Hi everyone!
My husband and I will be visiting Italy in July. We're wondering if rail passes or point to point tickets are better for the trip. Right now, it seems pretty close but we're not sure which one would save more time/money. We'll be going all over Italy: Venice, Dolomites, Florence, Assisi, Sienna, Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Rome, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, and Milan. I really appreciate your thoughts!
Thanks, Jackie
You should check point-point fares on the Italian Rail website. Remember, if you are traveling on the fastest trains, Italian Eurostar (ES*), passholders have to pay a supplement of €15 (almost $24), sometimes referred to as a reservation. Often, an Amica fare ticket costs little more than that.
Jackie, you are looking like a P2P person. First, some of your journey may not be covered by the pass. These would include the private Circumvesuviana train system from Naples to Pompeii and Sorrento. You'll need to take a bus or ferry from Sorrento to and from Positano. Second, many of your train runs will be on local Reginale trains. These trains have very low fares. This would include trains to Pisa, probably the CT, Lake Como, Assisi and Siena. Third, whenever you do get on a high-speed (Venice/Florence), you will have to pay an extra 15Euro reservation fee.
For the Eurail pass, you would probably need at least a 5-day pass which is about $266 dollars. I do see more trips than 5 days but again, some of these are really cheap local runs.
Thanks so much! Sounds like point to point is the way to go. I appreciate you taking the time to respond!