Experienced Italian train travelers please help.....
I have been looking almost daily on the Trenitalia website to book 3 different trains and so far the only thing I get is a message that saids no solution found.
I can find schedules and prices for each route a few days to a week before my dates so I think I am doing it right. Is this unusual? When can I expect to be able to book? My dates and routing..(all one way) are: 1- Sat June 15 Roma Termini to Chiusi-Chianciano Termini 2-Sat June 22 Chiusi-Chianciano Termini to Venezia Santa Lucia 3-Tues June 25 Venezia Santa Lucia to Ventimiglia. Thanks for any help... |
The routes you are choosing probably include Regionale trains, shown as R on the Trenitalia site. R tickets are not available online more than 7 days in advance.
PLUS, there is no benefit to purchasing R tickets ahead of time--no reserved seats so therefore a particular train won't sell out, no discounts for advanced purchase. In fact, R tickets purchased online have more restrictions for use than a ticket you just buy from a machine just before you board. Check which routes inclde R trains and for what portion of each trip. Then you can book ahead just the part of the route that is NOT an R train. |
Also, the schedules for after June 15 are not totally loaded on Trenitalia yet. They may not be fully loaded until the beginning of June. You can get an idea of schedules and prices by choosing a date next week since schedules and prices won't change that much. (choose a Saturday for your Saturday trips, and a Tuesday for your Tuesday trips.)
For Roma Termini to Chiusi-Chianciano Termini, there are Intercity and Regionale trains. For Chiusi-Chianciano Termini to Venezia Santa Lucia, you will need a Regional ticket from Chiusi to Firenze SMN. From Firenze SMN, you can book a faster train and reserve the ticket ahead. (or you can take an Intercity to Bologna and connect to Venezia) For Venezia Santa Lucia to Ventimiglia, you will have to make one or two connections--a variety of routes are available, and some legs of the trip are Regionale, some not. |
If you want the easy way out, go to BudgetEuropeTravel.com, call their 800 number in the States, and ask their experts. They are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Their prices do not include a mark-up, as I recall. We used them once for Vienna- Prague- Munich.
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For Rome to Chiusi, the R trains are cheaper (7.50€) and only take about 10 minutes longer than the IC trains (16€). You can buy the IC trains in advance which will include reserved seats and often there are discounts (9€ instead of 16€).
I don't care for the IC train on this route as they were compartments last time I used them (2011). Compartment seating is harder to get in and out, luggage has to go over your head. The R trains will be open seating layout. These trains stop for as little as 1 minute so you need to know when your stop is coming (look up the stops before Chiusi) and be at the door with your luggage ready to get off. Summer schedules start the 2nd weekend in June and Trenitalia is always slow to load them. You just have to keep checking for Trenitalia to load the schedules if you want to book the IC or AV trains and hopefully snag some discounts. You must validate R tickets before boarding. |
It would be easier to fly from Vemice dp 18.05 to Nice ar 19.20 (fares start at 73 EUR with 1 piece of checked in luggage) and to go on by commuter train to Ventimiglia ar 21.13 or later (trains every 30 min)
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>>>>If you want the easy way out, go to BudgetEuropeTravel.com, call their 800 number in the States, and ask their experts. They are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Their prices do not include a mark-up, as I recall.<<<
Budget Europe Travel is a pass promoter and tickets would be marked-up as they are a reseller. They are not the official train company for Italy. If you click their links, they roll over to RailEurope which marks up tickets, charges a mailing fee and doesn't even list all train options. If you don't want any mark-up or fees, use Trenitalia, the Italian train company or Italiarail (they only charge $5). |
Thanks for your responses, started to get it...but one more question-
If I book Regional trains (R) as some of you are suggesting does that mean I book at the train station on the day of travel? |
Yes, just buy your ticket before you board. You can buy a day or two ahead if you'd prefer to have your ticket in hand on the day of travel. You can buy your R tickets at ANY train station, so you could make a list of the ones you need and then buy all of them at the first train station you visit. R tickets are not for any particular train, just for a particular class of train (slowest) between two cities.
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