understand"
It's pretty simple...if you never validate your tickets then theoretically you could continue to use the same tix for travel over and over and over. That's called stealing.
You may find it helpful to have a look at this Thread on the same topic.....
The trip from Venice to the Cinque Terre is very straight forward, and as I mentioned in the other thread, the route through Florence is usually a bit faster. Note that you'll have to use the correct spelling in Italian when you purchase tickets. You'll be departing from Venezia Santa Lucia and arriving at Monterosso (the name is actually Monterosso al Mare, but abbreviated to Monterosso on the Trenitalia website).
Depending on what time you need to return to Milan for your flight home, you may be able to use one of the direct trains from Monterosso to Milano Centrale (there are a few of those each day). It's a very easy trip, but takes a few hours.
If you're willing to commit to a specific departure time, you can pre-purchase tickets for the faster trains (Freccia, InterCity) at www.capitainetrain.com (very user friendly website and the same price as buying through Trenitalia). If any segments of your trip will be via Regionale trains just buy tickets for those when in Italy, either at a Kiosk or staffed ticket office.
If you have any further questions, post another note.
hubestur,
" For some reason, that's a really big deal that for the life of me, I don't completely understand."
A bit of clarification is in order. ONLY tickets for Regionale trains (and also Metro, Bus, etc.) need to be validated (time & date stamped). As a previous reply indicated, tickets for Regionale trains are sold as "open" tickets which can be used on any date within a specified period of time. Again as stated, people could simply continue to use these day-after-day and only pay one fare. When tickets are validated, they're only usable for a set period of time, usually about six hours so they can't be re-used. Therefore it's critical not to try and save time or whatever and validate these the day prior to travel, as by the time they're used they will have expired. The important point to note - those caught with unvalidated tickets may be fined on the spot, and fines start at about €50 PP. THIS PHOTO provides a clear illustration of the rules (this photo was taken on the Leonardo Express but the rules are the same for other trains).
Tickets for the faster trains such as the Freccia or InterCity trains do not have to be validated, as the tickets are specific to ONE train, date and departure time, and can only be used on the ONE train and date specified on the ticket. If you were to board the wrong train by mistake, you'd be deemed to be travelling without valid reservations and (you guessed it), subject to fines on the spot. With the fast trains, the fines are the same but they also charge the cost of the reservation, which adds about €10 PP (for Freccia trains).
Ken, I can attest to your advice having seen several people fined in recent months. Seems Trenitalia is stepping up and really collecting on un-ticketed/un-validated passengers. Good source of revenue for them, €50 fine on top of a €7.00 fare!
Laurel,
Thanks for the feedback on the fines. It's not surprising that they're stepping up enforcement, as I'm sure it's a good source of revenue for them. I've almost forgotten to validate a few times, but thankfully remembered in time.
ilene,
I found this website very helpful in explaining the trains and train travel in Italy.
http://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm#.VR1X5st0wfg
give it a read
FYI, the tickets I bought had our names on them and the exact date, time and train #. They aren't good for anything other than that specific train. Which is why I noted that for the life of me, I didn't understand the need to validate them.
I've seen warnings both here on the RS site and elsewhere that in no uncertain terms is one to ever travel by rail without first validating the ticket with the machine at the station (both in France and in Italy). Totally makes sense for open tix one buys at the window 5 minutes before the next train. Of course you'd validate those. That's a no-brainer.
But it makes no sense to need to validate tickets that specifically have my name, date and time of travel, departure/destination and Train # and seat assignments all printed on them. But I did so anyway, because of all the "make sure you validate your ticket, or you'll be stealing" messages I've seen on these boards. Happy to hear those folks were wrong and my instincts were correct... : )
the tickets I bought had our names on them and the exact date, time and train #
Then those particular tickets did not need validating. It is only the open ones valid on any similar train, particularly Regionale.
The train from Milano Centrale to Venezia would not have been a Regionale, it was likely either an Inter City or FrecciaBianca. Neither of those have tickets requiring validation. How did you get that paper into the validator?
"How did you get that paper into the validator?"
I folded it just right and wiggled it around until I heard the "click". Seriously, reading post after post admonishing posters here to "always validate your ticket!" scared the bejusus out of me, so I dutifully complied as best I could... : )
At least now I understand the conductor's wry smile when he noticed the time stamp on our tickets printed out on A4 paper.
I read the same warnings and as a result validated everything I had my hands on! I found the Trenitalia website easy to use after coaching via this forum and we did the trip from Venice to CT without hassle. We stayed in Levanto so the schedule was a little different but you should have no problems
As others have noted, tickets for trains which have compulsory seat reservations don't need to be validated as they're only valid for one particular train, date and departure time.
One additional caveat regarding validation of tickets and the validation machines. I found on my trip in September that although the machines may make a "kerchunk" noise, leading one to believe the ticket is validated, this is NOT always the case. In some cases the printer mechanism may be broken or the machine may need a new ribbon and nothing is imprinted on the ticket. It's worthwhile to check the tickets after validating. If there is no date and time showing, try a different machine!!! I doubt the Conductor will buy the excuse "but Sir, I DID validate my ticket". In that case, get your Wallet out as you'll likely be paying the fine.
