Melida Peralta

I am arriving in Rome on Thursday at 8am and I need a train ticket to Florence. Is there a good chance that there will be availability on the trains for a same day purchase?

Tony

Yes,definitely.

vosaki

I will be the first to tell you that I don't really understand the rules for Italian trains. I was first told that the iron clad rule was that you had to have a reservation on the itercity express trains -- EuroStar. Then when we missed a connection I was told to wait on the platform for the next train and enter the first car. The agent said that the first car was always "reserved" for those without reservations. Well we got on the train but that doesn't prove much because the train wasn't full. I don't know how to square this circle. <BR>I have been on EuroStar trains that were packed to the gills. If the second rule is correct, you'll have no problems. However, if it isn't and the train are fully reserved, you will be in trouble.

Carol

My understanding is that you do not need advanced tickets OR seat reservations (which are two different things) but that if the train is full you will have to wait for the next one (I guess hoping that it is not full). I am told this become a bigger issue in July and August. You can cal the US ticketing agency for Eurail at 1-800-438-7245 and talk to them directly. I also understand that without reservations the train car will probably be asmoking car and that even US smokers sometimes have a hard time on Italian smoking cars..I guess it is really smoky. If oyu have even a few hours ahead I am told it is god to try to get a seat reservation (which costs extra).

Jane

I would suggest buying your ticket and reserving a seat in advance. We were just in Italy and figured we'd have no problem reserving seats a day or two before we travelled for each leg of our trip, but we found that first class nonsmoking was already booked in every instance. (2nd class turned out to be fine anyway.) <BR> <BR>We travelled only on Eurostar, which is the fastest of the Italian trains. Less expensive trains like the Intercity (IC) or others may be even more crowded. You might be pushing your luck to try buying tickets on the spot for the train of your choice. <BR> <BR>But I'm also not an expert on Italian trains, since aside from this last trip, I've only been to Italy during the off-season and never had a problem getting a seat on trains without advance purchase tickets. <BR> <BR>Hope I didn't confuse you more - have a wonderful time!

vosaki

Let me take one more swipe at this. My comment above is obviously confusing. While I have no facts to substantiate this guess, what probably happened was that the agent who told me about the "reserved car" for those without reservations was telling me what he believed would make me disappear. If he had said you'll probably get on the next train, it would have invited more questions. <BR>What makes the most sense it that on EuroStar service you need a ticket that shows the date, destination, and seat number to be a "legal" passenger. The EuroStar trains are super deluxe and they probably don't want people standing in the aisles. Standing in the aisles is accepted on most trains in Europe. Sometime you feel like you're living Schindler's List. <BR>Those wanting to travel by EuroStar should make their reservations as soon as possible. You are more likely to get on the train of your choice. You can sit in smoking or non-smoking, and smoking in a European train is really smoking. They tend to be voracious, constant smokers. If you are in a large group, you won't find yourselves spread all over the train. If you have small children, you'll be assured that you'll sit together. <BR>The question is, "How do you make reservations on Italian trains in the US." I don't know. Last year, my travel agent was unable to do it. She had to resort to an affilate in Italy do it for her. There is a recent thread by a person describing his unavailing attempt to purchase tickets. Forget the obvious solution, calling the Italian reservation system in Italy -- I have personal experience, they don't answer the phone even in Italy. <BR>I hope someone can tell us how to make reservations. <BR>

tony

I just came back from Italy this week and traveled from Rome to Florence by train. Made resevrations the day of travel at the train station, no problem. <BR>However, it was during the weekday. If you can, take the eurostar. We also traveled from Florence to Venice on a weekend and resverations are a must. Just about all the trains were booked and that was 4 days out. The numer of trains was limited compared to Rome-Florence. Travel IC -hot, cramped and difficult to store luggage. In both cases we traveled 1st class. Eurostar is the way to go.