Second or first class rail/Italy?

First class is a little nicer and tends to be less crowded. But...that's also where the Eurailpass crowd travels. If you want to travel like an Italian, go second "standard" class. Ciao

I agree with Swan's comments. The seats in first class are a little nicer and have a little more legroom. But second class is still far more comfortable than economy class on airlines! Especially for the price difference, second class works just fine.

Second class is just fine. The amenities vary more from train to train than between classes on the train. No reason to pay more for 1st class and the only reason to pay for a more expensive train is speed getting where you are going. Italy is very reasonable by train and even when we could have waited and taken a cheaper train, we just bought a ticket for the next one and went. Have fun - we did Rome and Sorrento in November a year ago - great trip.

i have been debating about 1st vs 2nd as well for the train I am looking at booking from montpellier to barcelona.

I've traveled first class twice (when my company was paying). To echo what was said above, the only amenities I noticed were more space and a seat that reclined slightly. So, if you want to treat yourself, go for first; if you want to spend less, go for second and you'll still be comfortable.

might be a dumb question but you can travel 2nd class on point to point tickets at any age, right? (but not on a eurail pass, you have to buy 1st class if you're over 26?)

just trying to budget and wanted to make sure i was understanding correctly. advice would be appreciated!

thx