Train travel in France and Italy

The tickets for trains with seat reservations (i.e. TGV), you cannot do this. You ticket is good for that specific train in those specific seats from point A to point B. If you get off of your TGV mid-way and the train departs without you, your ticket is toast. The regional trains are different. You can easily buy tickets a couple of days in advance and they are good for 60 days. No specific date, train or seat. Just validate them before boarding. I would suggest that it would be a lot easier to just buy local tickets from point A to point B and not try to get off midway and get back on with the same ticket. However, it's done in Italy but I'm not sure how easy it is to do in France.

When Larry says that tickets for Regional trains are valid for many days that is only until they have been validated prior to jumping on the train. They are then only valid for so many hours, depending on the country, and then expire. Usually for a longer trip they may have one or two hours flexibility. They won't be valid 24 hours later. Buy what you need for the journey you are making and don't try to break your journey unless you have thought it out very carefully.

Thank you Larry and Nigal, that is exactly what I needed to know. I was hoping we could see something out the train window and get off at the next stop for 4 or 5 hours to check it out. So if we do this, it means buying new tickets to finish that leg of the trip. Regards,
Don

Don, A few points to note regarding rail travel in Italy. You will be able to buy tickets online for the "premium" trains such as the Freccia (high speed) trains, which have compulsory reservations. In Italy it's easy to just buy from the automated Kiosks at the stations a day or two before you'll be travelling. It's likely that all the discounted tickets will be sold out if you're buying a few days before travel, so you'll be paying "Base" fare whether you buy online or from a Kiosk. Depending on where you're going, some of your trips may be via Regionale trains, and AFAIK you won't be able to buy those online. Again, the Kiosks at the station are the best option, as there's often a queue at the ticket office. There are a couple of very important points to keep in mind when travelling by train in Italy.... 1.) If you're travelling on a Regionale train (which includes the Leonardo Express to the airport in Rome), you MUST validate your ticket in the track side yellow or blue machines or you may be fined on the spot! Fines start at €50 PP and increase from there. 2.) If you're travelling on a Freccia or other "premium" train, you MUST have a valid reservation for the train you're riding on. These are specific to each train and departure time. Those caught without a valid reservation on trains where this is compulsory, may be fined on the spot. Again, €50 PP plus the cost of the reservation. Check the Bahn.de website to determine whether trains you're planning to use require reservations. If you click the small arrow to the left of the route, the information shown will expand. The TGV in France also requires compulsory reservations. Happy travels!