Buy Train tickets online or at the station?
 

Hi all, i will be taking a train from Nice to Ventimiglia(Italy border) and then from Ventimiglia to Pisa in June. When change trains in Ventimiglia, I only have 15 minutes to do this. Because of this short change time, I am wondering which option i should take.

1. Buy the tickets for both trains in Nice (Am i allowed to buy Italian train tickets in France?). Are they able to validate both tickets in Nice so I do not have to validate it in Ventimiglia?

2. Buy the tickets online and have them validate it in Nice(again can they validate both?) If i have to validate the ticket at Ventimiglia, i do not think i have enough time for that.)

Thanks all

Either buy tickets for both the French and Italian segments on line at SNCF.com or at the station at Nice or any station in France. If bought on line you can retrieve the tickets at any French station or SNCF sales office(most cities of any size in France have these sales offices). You will need the credit card used when purchasing on line and validation code to pick-up the tickets. Validating consists of just punching your ticket in the machine at the gate in Nice and Italy. Takes 2 seconds. Very simple.

YOu can't get on a train without passing the machines to validate it, it doesn't take any time to do that, if you have a ticket that needs validating. I don't know why you'd validate your ticket in Nice for a trip in Italy from Ventimiglia, but I guess you could (stick it in the machine and it will punch it).

I don't think you understand what validation is. It marks the ticket that was used so you can't get an exchange/refund once it is validated. It punches it and puts on the date/time.

>>>Are they able to validate both tickets in Nice so I do not have to validate it in Ventimiglia?<<<

You validate tickets yourself unless you are on a train that you have reserved seats.

>>If i have to validate the ticket at Ventimiglia, i do not think i have enough time for that.<<<

How much time do you have? It only takes a second to validate your ticket.

I had to go down the steps at Ventimiglia to validate my ticket on into Nice. I don't think there are any validation boxes up at the tracks. If your train is on time, you will have time to validate. I was solo and had to carry my luggage down and back up and I still made my train.