Eurail Italy Rail Pass
Apr 18th, 2012, 10:33 AM
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Eurail Italy Rail Pass
Eurail Italy Rail Pass.. is it a good deal? The plan is to use the train 4 days.
June 25th Venice to Florence. June 28th Florence to Rome. July 1 Rome to Naples. July 5th Salerno to Venice. On July 5th we would need to change trains in Rome. Thinking of the 4 days within 2 months Eurail Italy Pass. 1st adult=$266 2nd adult=$226.
June 25th Venice to Florence. June 28th Florence to Rome. July 1 Rome to Naples. July 5th Salerno to Venice. On July 5th we would need to change trains in Rome. Thinking of the 4 days within 2 months Eurail Italy Pass. 1st adult=$266 2nd adult=$226.
Apr 18th, 2012, 10:43 AM
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Most here would probably tell you that a pass is not a good value for these trips as you can find very inexpensive fares compared to the pass prices.
I purchased Rail Passes for our upcoming trip to Europe after carefully checking the prices of our individual train trips. All of our trips are 6-8hrs so they were pretty expensive. The Select Pass was a much better deal in our case, but probably not in yours.
I purchased Rail Passes for our upcoming trip to Europe after carefully checking the prices of our individual train trips. All of our trips are 6-8hrs so they were pretty expensive. The Select Pass was a much better deal in our case, but probably not in yours.
Apr 18th, 2012, 11:14 AM
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Someone needs to double-check me but I did a quick look on the Italian portion of trenitalia
http://www.trenitalia.com/
for the dates/cities you mentioned above. Not sure how many would be in your party but I asked for price for 2 tickets and it came to 244€ total for the 4 trips you described above, mikeinfwtx . Most of these fares were "mini" so I don't know if they'd be offered if you buy your tickets at the stations. I chose early times in the day and just looked at the first/cheapest fares.
Unless the total given was meant to be per person, I'd say you'd save a bundle <i><u>not </i> </U>buying the pass.
Again, can someone confirm what I've said. Don't want to give mikeinfwtx bad info.
http://www.trenitalia.com/
for the dates/cities you mentioned above. Not sure how many would be in your party but I asked for price for 2 tickets and it came to 244€ total for the 4 trips you described above, mikeinfwtx . Most of these fares were "mini" so I don't know if they'd be offered if you buy your tickets at the stations. I chose early times in the day and just looked at the first/cheapest fares.
Unless the total given was meant to be per person, I'd say you'd save a bundle <i><u>not </i> </U>buying the pass.
Again, can someone confirm what I've said. Don't want to give mikeinfwtx bad info.
Apr 18th, 2012, 12:43 PM
#4
>>>1st adult=$266 2nd adult=$226.<<<
Where did you get those prices? I'm not aware of passes being priced differently for adults. Assuming you would be traveling together the entire time, you would select the adult saver pass. Passes don't include your seat reservations which are mandatory for all the faster trains in Italy. This will add 10€ (currently $13.13) for each train ride per person.
>>>July 1 Rome to Naples.<<<
Is Naples your destination or somewhere on the Amalfi coast? A bus from Rome might be a better/easier option for the coast as it doesn't require changes, your luggage is stored underneath the bus so you don't have to worry about it and it's cheap (under 20€).
Where did you get those prices? I'm not aware of passes being priced differently for adults. Assuming you would be traveling together the entire time, you would select the adult saver pass. Passes don't include your seat reservations which are mandatory for all the faster trains in Italy. This will add 10€ (currently $13.13) for each train ride per person.
>>>July 1 Rome to Naples.<<<
Is Naples your destination or somewhere on the Amalfi coast? A bus from Rome might be a better/easier option for the coast as it doesn't require changes, your luggage is stored underneath the bus so you don't have to worry about it and it's cheap (under 20€).
Apr 18th, 2012, 01:57 PM
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http://www.eurail.com/eurail-passes/...try-pass/italy
Prices are here.
Naples to Ravello. we are going on a private tour using viator. http://www.viator.com/tours/Naples/P...d508-2958AMAPV
Prices are here.
Naples to Ravello. we are going on a private tour using viator. http://www.viator.com/tours/Naples/P...d508-2958AMAPV
Apr 18th, 2012, 02:03 PM
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"Eurail Italy Rail Pass.. is it a good deal? The plan is to use the train 4 days."
Most in Fodors will tell you that you can travel cheaper without the pass, for me the pass is a better deal.
I got it for my kids and I on 2010 and it was a great deal for us, so this year we went and got it again as we are 4.
As our trips are also 5-8 hrs, they average $150 per person, so for the price of one trip for the 4 I got the 3 day train pass.
Most in Fodors will tell you that you can travel cheaper without the pass, for me the pass is a better deal.
I got it for my kids and I on 2010 and it was a great deal for us, so this year we went and got it again as we are 4.
As our trips are also 5-8 hrs, they average $150 per person, so for the price of one trip for the 4 I got the 3 day train pass.
Apr 18th, 2012, 02:08 PM
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If you want to be able to decide which trains to take once there and are thus buying fully flexible full fare tickets that allows that - instead of limited in number discounted tickets that must be booked in concrete often weeks ahead to guarantee and then cannot in practice be changed nor refunded often then yes the pass IMO could be a great deal - even factoring in the 10 euros supplement with it to ride most trains.
so the efficacy of a pass depends on a key factor - do you want to be able to chose which trains to take once there or book weeks in advance and not be able to change - if the latter then spend often hours on frustrating www.trenitalia.com (zillions of posts on Fodors describing the travails of actually booking on the site for a first time person - hours and hours often) then if that is OK then the discounted fares IF you can get them will be cheaper but for fully flexible travel I'd bet the pass is cheaper - do NOT believe the Fodors mantra that passes are always a bad idea in Italy - it depends on various factors and what you require.
And my decades of incessant rail travel in Italy make me exhort you to pay extra for first class if on the trip of a lifetime - a much much more relaxed experience - esp if hauling luggage around - so compare first class tickets to the first class pass IMO.
Great sources of info on Italian trains - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.raileurope.com. Usually I add www.seat61.com to the list but that site has given over and over misleading inaccurate info on the efficacy of a pass in Italy.
so the efficacy of a pass depends on a key factor - do you want to be able to chose which trains to take once there or book weeks in advance and not be able to change - if the latter then spend often hours on frustrating www.trenitalia.com (zillions of posts on Fodors describing the travails of actually booking on the site for a first time person - hours and hours often) then if that is OK then the discounted fares IF you can get them will be cheaper but for fully flexible travel I'd bet the pass is cheaper - do NOT believe the Fodors mantra that passes are always a bad idea in Italy - it depends on various factors and what you require.
And my decades of incessant rail travel in Italy make me exhort you to pay extra for first class if on the trip of a lifetime - a much much more relaxed experience - esp if hauling luggage around - so compare first class tickets to the first class pass IMO.
Great sources of info on Italian trains - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.raileurope.com. Usually I add www.seat61.com to the list but that site has given over and over misleading inaccurate info on the efficacy of a pass in Italy.
Apr 18th, 2012, 02:17 PM
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Mike - it's not the first and second adult but adult fare in 1st and 2nd class. 2nd class is $266 per person or $226 per person for the saver pass (2 to 5 people traveling together). So you both would pay $226 each.
Apr 18th, 2012, 02:30 PM
#9
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Oh, OK 2nd class is $226 each or $452USD. 1ST class is $276 times 2 people or $552 USD. Thanks, I think that I will pay alittle more for the flexability and can we use any of the trains ..even the fastest trains with this pass?
Apr 18th, 2012, 02:34 PM
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I looked at passes for nine days of train travel in Italy but ended up buying mini fares on the Trenitalia website at about 18 euros each, which worked out much cheaper. Go browsing there, using a fake date if your travel days are too far in advance to appear yet, and see what the price difference is.
Apr 18th, 2012, 03:51 PM
#11
>>>I think that I will pay alittle more for the flexability and can we use any of the trains ..even the fastest trains with this pass?<<<
As for the pass being flexible, you can't just hop on a train as you have to purchase seat reservations because all seats are reserved. If you plan to have reservations in advance then you might as well save a bunch of euro and buy the mini fare tickets instead.
You can buy mini fares between cities for these same trains and save as much as 60%. Since your dates are set, there really is no reason not to go on and book these.
For Venice/Florence there are mini fares from 19€ on your date with multiple selection of times for the fast AV train.
There are also 19 € fares for Florence/Rome for your date. Rome/Naples 19€ and Salerno/Venice 19€.
So you can spend a total of 76€ per person buying in advance from Trenitalia or you can spend $277 for a 2nd class pass ($226 for the pass + $53 for seats). Even if you don't buy the 19€ fares and buy the next up mini fares for 29€, you still only spend 116€.
2nd pass + ressies $277
Mini Fares $ 98
Savings $179
x2 $358
Don't let someone scare you out of online purchasing especially someone that never uses it. Those tales of gloom and doom haven't been true for several years. The majority of people do not have trouble buying online from Trenitalia since 2010 when they upgraded their system. Additionally, they have recently added a paypal option. Nor should you be scared into 1st class as 2nd class is perfectly fine unless you just want to spend extra money. Most of your train rides are so short (70 minutes, 90 minutes, 2 hours), you will barely have time to get settled before gathering your things to get off. The only long ride is Salerno/Venice, but since you have to change trains, even it isn't one continuous long ride. Here is a picture of 2nd class on these trains.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssainterno.jpg
As for the pass being flexible, you can't just hop on a train as you have to purchase seat reservations because all seats are reserved. If you plan to have reservations in advance then you might as well save a bunch of euro and buy the mini fare tickets instead.
You can buy mini fares between cities for these same trains and save as much as 60%. Since your dates are set, there really is no reason not to go on and book these.
For Venice/Florence there are mini fares from 19€ on your date with multiple selection of times for the fast AV train.
There are also 19 € fares for Florence/Rome for your date. Rome/Naples 19€ and Salerno/Venice 19€.
So you can spend a total of 76€ per person buying in advance from Trenitalia or you can spend $277 for a 2nd class pass ($226 for the pass + $53 for seats). Even if you don't buy the 19€ fares and buy the next up mini fares for 29€, you still only spend 116€.
2nd pass + ressies $277
Mini Fares $ 98
Savings $179
x2 $358
Don't let someone scare you out of online purchasing especially someone that never uses it. Those tales of gloom and doom haven't been true for several years. The majority of people do not have trouble buying online from Trenitalia since 2010 when they upgraded their system. Additionally, they have recently added a paypal option. Nor should you be scared into 1st class as 2nd class is perfectly fine unless you just want to spend extra money. Most of your train rides are so short (70 minutes, 90 minutes, 2 hours), you will barely have time to get settled before gathering your things to get off. The only long ride is Salerno/Venice, but since you have to change trains, even it isn't one continuous long ride. Here is a picture of 2nd class on these trains.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssainterno.jpg
Apr 18th, 2012, 06:20 PM
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The pass in this instance is clearly WAY more than you need to pay. Follow kybourbon's advice. Get on Trenitalia and buy point-to-point tickets. And don't even think about traveling 1st class in your situation. Totally unnecessary.
Apr 19th, 2012, 03:36 AM
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for the trip of a lifetime definitely IMO and IME - much more than I think St Cirq on Italian trains first class is definitely worth the extra money - I say this based on countless train rides in Italy - for someone to say "don't even th8ink about traveling in first class' is IMo just nonsense. Think about it at least.
<Don't let someone scare you out of online purchasing especially someone that never uses it. Those tales of gloom and doom haven't been true for several years. The majority of people do not have trouble buying online from Trenitalia since 2010 when they upgraded their system>
Oh gads give me a break - in the past few weeks there have been several frustrated folks posting here about having monumental problems using trenitalia.com site - why the misinformation? Now folks like kybourbon have shown great patience in helping folks who post their problems but to make it sound like a walk in the park for novices just boggles the mind!!!
<Don't let someone scare you out of online purchasing especially someone that never uses it. Those tales of gloom and doom haven't been true for several years. The majority of people do not have trouble buying online from Trenitalia since 2010 when they upgraded their system>
Oh gads give me a break - in the past few weeks there have been several frustrated folks posting here about having monumental problems using trenitalia.com site - why the misinformation? Now folks like kybourbon have shown great patience in helping folks who post their problems but to make it sound like a walk in the park for novices just boggles the mind!!!
Apr 19th, 2012, 04:20 AM
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PalenQ. what if OP goes to the Venice train station's Information section and gets all the ticket info there and buys all the tickets in Venice? I don't want to misguide him (and I don't think anyone else knowingly does either) but hate to see anyone pay twice what they need to.
mikeinfwtx, is Venice your first stop? I do agree about the convenience and lack of stress having the tickets in hand.
mikeinfwtx, is Venice your first stop? I do agree about the convenience and lack of stress having the tickets in hand.
Apr 19th, 2012, 05:50 AM
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WOW! Seat61 points out that point-to-point is better. Mini Fares are the way to go over the expensive rail passes that you have to queue up at the ticket office to make a reservation and pay the 10 euro reservation fee! kybourbon's Mini fares are clearly cheaper. I just need to get the schedule correct before purchasing.
Apr 20th, 2012, 06:01 PM
#16
Trenitalia used to state on their website that you should be using certain browsers, such as internet explorer, when booking tickets. You also need to notify your credit card company in advance that you will be making an online Italian company purchase so your credit card company doesn't block the sale.
Scroll down this link for screen by screen directions.
http://www.roninrome.com/transportat...ebsite-updated
Scroll down this link for screen by screen directions.
http://www.roninrome.com/transportat...ebsite-updated
Apr 21st, 2012, 10:56 PM
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It's not rocket science:
$266 for 4 days = €205 for 4 days = €51 per day, 1st class.
$226 for 4 days = €175for 4 days = €44 per day, 2nd class.
Add the €10 euro reservation fee that applies to all high-speed trains in Italy, and we get €61 or €54 per day, which we'll call 'per trip' assuming 1 trip per day.
Rome-Florence costs €63 full-price 1st class or €44 2nd class including reservation. And by pre-booking a cheap Mini fare it could be just 9 euros (though probably more like €19-29) 2nd class. Florence-Venice is similar.
So in this case, a pass makes no sense in 2nd class, and just breaks even in 1st, IF you stay flexible, but if you commit and pre-book the Mini fare will be the cheapest option by far.
$266 for 4 days = €205 for 4 days = €51 per day, 1st class.
$226 for 4 days = €175for 4 days = €44 per day, 2nd class.
Add the €10 euro reservation fee that applies to all high-speed trains in Italy, and we get €61 or €54 per day, which we'll call 'per trip' assuming 1 trip per day.
Rome-Florence costs €63 full-price 1st class or €44 2nd class including reservation. And by pre-booking a cheap Mini fare it could be just 9 euros (though probably more like €19-29) 2nd class. Florence-Venice is similar.
So in this case, a pass makes no sense in 2nd class, and just breaks even in 1st, IF you stay flexible, but if you commit and pre-book the Mini fare will be the cheapest option by far.
Apr 22nd, 2012, 11:32 AM
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I think the OP needs to check the individual train tickets to decide.
I just checked their longest trip Salerno to Venice and for July 4th is 248.00 € both, that alone pays for the Eurail pass for 4 days for one of them. A pass is more convenient for them if they have 2 long distance trips.
When you have small trips, 2-3 hours a pass isn't a good deal, but when you travel across country, 6-10 hrs. the pass pays for itself in one or two legs.
In our case. For two days of train tickets for us 4 (venice to napoli 327.00 €, napoli to monterosso 330.00 € ) I get a 3 day pass for $650 for the 4 of us.
I just checked their longest trip Salerno to Venice and for July 4th is 248.00 € both, that alone pays for the Eurail pass for 4 days for one of them. A pass is more convenient for them if they have 2 long distance trips.
When you have small trips, 2-3 hours a pass isn't a good deal, but when you travel across country, 6-10 hrs. the pass pays for itself in one or two legs.
In our case. For two days of train tickets for us 4 (venice to napoli 327.00 €, napoli to monterosso 330.00 € ) I get a 3 day pass for $650 for the 4 of us.
Apr 22nd, 2012, 11:58 AM
#19
>>>I just checked their longest trip Salerno to Venice and for July 4th is 248.00 € both, that alone pays for the Eurail pass for 4 days for one of them.<<<
I'm not sure how you figured that as the pass for just one person is with ressies is $277 so for two people would be $554. You are also ignoring the mini fares which are much cheaper.
>>>n our case. For two days of train tickets for us 4 (venice to napoli 327.00 €, napoli to monterosso 330.00 € ) I get a 3 day pass for $650 for the 4 of us.<<<
I see fares as cheap as 50€ for random summer dates between Venice and Naples. Ditto for Naples/Monterosso. A 3 day saver pass for four people is $768, not $650. You would also need to add $156 for seats (four people x three train rides). Your three day pass with seats is $924.
I'm not sure how you figured that as the pass for just one person is with ressies is $277 so for two people would be $554. You are also ignoring the mini fares which are much cheaper.
>>>n our case. For two days of train tickets for us 4 (venice to napoli 327.00 €, napoli to monterosso 330.00 € ) I get a 3 day pass for $650 for the 4 of us.<<<
I see fares as cheap as 50€ for random summer dates between Venice and Naples. Ditto for Naples/Monterosso. A 3 day saver pass for four people is $768, not $650. You would also need to add $156 for seats (four people x three train rides). Your three day pass with seats is $924.
