Hi
I am travelling to Swiss Italy & France (i.e. .Milan -> Rome -> Florence -> Milan -> Lucerne -> Interlaken -> Zermatt -> Milan- > Paris) starting tommorow. I am trying to buy tickets for euro rail here in my country from an agent. However can anyone tell me will it be better to buy it here or should i buy directly from the rail counter in europe?
Almost all the time, I find it better to just buy the tickets when I get to Europe. The only exception is a rail pass which I don't think you can buy in Europe - you have to get this outside of Europe. Hopefully, someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
Arnold you are correct. We cannot buy rail pass in europe. However my question was:
Is it better to buy tickets at railway station in Europe or will it be better to buy it here.... that is where can we get better discounts.
Deepak...you can register and purchase tickets for Italy at trenitalia.com . Americans have had trouble getting credit cards to work, but non-American cards still seem to be operating. The best discount on the Italian routes is usually the Amica fare (20% off). For Ital-Switzerland, you can also use Trenitalia....one of the Smart Fares might be best. For Milan-Paris, use Trenitalia as well....the French rail website at TGV-Europe.com can offer you PREM discount fares which you can print out at home...all the other fares won't be useful since you're required to pick tickets up in France. Leave the ticket pickup to "Great Britain" on the second page (to keep the site in English) and look for one of the PREM discount fares...as low as 25 Euro! Be aware of all refund and rescheduling restrictions...the cheaper the fare, the tighter the limitations. Trenitalia is bookable 60 days out, while tgv-europe.com is 90 days. Inside Switzerland, just buy them at the train station. And travel second class...first, IMO, isn't worth the extra cost.
Deepak, I have always heard it is often the cheapest to buy tickets IN ADVANCE for just point to point travel. You are too late for that. Now you will pay full price, so perhaps a rail pass is a good idea.
If you are leaving tomorrow, you have waited too long to get the best advance online discount fares. However, you should be able to get Amica fares for travel within Italy as described by Norm if you buy your tickets a day or two ahead of time. Subject to seat availability, Amica fares are sold up until midnight of the day before departure.
Unless you succeed in registering on the Trenitalia site, I suggest that you buy as many of your tickets as possible as soon as you get to Milan. Those would include your trips within Italy plus Milan-Lucerne, Zermatt-Milan, and Milan-Paris. Buy your tickets for trips within Switzerland when you get there.
