Are the SNCF or Trenitalia point-to-point ticket and reservation prices listed online the same as one would pay if they were to purchase them in-country at the train station? We are considering using point-to-point tickets for rail travel in France and Italy in September 2008 instead of purchasing a railpass. Since our itinerary isn't particularly flexible, however, we would want the comfort of knowing we had tickets and reservations in advance - unless any of you think advance purchases and reservations aren't necessary.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Gary, a few things. Trenitalia prices that you see on their website are the same as what you pay when you are there. Prices for the local train category (Regionale) are most often not shown as you can't make reservations on those trains. Second, depending on your travel plans, having tickets with seat reservations in hand is very comforting but it is the most inflexible way to travel by train in Italy. On standard fare tickets with seat reservations, you can change them in advance if you need to. However, if for some reason, you miss your train by 3 hours or more, your ticket is toast. Third, you should not have confirmed train tickets where you can't control getting there on time. For example, I would suggest being very cautious about having immediate reserved train tickets as soon as your plane lands. It's not uncommon for planes to be late. Train tickets are very easy to get in Italy. Fourth, you can easily buy your tickets in Italy as you travel. Buying 1-2 days in advance works well. However, as we have witnessed on this site, North Americans will simply not accept traveling without everything in hand before they leave.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
504 posts
If your itinerary is pretty locked in then some of the trips you can get cheaper buying in advance. We bought tickets for our France portion 90 days out (the maximum you can get online) using PREM fares that were considerably cheaper than the standard fare. There are limited numbers sold at the discount and the prices gradually rise, but if you know the dates of travel, it's a good way to save. Of course, the downside is that they are non-refundable and non-changeable, so you are locked to that travel time/date. There are people more advanced in this topic, such as Tim from ND, who can comment and offer more specific advice on this, especially in France.
My wife and I bought a majority of our tickets for this summer's Europe trip this way (mostly France and Germany using advance fare discounts) and probably saved a combined $400 over a pass and regular priced point to point tickets. The only tickets we didn't buy in advance were ones that the price was the same regardless, so we'll buy once we're in Europe. Of course, we're locked into the travel dates, but for our first trip over, having that kind of structure will be okay. Good luck!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
For routes totally within Italy just buy your tickets when you get to Italy. Many routes served by fast trains offer Amica fares (20% discount) which, if available, can be purchased up to midnight of the day before departure.
In France there are no discounts for advance purchase tickets on regional trains, but there often are for TGVs and Corail trains. Prem's are the cheapest, but there also are Loisir fares. Book up to three months in advance--the sooner the better--at www.voyages-sncf.com. The standard fare listed on the SNCF site will be the same whether you book online or buy a ticket at the station.
Posted by
Chicago
10 posts
What about night trains within Italy? Is it OK to just wait til we get there to buy those, too?