We are flying into Florence. Plan to immediately travel by train to Venice. Should we book in advance? If so, if the plane is late, can we convert reserved seats to a later time?
Thanks
Posted by
OH, OH, USA
1158 posts
You don't need to buy the tickets in advance.
You might need to stay in line a bit, but there are many ticket machines.
Don't forget to stamp your ticket before you board the train.
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
Just to clarify this - when you have a ticket with a reservation for a specific seat on a specific train, you do not need to stamp your ticket. You only need to get the ticket validated if you have a ticket for a train route, but it is not limited by date or time.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
I would not for the reasons you indicted. If you miss a reservation you have of window (maybe three hours) to exchange the ticket. Florence is not the largest/easiest airport to fly into so why not just fly into Venice.
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
Hi Nancy,
On that train route, it is serviced by the Eurostar Italia trains, which always require a reservation. That being said, I would not advise that you reserve in advance as there is no need to unless you are travelling during a holiday or in a large group and you all wish to sit together. If it is just two of you, it is no problem at all, and it should not be an issue for four of you either.
To get your tickets, just arrive at the Firenze SMN station, and go to the automated ticketing machines. You can also go to a ticketing window to buy from a person, but the lineups at Firenze SMN are notoriously long.
For instructions on how to use the automated machines, use this excellent walkthrough for directions.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
OP
Pomfret
10 posts
Thank you all for your information. Haven't been to Italy since 1991 and lots has changed.
Nancy
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Nancy, we have flown into Florence from Frankfurt. It's a small airport. Our plane was late. We didn't see a train station there. Thus, you will first have to get from the airport to the train station. It's about 15-20 minutes away. There is bus service.
For the reasons you mentioned, it is not wise to book a Eurostar ticket from Florence to Venice with a firm date, train number and time on it. I think that you have 3hrs to make adjustments after the train departs but its a hassle and English is often not the ticket agent's best skill. After 3hrs, your ticket is toast.
The trains from Florence to Venice depart once an hour in the afternoon. Don't worry about missing a train. Also, they don't run full. Each train with 10 cars holds as many passengers as a 747. You just have to face up to a whole new experience of being in a real European train station. Just walk up and use the the automated ticket machine. It will prompt you in English and accept your American credit card.