Hi fellow Fodorites. I would like to travel on a day trip from Rome to Florence when I'm there the last week of December. I looked at the Trenitalia website and registered, but the booking is really confusing(deliberate?). I'm not sure which class train to take, but I do want to take a fast, if not the fastest, train to Florence. I did some searches but did not find the info I needed for a successful tranaction. Thanks so much if you can help,

Kurt

Lat time i was in Rome I went to a travel agent right when I got there and they took care of it for me. Some might suggest Raileurope.com but they charge more then if you bought the ticket in Rome.

Hi M,

You Do Not have to prebook a train trip from Rome to Florence during the month of December. Simply do as Richardab suggests or buy your ticket on the same day as you travel at the train station in Rome. It's really that simple !!!

From your various other Rome threads, you have an incredible "thing" about worrying about many things. Relax or do yourself a favor and stay home.

You can go to the train station and buy the tickets when you're in Rome.

Mango7- I found this site very helpful before I went to Italy http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/trains/tickets.htm

Hi M,

You want the ES* train.

2cl is fine. 29.44E each way.

There are no discounted fares for this route, so you could buy your ticket when you arrive in Rome or just get one at the train station or a TA.

I've always just bought train tickets in Italy when I get to the station. The self service machines are very easy to use, have an English language option & avoid the queues.

I also recommend buying the ticket when you get to Rome. If you feel that language may be an issue, you can buy the ticket at the American Express office (near the Spanish Steps).There is no additional charge for getting tickets from a travel agency or AMEX. For the fastest trip you'll want EuroStar (ES). I was glad last November that I hadn't prepurchaed my train from Florence to Venice - there was a 4 hour strike on my travel day which I found out about early in the week so bought an afternoon departure (had I prebooked, I would have bought morning)

I agree w/caroline & margaret. I've never purchased train tix ahead of time, & never had a problem. With the machines, it's easier to do now than it's ever been. If you're technophobic, you might ask for help the first time you use one, but once you've got the hang of it, it's no biggie.

However, I have selected the times I want to travel. I think I got the schedules from Rick Steve's train site.

Just in case you have not been to a train station in Italy...the machines everyone is talking about are similiar to the machines in the NYC subway, or an ATM really. You can also buy tickets at counters. If you end up buying online, don't forget to bring your printed ticket with you--I learned that the hard way my last trip!

Have fun,

Erika

I doubt it is deliberately confusing as you indicated.

Everyone- Thank you so much for your help, I want to address each of you myself, but it would take forever!

I think I'll just buy the tickets at the trainstation after getting mugged by some gypsys

I will do the Eurostar 2nd Class too (thanks)!

Can't beleive I will be leaving in 5 weeks

Regards,

Kurt

You're not gonna get mugged, and you are going to have a blast. Just remember, when things go wrong (and they will, I promise), there's always gelato & cappuccino. Italy is actually a good place for worriers -- you'll learn how not to worry!

And when you come back, you'll be a pro. Have a great trip!

Thanks Lucie- Sorry its so late!

Kurt