Train Travel..Buy Tickets in Advance or at the Station

Amanda, I generally buy tickets at local stations, a day or two before I'll be travelling. I'm not sure if the "prices differ greatly", as I don't usually check. The problem with buying tickets in advance for those trains with reserved seats, is the fact that will "lock" you into a particular train. If you miss it for whatever reason, you'll have to buy another ticket, usually at full price. On the Florence - Venice route, you can save money by purchasing tickets which have the "Mini" fares. Have a look at This Website for all the details. Happy travels!

Hi Amanda, I find it easy to purchase tickets for my next destination upon arrival in my current destination. Prior to going to Italy last summer, I researched train times (departure and arrival) for my itinerary, so when I arrived in a city I knew what my options were, train frequency, how long the trip would be, and could make an easy decision about what tickets to purchase. It's very easy to wait and purchase when you get there. I cannot speak on price differences--I was more worried if my plans changed I wouldn't have flexibility because I prepurchased tickets. Happy travels!
Sara

Not knowing your travel dates (so I picked June)...Yes, it's easy enough to purchase tickets there, but if you purchase them while still here: (Trenitalia) You can pay €19,00 today for a trip b/n Florence and Venice (2nd class), or the walk-up price of €43,00. I'd rather have that $36 for wine and beer. Or, for 1st class pay €29 vs €60, or $45. You can buy some yummy Swiss chocolates with that. Those are the fast trains, too. (SBB) Between Lucerne and Florence (2nd class), the price is CHF 143.00. If you buy in advance, it's CHF 88.00. That's about $60. SBB is cheaper than Trenitalia for the dates I chose... Multiply those savings by two for the two of you. Those advance-purchase prices sell out, so you have to get them ASAP. For the most part, they are non-refundable blahblahblah. You can exchange some (the Florence-Venice ones incl, I think) in Italy for the face value towards new ones. But, if you're pretty firm with your travel plans, these are great savings! And, you can insure them for a few dollars on your travel insurance policy (that I highly suggest you get; that's another topic). It's a lot faster to hit 'Print' in my own home than to stand in line for 30+ minutes for an agent or a free ticket machine (I'm talking to YOU, Florence SMN!). To find these fares on Trenitalia - choose a train, then click on 'S-e-l-e-c-t' then 'Continue' to see any 'MINI' fares for that particular train (you can look at 1st and 2nd class). BE SURE if you choose to buy your tickets in advance that you bring the EXACT credit card used for the transaction, even if it's expired! It's part of your ticket/proof that the ticket belongs to YOU. Just follow the directions on the website...

(ran out of room...) Also...Check each train you might take; the prices vary by time of day. Most companies allow you to buy discounted tickets ~90 days in advance, and they DO sell out quickly.

I would suggest that if you do advance purchase (we did) that you note the name of the route. Maybe it was just me and the fact that we were running short of time, but the posted train departure board threw me for a loop. Fortunately, I had written the name of the route, so I was able to find our departure platform based on that.

As Patty suggests, the "names" posted on the overhead boards (and TV monitors) are the FINAL stop for the train. So even though you're headed to Florence, your train might say Milano Centrale. It's better to write down the TRAIN # rather than your stop, as that will not change, and IS ALSO posted on all the overhead boards. For more help on using the train system, this article - with plenty of pictures - may help: Riding Trains in Italy

Thank you all for your advice. I believe I am going to go ahead and pre-purchase the tickets only because I already have our dates locked down and we are on a pretty tight schedule. Thank you so much! -Amanda