Hi, here is our route: Paris->Venice->Cinque Tree->Florence->Rome. I read somewhere saying railpass in Italy is useless, need to pay reservation fee, still need to wait in the long line. Can anyone tell me what's downside to have a railpass in Italy. I am thinking to buy France-Italy railpass. Thanks.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8028 posts
I would not say the rail pass is useless in Italy, just that point to point tickets tend to be cheaper in Italy than in the Northern parts of Europe, making the payback harder. As for additional fees on top of your pass; Sleeper cars (if you were considering that for "Paris-Venice") would be an adder, plus you would need to reserve well in advance. There are two different reservation fees, for "premium" trains (Fast) you usually pay an added fee plus a required reservation fee, even if you get your ticket only minutes before departure. You can also take regional or local trains with no added fees to the pass, but can get an optional reservation(fee paid), this guarantees you a seat, otherwise just find an unreserved or unoccupied seat.