Jan

We are travelling in Italy end of September to mid October with a rail Pass(flexi rail) <BR>Is it necessary to make reservations at this time of year on the ES? Is is still better to go 1ST class at this time or is 2nd class ok? Plan is Rome to Venice, Venice to Florence, Florence to Calabria, Calabria to Amalfi and Naples to Rome with each leg about 5 days apart. If anyone has any info re Paola in Calabria near Cosenza please let me know. I am having a terrible time trying to rent a car for 2 days and can't find a train connection which I assuje would be from Rome after leaving Florence. <BR> <BR>LOVE THIS SITE!! MILLE GRAZIE!!

Paule

I travelled in July in the summers of '98 and '99 and had no trouble getting reservations a day or two before my departure. Not only can you make reservations at the train station, but you can also go to any travel agency and make reservations there. I found 2nd class on the ES comfortable; there seemed to be no reason to spend the extra dollars for first class. If I had no problem in July, I can't imagine that you'll have any trouble during September or October.

don

ES requires resv. for a seat. We saw 3 couples get booted off at the last minute. Also, be sure to validate your ticket in the machine at the station! First class is very nice on the ES with dining car-great meals!!!

jan

Thanks for the help. Does 2nd class have a dining car too! What is the difference between 1st and 2nd class on the ES?

curious

Itoo have read this site and am still confused about this. Alot of people say only go 1st class. others say it is a waste of money. can someone lay out the differences...especially on legs over 2 -3 hrs.

Paulo

Jan: Paola is on the main train track south to Reggio di Calabria. Cosenza is off this main track. As a consequence, most trips from Florence to Cosenza call for a train change in Paola (on top of a change in Rome or Naples). The 12:38pm IC train out from Florence goes directly to Paola. <BR> <BR>As a rule of thumb, trains south of Rome are more crowded than up north. I would advise to travel 1st class in trains other than Eurostar (which thin down south of Naples anyway). <BR> <BR>North of Rome, on Eurostars, IMO 2nd class is perfectly "decent". The basic difference is that in 1st class cabins there are 3 seats across and in 2nd class there are 4 seats across (in several trains there are also 3 seats across in 2nd class and the difference regards only a luxury issue). Also, in 1st class on some trains one would have the choice of airplane type seats (no cabins). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

jan

Thanks all for your help. Now I have to decide 1st or 2nd as 1 of our trips is quite long-Florence to Paola. GRAZIE!!

Sandra

Hi Jan- <BR>We just returned from two weeks in Italy on a flexi-pass as well. Have you bought your flexi-pass yet? We were on a first class pass and were happy with it, except I question if we paid more than if we had just bought tickets for each leg of our trip. We were there late July/early August and found the first class cars practically empty, vs. second class cars which were standing-room only. (This could be substantially different in September and October though.) We never took a ES train - they actually require a supplemental fare on top of the price you paid for the flexi-pass. The flexi-pass allowed us to show up at the train station whenever we wanted and grab practically any train without having to think about it or worry about reservations. Also, the earlier tip about punching your ticket before getting on the train doesn't apply with the flexi-pass. You only need to write down the date you are riding on your ticket (they have spaces for this) BEFORE you get on the train. <BR>Have a fabulous trip........