We will be traveling by eurostar train from Rome to Pisa and then on to Cinque Terre on a Friday at around noon in July. Should we get our tickets in advance or get them at the train station in Rome? This is assuming we can get our tickets in advance. I hear there are problems with American credit cards on trenitalia's website. Also, how does the e-mail ticket work if we did get our tickets in advance?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11661 posts
If you are in Rome before you travel to Pisa and on to the CT, buy your ticket a day or two in advance. You might score a discount, but if you are taking an ES train, you'll have your reserved seat guaranteed at the time you prefer. You can arrive at the station a few minutes before train time and not have to worry about how long the lines are.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23564 posts
The only advantage to earlier purchase is any discounts that might be available. Trains rarely if ever sell out. There has been some success reported recently on the Trenitalia site.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33526 posts
You can only get as far as Firenza by Eurostar, then its a regional or IC. In fact, the direct IC is only a few minutes slower than Eurostar and change. Cheaper, too.
Posted by
OP
Texas
59 posts
Nigel, When I get on trenitalia's website it shows a eurostar train going direct from rome to pisa. It takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Am I looking at something wrong since you said the ES only takes you to Firenza?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32325 posts
Melissa, My suggestion would be to buy your tickets at Roma Termini a day or so prior to travel. You might find it helpful to have a look at This Excellent Website - scroll down to the section covering the new Mini Fares. Regarding the trains from Rome to Pisa.... The EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita / Frecciarossa trains do not go directly to Pisa AFAIK. There will be change at Firenze SMN or other station, and then a Regionale to Pisa. There are however some direct Intercity or Regionale Velocita trains from Rome to Pisa, with travel times in the range of 3H:10M to 4H:10M. Although these are "direct", they make several stops along the way. As you've probably noticed, the fares differ depending on which train is chosen. Reservations are usually compulsory for the ES / AV and IC trains but not the Regionale. These will be included with P-P tickets. Whether required or not, I usually validate the tickets before boarding the train, just to be "safe". If validation IS required for a particular ticket and the traveller "forgets", they will be fined on the spot! Happy travels!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32325 posts
* UPPDATE * I just re-checked the trains from Rome to Pisa using more specific station information and a date in April (rather than February), and there are indeed EuroStar City trains shown on that route, with a travel time of about 2H:50M (second class fare €31-40). These are direct but make several stops.