Train Tickets in Italy - HELP

If you are sure your dates or plans won't change, book them ahead of time. The layout of the trains are also irrelevant. every first class seat is the same as any other seat. 2nd are all the same as any 2nd. The first class seats are in little compartments and you wouldn't know one from the other.

Monique,

My preference would be to just buy the P-P tickets when you arrive in Italy (preferably a few days prior to each outgoing rail trip). These will include the seat reservation fee, on those trains where this is compulsory.

As the previous post indicated, the "layout" of the trains isn't important. Your ticket will specify your Car (Carrozza) No., your Seat (Posti) No. and sometimes whether this is Corridor or Window. If you're in a compartment, in some cases they will have a small card indicating which spaces in that compartment have been reserved (I haven't found that to be consistent in Italy though). The biggest "concern" may be whether you're facing forward or backwards during the trip (some people are uncomfortable facing backwards).

As this is your first trip to Italy, it would be a really good idea to read the "Rail Skills" chapter in Europe Through The Back Door or the similar section on this website.

You might find it helpful to research each of the rail trips you'll be taking on the bahn.de website, to determine which routes will require reservations (and also the travel times and how many changes).

Happy travels!

Can someone remind what the reservation charges are for Italian trains? I am trying to compare a pass to PTP and am having a hard time finding out what the reservation charges are?

Thanks

If you either buy all your tickets as soon as you arrive in Italy or buy them a day or two ahead of each trip, you can get Amica fares (20% discount) on the fast trains that offer them. (They're not sold for cheap regional trains.) If any of the allotted seats are available, you can get Amica fares up until midnight of the day before departure.

Laura,

On EuroStar Italia trains it is €15-20. On other trains requiring reservations it is €3-4. Those are the in-Europe prices.

Don't buy the tickets until you are there at the train station. You never know when you will miss a bus or can't get a taxi or your plans change. I don't believe that you can buy them online from the U.S. (I've tried), and I don't trust buying them from a strange computer. I buy from the ticket machines in the lobby whenever possible. Just don't get to the train station too late or the seats you prefer might not be available. I spend a little extra for a 1st class seat...keep your luggage within view if possible. If not, use a cable lock to lash it to the luggage rack.

Monique, a railpass in Italy is not needed. In fact, if you have one, you will have to pay 15E-20E extra when booking on the Eurostars and about 3E for the ICPlus trains. Tim has explained this above. I would suggest that you do a bit of homework on www.trenitalia.com (select EN for English). It's very easy especially since you have the dates already. If you need help PM me and I can link you to train schedules. If your travel dates are more than 90 days out, the website may not be accurate. Use dates that are about 1-2 weeks out. The train numbers or times won't change much or in most cases, won't change at all as the website is updated.

Once you have your train itinerary written down, you can buy these tickets at the electronic machines. They work great and will prompt you in English. They will accept your American credit card. As Tim has suggested, ask for the AMICA fare. These are limited discounts and the machine will give them to you if they are available (20% discount).

If you choose to go to a ticket window, make sure you hand the agent a piece of paper with what you want written down. Date, departing city, destination, time, train number and class (1st or 2nd). English is usually not the agent's first or second language so handing him or her something on paper will do it.

If any run requires a seat reservation, the price of your ticket includes the reservation. The agent will assign one and the ticket machine will prompt you. Buy your tickets there and buy them early where you can. If not, you don't have a problem. Walk into the train station, buy the ticket and get on the train. With rare exceptions, trains do not fill up.

I have a question related to this post. I have a standard class train ticket from Rome to Florence that comes with the vacation package I purchased. Is it possible to take the train at a time that is different than printed on my ticket, or is the train service very strict? For example- I would like to leave Rome in the early morning (so I have more of the day to spend in Florence), but my train ticket is for late morning. How long, on average, is the trip from Rome to Florence via train?

Thanks for your help! :O)

Anne, I haven't seen a "standard" ticket. You either have a 1st class ticket or a 2nd class ticket. Next, if you have a departure time and seat assignment on your ticket, you are on one of the faster trains between Rome and Florence (ES, AV, ICPlus)(1hr. 40min). Message back with your departure time and train number and I can tell. What I can't tell is if this is some type of discounted ticket (i.e. Amica fare).

You can change these tickets. Just be sure to do this in advance of the journey. Modifying a few days out is fine. Just don't wait until the last minute. It the ticket is a discounted ticket, you may not get the same discount on the modified ticket.