trains in Italy

Buy as you go. there are self serve kiosks now in almost all the train stations. Very easy to use. If you have problems figuring them out, just go to the ticket window. Most all the people behind the counter speak English and will help you get on the correct train.

No need for a pass, and no need to purchase on line ahead of time. You will pay for for them that way.

If you buy as you go, you have a choice of which train and the time you want to travel.

AFAIK the Italian train website (Trenitalia) still doesn't accept US credit cards. Although it's possible to buy tickets in advance through rail brokers who mark up the tickets and only make available selected routes, almost everyone reporting in here simply waits and buys tickets at train stations there.

gabriela,

Purchase the tickets when you arrive in Italy! It's very easy, and there's a good description at This Website.

You'll probably find it difficult to purchase tickets over the web, as the Trenitalia site won't accept U.S. credit cards AFAIK.

If this is your first trip to Italy (or Europe), it would be a really good idea to read the "Rail Skills" chapter in Europe Through The Back Door. Also, have a look at some of the information in the "Railpasses" section on this website (there's a downloadable PDF Rail Guide - see the link in the lower right corner).

Which cities will you be travelling to? There are high speed EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita trains between the major cities, and while these cost more than the slower regional trains, I don't mind paying extra for the speed. Reservations are compulsory with the fast trains, but the cost of these will be included with your tickets. With reserved seats, passengers are assigned specific seats (Car No. & Seat No.). I find second class tickets to be perfectly adequate.

Happy travels!

Thank you for all your feedback! I guess we will just wait and purchase our tickets once we are there. That sounds easier to do. We are going to Milan, Varenna (Lake Como), Vernazza (Cinque Terre), and Florence. This is my 2nd visit to Italy. I went 12 years ago. I'm looking forward to my return! Thanks for everyone's help!

Thanks! Like gabriela, we're doing several cities so my fear was missing a train we need and screwing up the schedule! Discounts ahead of time would be nice but from reading a little on this board a bigger hassle than it is worth with credit card issues?

For regional trains, you can't get reservations anyway, so you might as well wait until train time to get tickets. For faster trains, you could get reservations for your train from that town when you arrive at the station the day before. Even if the train is SRO, some seats most likely will not be reserved. But at least that way you will know if the trains are full.

I just received this reply (below) from someone at Rick Steve's....what do you guys think? I am treaveling April 2-11. Should I worry about train tickets??? It is Easter week.

Hi, If you will be traveling in Italy before and just after Easter week, itwould be best to have your tickets in advance. You can purchasepoint-to-point tickets through www.raileurope.com or through DiscoverItaly at 800/320-1710. Tickets purchased ahead from the US aregenerally not changeable or refundable. If you are not traveling at Eastertime, and prefer to be flexible inyour travel times and dates, you can buy your tickets at train stationsand travel agencies in Italy, buying several or all the tickets you needat once if you like. Use this Web site for the best train schedules and routes between anytwo towns in

I've been wondering about this too so thanks for posting the question! Is it really safe to wait until you get to Italy to purchase the tickets, or is there a risk trains will sell out at all?

The only risk is if you are traveling on a major holiday such as Easter or Christmas. Even then, I suspect you would be fine. Think about the bus or public transit system in your hometowns. They can get crowded, but there are so many runs a day, it's generally never a problem. That's how Italian trains are.

Gabriela. I would be very cautious. I think you have been hit with buzz marketing. Supposedly -- no one from the Rick Steves's company/web site responds directly to any question on this board. I would serious doubt that anyone from their organization sent you that email.

What is the name on name on the return of the PM? Second, any promotion for RailEurope should be carefully considered. It is a travel agency that sells train tickets to North American with substantial markups and fees. Their tickets can be very expensive. You could probably buy a first class ticket in Italy for the price of a second class ticket from RE. Based on my prior experience with Italian trains I would not worry about it. Trains will be crowded but you can always get one more on.

I agree to wait and buy your ticket as soon as you get there. In your first city, purchase all your tickets for the entirety of your trip.
As for the direct response to an email, I have emailed Rick's rail department and have gotten a direct answer to my question, so it is possible.

Ditto the others -- you can easily wait until you get there.

On your first day in Italy buy all (or at least several / most) of your needed tickets.

I've never bought tickets / made reservations for Italy in advance.

Yes, it was the train rail department on his website where I asked about the trains. However, I will take all your advice and wait till I'm there to purchase tickets. Thanks again!

gabriela,

A few additional comments.....

As the others have mentioned, it might be a good idea to buy all tickets at the first station you stop at (Milan?).

I'd suggest researching the rail trips you'll be taking using either the Trenitalia or bahn.de websites, and writing the details down for reference by the ticket agent. That way there will be no "misunderstanding" on which trains you want to take.

There are Kiosks (automated ticket machines) at track level in Milano Centrale, however you might want to use the staffed ticket booth. It's located two floors down via "moving sidewalks". There are additional Kiosks adjacent to the ticket office.

BTW, the WC's are one floor down (as I recall), but you'll need some small change if you wish to use the facilities.

One other suggestion - watch your luggage carefully in Milano Centrale! Wear a Money Belt!

The trip to Varenna-Esino (it's on the same route as Sondrio, I believe) is about 1H:03M. Exit on the lake side as soon as the train stops, as it will only stop for about a minute. Be sure to watch others exit at previous stops so you know how to operate the door release (there are different types).

Your trip to Vernazza will include one or more changes. Try to pack light as hauling behemoth wheelie bags down the stairs, through the tunnels and back up to the next track is a nuisance!

The trip from Vernazza from Florence will also involve "changes". Note that your destination in Florence will be Firenze S.M.N. (named after the Santa Maria Novella Church, which is just across from the station).

Cheers!

Wow! Thanks Ken! I will print this info and take it with me! Luggage with wheels is what we are taking so we will just have to deal with the steps I guess! Thanks for the tip though!

Salud!

I am traveling to Italy In the Spring also..2 of us...I am so confused about what to do on the train travel....My concern is the date & trains needed to for our return to the Frankfurt Airport. We will need trains between Florence & Venice, yes I just figured I would buy when we got to Rome....the travel from Venice to FRA, on Saturday May 1st...either via Milan & Zurich or Munich, as I want a specific train & time I am concerned if I wait we could end up not geting what train we need and is May 1st some holiday in Europe. When i check Rail Europe, it appears if I don't buy a rail pass, they don't give the same trains or First class fares or seats...I assume as they are a travel agent they want the bigger $$, Yes....Then there is Euro Railways...does anyone know them or have dealt with them? I have gotten quotes from them on point to point & the Italy portion was good..DBahn rail too pricey. So, what everyone is saying don't attempt topurchase tickets on Trenitlia? What about Dbahn? will purchasing them online work? My ? is what would you do about the "must Have Trains" & is May 1st a holiday of some sort there? Thank You in advance.

Don't research your train times and availability on RailEurope, they only show the faster, full fare, options.

For Italy go directly to www.trenitalia.com for research -- for anywhere in Europe you can resarch time / connection options with www.bahn.de most accurately.

Virginia,

Could you provide further information on your statement "as I want a specific train & time". Which train are you considering?

DON'T use Rail Europe for checking fares or anything else. They're primarily a marketing entity and not the best place to get travel information.

The trip from Venice to Frankfurt is not difficult, but that's a LONG trip by train. For example, one trip that I checked on 2 May using the bahn.de website shows a train departing Venezia Santa Lucia at 06:58, arriving Frankfurt Airport at 18:22 (time 11H:24M, 2 changes in Verona and Munich, reservations compulsory). That trip passes through the Brenner Pass, which I always enjoy.

Two options I'd consider under the circumstances:

Take a budget flight from Venice to Frankfurt. I'd have to check to see which (if any) airlines fly that route.

Find an intermediate stop to break up the journey a bit, perhaps one night in Munich. That's a method I use quite often, and I've had some interesting stops along the way.

Good luck!

Hi there,
We took a train from Cologne Germany to Venice: and then trains from Venice to Florence and Rome. We bought through Eurorail before we left. I checked schedules in Italy through trenitalia website. It was easy to have the tickets before hand and very flexible. The trip from Germany to Venice took a day, but it was a phenomenal way to see Switzerland and the northern part of Italy. I have flown the cheaper airlines which are fine if you are in a rush, but you spend so much time at the airport where with the train you can just jump on shortly before it leaves. As well there are very fast trains in Italy (avoid the regional ones) that are airconditioned and comfortable. We also paid the little bit extra for first class and were able to book our seats before hand. There were 5 of us traveling so it made life simple! I would recommend comparing what paying individual tickets vs a eurorail pass - it was much cheaper with the pass! As well 2 of the travellers were students so their pass was even less expensive. The 2 websites I used were www.raileurope.com and www.trenitalia.it.

It really is very simple, although you have been given some really great advice. A week out from your trip, research Trenitalia.com and make a list of trains you "want" to catch and plan on getting to the train station in plenty of time to purchase your tickets and find the correct platform. Purchase your tickets in the train station lobby at the automated kiosks. They are multilingual and very intuitive to use. You probably will not run into a sold-out situation, but if by chance you do, trains run quite often between cities and another one will be along probably within 1 to 1 & 1/2 hrs.