Train Rome to Florence & Florence to Venice

You can try your credit card. Some have reported recent success. Call your card issuer so that they expect the charge. The ONLY advantage to earlier purchase is to take advantage of the discounts. But. that does lock you into a schedule and if you miss the train, the ticket is worthless. Discount tickets are available up until 24 hrs in advance unless sold out. So you can try purchase a coupe days early in person.

Hi Debbie. You can buy online a few months in advance before you go. The info about US cards is out of date; US cards are now accepted. The advantage of buying online is a discount if you are willing to lock in your date/time. (e.g. 22E 'mini' fare vs. 45E 'base' fare). I suggest the trenitalia.com site - play around with dates in the next 2-3 months to get a feel for it; select a train and you will see the mini fares. If you don't want to lock in your times, just wait and buy when you are there. Enjoy your trip!

There was a 2-year+ period when Trentialia did not accept most U.S. credit cards. But, the drought has been over for awhile. You can use your credit card on www.trenitalia.com. There are some really nice mini-fares if you are willing to lock in your departure dates and times. The mini-fare tickets have restrictions.

Debbie, I think Larry, Frank, and Bob have clearly clarified the "past" credit card issues and referred to the MINI fares. If you don't mind being locked in to a specific train on a specific day and time (like an airline ticket!), then you can save from 10-60% on your train tickets. Otherwise you can buy "on-the-fly" at a train station or travel agent bearing the FS logo. For more info on the MINI-fare, see this post: Trenitalia MINI promotion. Since it's your first time on the trains, you might read Riding Trains in Italy. This article has plenty of pictures. If you plan on buying online you could look at these two: Booking on the Trenitalia Website and Going "Ticketless" and Using PNR Codes on Trenitalia. Both discuss your pre-purchase options with webshots and copies of actual "purchase" emails. They could clear up some of the mysteries of buying online. If you want to wait, then read Buying a Train Ticket at a Kiosk. It will give you a step-by-step explanation for using the kiosks at either the Rome or Florence train stations. You might also be wondering, 1st or 2nd class? For these routes, I'd probably be in 2nd class as they are shorter runs, but it's a matter of personal preference. This great article by GAC has plenty of pictures and explanations: 1st Class or 2nd Class tickets?. After these two trips you'll be Italian train experts! Good Luck!

Thank you for the responses. I appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions to help make our vacations go smoother.

I did these sectors - booked in advance on the Trenitalia site. You should not face a problem with your credit cards. Have a good trip.