eurail italy pass

That is a shame. Try calling whoever sold them to you RIGHT AWAY, hoping they are still open. If not leave a message to establish yountried. If they answer, ask what the cancellation/refund policy is. If they say no way, tell them you are not happy that they gave you bad advice on the passes and ask to speakmto a supervisor if they still say no. Good luck!

Italian trains can be pretty cheap, reliable (mostly), quick (mostly), and comfortable (variably). I can't see how a pass in Italy would pay off unless you did a whole lot of train riding over long distances. Discount tickets are readily available for the faster trains. If using the pass you will need to buy reservations on those trains for every segment. They do add up even though each reservation is relatively cheap. Local trains, the regionale trains, neither offer nor require reservations. You can just pop up for those trains, and get on with your passes.

helene, You will have to pay for reservations for the "premium" trains such as the EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita, however the pass will cover your fare if you travel on slower Regionale trains. You can research each of the rail trips you plan on taking by using the Trenitalia website. Using a Railpass can be a bit "risky" in Italy, as if you fail to buy a reservation OR have the incorrect reservation for the train you're riding on, you may be fined on the spot and it won't be cheap! As I recall, the fines are in the range of €40-50 per person. This isn't as much of a problem when using P-P tickets, as the reservation fees are included in the cost of the ticket. As I recall, those over 30 years of age MUST purchase a first class Railpass (although you could certainly ride in the second class car if you wished). Using P-P tickets is often the best value in Italy, as travellers can take advantages of the "Mini" fares and other specials. Have a look at This Excellent Website for more information on riding the rails in Italy. Especially as you're "so short on money", I'd also recommend trying to get a refund on the Railpasses as soon as possible! If you could provide some information on which rail trips you'll be taking in Italy, I'm sure the group here could offer some good suggestions to save money. Happy travels!

Ken, If you try to book a second class seat with a First Class Eurail Pass, at least on automated machines, it will not work! I know it sounds strange, but the rationale for Trenitalia is: second class is usually much busier than first. Therefore, they do not allow 1st class passholders to sneak out some 2nd class seats. I'd vow for getting a refund ASAP on those passes.

Who did you buy the passes from? Did you purchase them using a credit card? Have you checked with the RS Railpass folks for advice? I certainly hope you can get out of this situation that you have gotten yourself into. Happy Holidays.

Andre L., Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps Rick's Rail department isn't aware of that, as they state in their Railpass section: "Switching classes: Those with first-class rail passes may travel in second-class compartments (although the conductor may give you a puzzled look). Those with second-class rail passes can often pay the 50% difference in ticket price to upgrade to first (not possible in Britain)." Cheers!

It is so unfortunate that when you type the word "train" in any search engine, RailEurope has paid big money to show first in the results. They make it look so attractive. What your pass will get you without advance supplemental fees (and seat reservation) is free transportation on any Regionale train. These are the local trains that make every stop. The runs they make are slower and thus take almost double that of the high-speeds. Also, they don't make many long inter-region runs. All other train types will require you to make advance reservations where you will pay the supplemental fees. In Italy, you will pay 3Eu on the InterCity trains and 10Eu for the high-speeds. Not too bad as the rest of the train fare is covered by your pass. So not all is lost. It's just that the Eurail pass isn't as convenitent or less expensive as you might have envisioned. But, it will work quite well. You can make these reservations in advance online or you can do it as you travel. It's often a big surprise to Eurail travelers as they think they can just hop on the trains and they can't. Depending on your itinterary, some longer runs will require train changes. You could be on a mixture of high-speeds and Regionales. Just don't hop on the high-speeds without first paying the supplemental fee and obtaining the seat reservation. Please note that if you intend to travel on the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, they don't accept your pass. However, the fare is under 4Eu. You might look into challenging the purchase via your credit card company. Perhaps you can get the purchase cancelled. Note however, that the Eurail website has pages that tell you about these supplemental fees and conditions but they are not good at linking you to these pages.

Thank you ALl for the information, suggestions and the wonderful support! I will, based on what I have learned here....call both eurail and my credit card company after christmas and post my result. So that any other green traveler may know how to remedy a similar situation if a remedy there be. So very appreciated!!! Happy holidays to all. Thank you so much.
Helene