Ok, we leave in 4 weeks for 7 nights in Rome with day trips to Florence and Orvieto via train. Itiniery planned with great help from this sight. Should we purchase train tickets here or in Italy? At the station or are there other ticket sites? Do we need to choose our return time when we purchase tickets or are they valid for the whole day...because I'm not certain what return time I need to choose for day trips. Any suggestions on type of trains, purchase advice, travel tips are appreciated...Thanks, again.

Buy your train tickets there. We went to a travel agent near our hotel in Rome who easily booked it. We took the super fast, luxuroius Eurostar trains with which you get a seat reservation. I think it was E78 one way for two people. Why not spend the night in Florence? I think it's about a three hour train ride. We jsut got back on Sat. and the two weeks we were in Italy we never saw lines for the train tickets. We stayed near the train station in Rome for our last night on our way back from our travels to catch our flight. It's a charmless area but our first two days in Rome on the way in we stayed at the Cesari. Very comfortable and great location in old Rome. I think it's on the Fodor's website and we booked it on-line. The hotel booked the Borghese Gallery for us which MUST be booked in advance. This was really a highlight of our trip.

Buy your tickets in Rome and take the ES is only 90 minutes ride from Rome to Florence.

Hi, First congrats on your upcoming trip, how fun!

2) Here is a link for the time tables of trains www.trenitalia.com

3) I bought my tickets there at the station in Rome several days before I went to Florence and I used a machine to purchase tickets which was great! I used my atm and just picked from the selection that would pop up. It was really quite easy and I didn't need to stand in line.

Wishing you a wonderful stay...

in rome you can also buy your tix at american express office by the spanish steps.there is also an am express in florence a little more difficult to find, but very helpful. eurostar tix require a seat reservation an houur min. ahead of time. at that time of year any other train travel is easily done with an open tix

As previous posts,it is easy and much cheaper to buy tickets in Italy.Any train station will do.

To Florence,ES tickets come with seat reservation. To Orvieto (only 1 hour), there are Ic train (frequent)or regional train, you don't need reservation,you could just take any train you like.

Hi Laur,

When you purchase your train tickets in Italy you will find that ES* trains come with required reservations. If you wish to change your train, you have to do it before the train leaves or you will be charged for another reservation, about 12E.

IC and RC train tickets can be purchased without reservations and good for a year. However, you are not guaranteed a seat.

I also recommend overnighting in Florence.

Correction to the previous posting: rail tickets purchased in Italy (other than Eurostar tickets) are valid for two months (not one year) from the date of purchase, and either 24 hrs. or 6 hrs. from the time of "validation" (time and date stamping) in the yellow machines at the train stations. Don't buy the ticket too soon! Eurostar tickets are valid only on the train and on the date and time for which the reservation is held. If you wish to travel on a different train, you must change your reservation BEFORE the departure time of the train for which you hold the original reservation. This change is free of change, on a once-only basis. If you make the change within 24 hours AFTER train departure, you pay a change fee of 3 Euros.

Clarification to previous posting: you can change a Eurostar reservation in Italy, PRIOR to the departure of the train for which you are originally reserved, more than once, and without charge. Within 24 hours AFTER departure of the original train, you can secure a new reservation on a later train, once only, for an additional reservation fee of 3 Euros. The rules are hard to remember accurately!

Hi GAC,

Thank you for the corrections. It will teach me (once again) not to post off the top of my head.