I've never traveled by train in Italy. I'll be using a Eurail Global Pass this coming June/July, and I might want to take one trip through Italy from Nice, France, via Milan, to Zurich. I can see I'd need seat resv for two legs of that trip, but since it'd be after the summer timetable changeover, I can't find specific trains yet. I can only find trains for before June 9. So I can't check, now, if seat resv are still available on trains I might use. So my question now is: how likely is it that I could just show up on the day I want to travel, or maybe a day ahead of time, and buy the seat reservations I'd need to use along with my Eurail Global Pass? It it matters, I'd likely be doing this Sunday, June 16. I'm aware France severely limits seat reservations for Eurail Pass users. I have no experience at all with Italian trains. Does anyone who has such experience think I'd be shut out, or could I take this chance? In any case, it's not like I'd be headed for a flight out of Zurich, that I had to catch! I can wing it. I'm just not sure how much winging I'd be doing! Course, it'd never be as much as I did last April, trying to get to Krakow from Tatranska Lesna in Slovakia, but I digress...ask me about that if you want a laugh! Thx. Tom
Posted by
Green Bay
20146 posts
We did see a week or two ago that all the EC trains from Milan to Zurich were booked on a Sunday at the end of a holiday weekend. There was an easy workaround by taking a less direct route through Bellinzona with a couple of changes. Might be a could idea to pick up a res if you have a plane to catch.
Posted by
OP
Easley, SC, USA
306 posts
Thx, Sam. In my case, I will NOT have a plane to catch. I'm only trying to work around my agent's being locked out, so far, from French trains that havent' yet been uploaded for the summer schedule. If Italian trains are already online, that's an option. Of course, just being patient is an option, too! But it's not one I've ever been real good at! So I posted my msg because I am just curious if it's likely I'll be shut out from a train that's sold out when I try to buy a seat resv on the spot. Sounds from your msg that I won't be. That helps. Tom
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23282 posts
The short answer is no. In all of our travels we have never encountered a sold out train. The above reference was to a sold out weekend of a soccer match. That is always a possibility. But generally I would not worry about.