Buy train tickets here, there, online?
 

Only a week until departure!

Railsaver.com has already confirmed that buying individual tickets will be less expensive for me than buying a pass. That being the case, should I go ahead and buy them online or wait until I'm there for a better price? How much should I worry that the train we want will be booked and we'll wind up wasting an afternoon in a station waiting for the next? Our iten is Rome, CT, Verona, Venice in 12 days, so there's no time to waste!

My initial thought is to arrive in Rome and buy everything for the whole trip on our first afternoon... am I way off?

Your initial thought is an excellent one. Since you will probably be arriving at Roma Termini with the Leonardo Express, you can do it immediately.

There used to be smaller biglietterie (ticket offices) along the endless trek from where the Leonardo Express arrives to the front of the station; these are much less crowded and faster than the huge main biglietteria at the front of Termini. I haven't noticed them recently, but I haven't been looking for them. In 2001, I WAS looking, because I had to make a tight connection by Eurostar to Ferrara.

P.S. The price is the same, whether you buy the tickets in Rome or online at www.trenitalia.com.

Just buy them at the Rome train station.

You might save time by using the ticketing machines there.

Hi P,

If you know when you want to travel, why bother getting the tickets in Rome?

You can print your own ticket for ES* trains.

For other trains, you pick up your tickets from the machines in the train station at Rome TE or from the agent at FCO when you buy your ticket to Rome.

As noted, the price is the same.

((I))