I'm going to have a Global Pass while travelling through Europe this summer. I was hoping to use my pass to cover the trip from Rome to La Spezia... however I'm not sure if this ride requires a reservation in advance? I tried following the Eurail website's guide on how to reserve ( http://www.eurail.com/countries/ital...n-reservations ) on the http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html website but I can't seem to figure out how to select the "global pass", it doesn't seem to be showing up for me, and FS Italiane website only really talks about the interrail passes.

I'd be travelling around August 16... any experience or tips about how to do this would really help out, thanks!

Yes, you will need a seat reservation. Call Rail Europe and ask about the seat reservations if you can't figure it out on line.

Before you buy the train pass have you looked at prices for point-to-point tickets to determine which is the least expensive option? The pass may not save you money.

www.trenitalia.it for the regional trains

www.lefrecce.it for the fast trains that require reservations

I travel with Eurail passes in Italy and you can get reservations at the ticket offices and also machines.

On Trenitalia, after you select cities and the train you want, click the drop down box that says more fares. Select Global Pass. It's 10€ for the faster trains and 3€ for IC trains.

Thanks for all your help - after much research and looking at reviews it's clear that point-to-point tickets will in the end be the better option than a Eurail pass.

That being said, I was looking at tickets from Rome to La Spezia, and only like two or three out of all the trips for a specific day are available for booking online, while the rest say either "Travel solution with one or more segments not sellable" or "The travel solution has at least a segment not purchasable" - does this mean that I would only be able to purchase those tickets from an actual ticket counter in Italy? I'm worried that it would be peak season [Aug 16] and we should just buy the ticket for the journey that's available online.

Any advice?

Hi Lizz,

>I'm worried that it would be peak season [Aug 16] and we should just buy the ticket for the journey that's available online.<

It seems to me that if you wish to book in advance you either leave Rome TE at 08:10 or you get to La Spezia at 16:00. I don't care for either.

There are a lot of trains in between.

I think that the worst thing that can happen is that you will have to sit on your suitcase in the aisle.

PS,

You can buy your ticket in advance at any train station or travel agent.

>>>I was looking at tickets from Rome to La Spezia, and only like two or three out of all the trips for a specific day are available for booking online, while the rest say either "Travel solution with one or more segments not sellable" or "The travel solution has at least a segment not purchasable" - does this mean that I would only be able to purchase those tickets from an actual ticket counter in Italy? <<<<

I believe you are looking at Trenitalia's schedules on their LeFrecce link which is mainly showing trains changing in Florence? Many of these trains require a change and some of the connections are the old slow R trains. R trains can't be purchased that far in advance and have no reserved seating.

I do see a departure for 8:10am with a 9€ mini fare (regular price is 52€) for your date. That train has no changes (it goes up the coast). You can find other trains without changes by looking at the old version of Trenitalia. It mostly shows the trains going up the coast. After you select a train, the mini fare shows on the next screen. I see several choices for your date with 9€ mini fares.
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html

If you decide to purchase a pass, use the link above, select your train and click continue. On the next screen there will be a box on the on the left side that says "more fares". Click this and scroll down the choices to global pass.

Currently, on your route, you can purchase the Mini Fare cheaper than a seat reservation for a pass.

Thanks for the information on the Trenitalia - didn't realize it was an older website!

What is the difference between the Mini fare and the Base fare? [besides the cost?] Obviously the mini fare is a lot more appealing [9 Euro's instead of 36...] but I just wanted to know what the difference is?

The Mini Fare is a discounted advance purchase fare. It has more restrictions regarding changes and refunds than a Base fare. You can pay 35% above the base fare for a Flessible ticket that doesn't have the restrictions of base or mini fares.

• The “MINI” fare will allow only one reservation change, no later than midnight (23:59) PRIOR to the scheduled departure of the original scheduled train. The new reservation must be for the SAME city pairs, on the SAME category of train, with a departure date or time AFTER (not before) the originally scheduled departure. The traveler must pay the difference between the regular fare and the discounted fare. Changes are processed ONLY at manned ticket windows or at the authorized travel agency in Italy which issued the ticket. NO CHANGES ALLOWED VIA THE WEBSITE

• The “MINI” fare can be refunded, with a 50% forfeiture, no later than midnight (23:59) PRIOR to the scheduled departure of the scheduled train. Refunds are processed ONLY at manned ticket windows or at the authorized travel agency in Italy which sold the ticket -Note – There are NO no refunds FOR MINI tickets with a value under 10 Euro.

Trenitalia updated their website a month or two ago and some of the old links are working better than the new links (especially if R trains are involved or you need a pass reservation).

Trying to buy tickets for August mid from Napoli to Amantea, but gives me the same message as stated above - "The travel solution has at least a segment not purchasable". Any idea when does the purchasing window open?

traveloid - Schedules for Naples/Amantea aren't loaded past June 9 yet. If you just want times/prices, enter a date within the next 7 days. All schedules should be loaded by June 10 as that is when they change over to summer. It may be another week or so after that before the kinks are worked out. You should then be able to purchase the IC or ES trains. R trains are only available 7 days in advance online.
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html