Hi! I will be traveling to Italy for the first time this September with 7 other people. The first part of the trip includes the following train trips/tickets: Rome to Florence, Florence to Pisa, Pisa to Florence, Florence to Venice, Venice to Florence, Florence to Pistoia, Pistoia to Rome. Since we will be doing a lot of train travel for day trips, I am thinking about buying a rail pass but know that some trains require a reservation on top of the rail pass. Can I use my rail pass to make reservations at the train station using my credit card to purchase the reservation part of the ticket? Is there a ticket machine were I can just make the reservation with my rail pass?
It's a little overwhelming think about all of this. But very exciting all the same. Thanks for the information!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Forget the pass. Just buy point to point tix as you go. It's easier and cheaper.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Yes, you can buy seat reservations at station ticket windows or at ticket machines. You could buy them in Rome for all your legs that require them. You will need to pay €10.00 for each leg on a high-speed EuroStar Italia train (Rome-Florence, Florence-Venice, Venice-Florence, and the Florence-Rome leg of your ride from Pistoia to Rome). Your rides on regional trains (Florence-Pisa, Pisa-Florence, Florence-Pistoia, and the Pistoia-Florence leg of your ride from Pistoia to Rome) will be covered completely by your pass. If you buy point-to-point tickets as you go and pay full fare for all high-speed trains, you may pay more than you would with a pass, even when adding on the seat reservation charges. However, if you book NOW on the Trenitalia site, you still may be able to get discount fares for your high-speed train legs. In that case, you definitely will pay less than you would with a pass. Go to the Trenitalia site and do the math. To get fares for regional trains, enter a date no more than seven days from today. If you decide to book on the Trenitalia site, go through the registration process first. Your booking will go more smoothly.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I see from your duplicate thread under the "Transportation" heading that you are planning to go directly to Florence after you arrive at FCO. In that case I suggest that you don't book Rome-Florence discount fare tickets in advance. If your plane is late and you miss your train, the tickets will be worthless. Just buy full fare tickets at the station at the airport at the same time when you buy your tickets for the Leonardo Express that goes from FCO to Roma Termini.