Need for advance train reservations for daytime trips in Italy?

I think it depends when you plan on traveling. We did a similar itinerary by train but I was there in the shoulder season of late Sept.-early Oct. and there were always plenty of seats. We never needed a reservation.

Don't even worry about it. Italy has 8,000 train runs a day. Italians travel extensivley by train. Most Americans have rarely been in a train station during their lifetime (light rail stations excluded). In Italy, it's part of their life style. There are 40 trains a day going from Venice to Milan.

As part of your trip planning, list all of your train trips. Include the date of travel, origination/destination, time and train number. You can get this information on www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html. It's a great website for obtaining information on the train runs.

When you arrive in Italy, do something that you've may have never done in your lifeime - go to the train station. Buy your tickets 2-3 days in advance and you will be just fine. Show your list to the ticket agent and he'll sell you the tickets. Many trains that you will be on requre seat reservations. Don't worry. When you buy your ticket, the seat reservation comes with it.

A couple of extra thoughts. 1) when you arrive in the CT, go to a nearby TI office and by a 1,2,3 or 7-day Cinque Terre Treno pass. It's good for unlimited train travel between La Spezia and Levenato as well as all hiking trails between the towns (there are ticket booths on the trails).

2) For your trip from Siena to Rome, this is a 4.0hr trip on local trains. No express runs here. It's actually just as fast to take a SITA bus from the Siena city wall back to Florence (90 minutes) and then take the Eurostar to Rome (1hr.43min). You could day trip into Florence (which many oppose) and then zip down to Rome.

Thanks! Was worried because we head out tomorrow so are there in a high season. This website is great, have already printed the schedules for our plans, so will take your advice and purchase them all in one go at a station there.

Yeah, I didn't notice til after that I have to backtrack to Florence from Siena. We are spending the night before in Florence (arrive there late from a Pisa/Lucca day trip) spend the next day in Florence, head to Siena for the late afternoon/evening and then on to Rome. I considered flip flopping the days, but it seems either way I have to backtrack to Florence. I'm dropping a car in Siena - if I drop in Rome instead - does the drive require a backtrack? Then the bad thing is having to drive instead of nap! Great CT tip.

"When you buy your ticket, the seat reservation comes with it."

To clarify that just a bit, tickets for Alto Velocito (A), Italian EuroStar (ES*), EuroCity (EC), and ICplus trains come automatically with seat reservations. For Intercity (IC) trains, reservations are optional for €3. Regional trains have no reservations required or possible.

Just to clarify, the train from Siena to Rome does not backtrack to Florence. It does go to Rome but it's on local trains and it does take 4.0hrs. Returning to Florence first by SITA bus is simplay an option.

Lee's explanation on seat reservations is much better than mine.

. . . and of course all bets are off if Italians have a railroad strike or the ever-popular work slowdown.

Don't sweat the reservation biz, unless you want to go first class, are infirm, or heading to or from a soccer match city.