If I do an overnight train from Paris to Milan, and then take a train from Milan to CT, how do I reserve Milan to CT leg? Would DB be able to help me make a reservation from Milan to CT, or do you think I could just arrive in Milan and make a reservation? I have a Global Eurorail pass.
thanks
Lindsay
If you take regional trains all the way from Milan to Vernazza, then you won't need any reservations. (They aren't possible on regional trains.) If any of your legs is on an IC or EC train, then you will need a reservation for that leg. The Trenitalia site indicates this with a "R" in a box. The reservation fee is €5 for each leg that requires one. You can buy them when you get to Milan.
FYI, if you take any EuroStar Italia trains while you're in Italy, you'll pay a reservation fee of €15 (€20 for ES Alta Velocita trains).
Do not worry about reserving it. The trains do not require reservations, and many of them will not accept the reservations anyways.
Ok. I was just lookin at the time table through DB, and it had a reservation next to the route from Milan to Vernazza. I was originally going to do the overnight from Paris to Rome, and then go to CT, but I am having trouble finding lodging, but found lodging in CT if I go to CT, then Rome.
So I decided before I booked Paris to Milan, I need to find out if I can just make the reservation in Milan.
I just checked on Trentalia, and this route didn't seem to have a reservation. Is Trentalia reliable like DB?
You don't need a reservation. I would recommend simply purchasing your point-to-point ticket at the station upon arrival in Milano. Trains to the CT run frequently and you may have several stops in between, but it's easy. In my case, I went through the CT to La Spezia, changed to a regional train (stops at each CT village), and then back-tracked to Manarola. I recall that the total trip took 3-4 hours. I traveled all over northern Italy buying tickets point-to-point, never needed a reservation, and never had trouble getting a ticket for the next train. It's a breeze.
Lindsay, you can take a train direct from Milano Centrale to Monterosso, then change to the local train for any of the other 4 towns. The Milano/Monterosso leg does require a reservation as I recall, but you shouldn't need to buy that in advance, just when you buy your tickets in Milano.
