My husband and I can't figure out these train web-sites. We wanted to look at the schedules for the train trips we will be taking so we can call CIT and purchase the tickets and make the train reservations before we leave for our trip (in September). We got on the fs-on-line web site but are confused by the designations of "intercity train," "interregional train," and "Eurostar." What are the differences? We know we want to go first class, have seat reservations and get to our destinations as soon as possible. From my reading here on the Forum, I thought we wanted Eurostar and express trains. How can we tell if a train is an express? In addition, my understanding is that we will need seat reservations for a Eurostar trip. But the website says that the reservation must be made in Italy. Does that mean that if we buy our tickets in advance, we will still have to make seat reservations once we're there? (Our time is limited so we wanted to do as much in advance as possible, even if it means surcharges.)<BR><BR>We also got confused when we were trying to see the schedule from Rome to Pompeii. I've learned that we want to go to Naples on a ES and then on a circumvensia (or something like that) to Pompeii Scavi. The website didn't recognize a station called "Pompeii Scavi." Can anyone help us with this? <BR><BR>Finally, is it cheaper to purchase the tickets individually, or is there some rail pass or kilometric ticket that would be less expensive. (Our train travel will be: Rome to Pompeii Scavi and back to Rome; Florence to Venice; Venice to Milan; and Milan to Malpensa.<BR><BR>I realize that the fact that we can't figure out the train schedules now doesn't bode well for our finding the right train track and car in Italy but we're hoping that people will take pity on us. All the help you give us will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Eurostar trains are faster than Intercity, and Intercity are faster than Interregional. Reservations are required on ES trains, optional on IC, and (I think) unavailable on IR.<BR><BR>It used to be possible to order tickets and reservations for ES and IC trains directly on the fs-on-line site and collect them from self-service machines in the major stations; but now it seems you have to have an Italian address in order to register on the site. I'm sure CIT will be able to get you seat reservations on Eurostar and Intercity trains--indeed, you can't get a Eurostar ticket without getting a seat reservation. This should work for Rome to Naples and back, Rome to Florence, Florence to Venice, and Venice to Milan.<BR><BR>For Naples to Pompeii, the stop is "Pompei Scavi." You take the Circumvesuviana, which is a commuter train; no reservations are possible. It has a website, www.vesuviana.it, but I think it's only in Italian. For Milan to Malpensa, likewise no reservations as far as I know. That train's website is www.ferrovienord.it/webmxp/ing/index.html, and it's in English. These are both separate systems from the Ferroviario Statale, and so they won't show up at fs-on-line.<BR><BR>I don't think there's any savings to be had from a pass. I added up your point-to-point tickets, and they came to about $150 per person (not including the Circumvesuviana or the Malpensa Express) for first class on the fastest trains (ES or IC). The Kilometric Pass would cost slightly more than this, and would require supplements for ES or IC trains, so you'd have to wait in line anyway for the supplements or else ride in slower trains.

For "Ferroviario Statale" read "Ferrovie dello Stato." My Italian is a little garbled at this hour of the morning.

I was trying to book my entire vacation on my own when I encountered similar problems with the Eurostar tickets.<BR>I went to a local travel agent and had the ticket and seat reservation the very next day. Easy solution.<BR>Buon viaggio!

Your local travel agent should be able to handle your train ticket and seat reservations. I think many agents deal with DERTRAVEL. You can call them directly, and may be able to do ti yourself, but if you try their on-line form, it asks for agent information. About three weks ago, I ordered by phone from CIT-Tours tickets for two lengthy Eurostar train trips in Italy in late July and early August. I had the tickets AND seat reservations in hand within one week. Great service. And, everything was accurate. You pay a small supplement, and the mailing costs (via Airborne Express), but it was worth it to me not to have to worry about the first two trips on our journey in high vacation season. We'll handle the rest when we get there. I did use the train schedules on the fs website to check the times and trains I wanted before calling CIT-Tours, but they have the schedules as well and can help you.

Thanks Jahoulih and Pam. Your messages were extremely helpful. Judy

Hi everyone. Well, I'm no train "expert" but I've just had a great experience with the FS-on-Line folks and thought I would pass it on:<BR><BR>1. The site, to my knowledge, doesn't actually say that reservations have to be made in Italy. Since it's the internet, they don't really know where you're sitting when you buy a ticket. This said, the "English" site appears to not allow one to register. The Italian site does. They will ask for a field called "codice fiscale" - this is a calculated code based on your name, date of birth, gender, and place of birth. You can find it by searching for "codice fiscale" on google.com and following one of the many web links to a little site that will ask for your vitals and subsequently calculate the code.<BR><BR>Not wanting to lead you down the wrong track, you STILL won't be able to register even now that you have the code because the site won't allow for foreign places of birth or foreign addresses. A message will pop up with the help desk number - 011.39.06.88339537. Call it and they will register you, send you an email with your user id and password, and generally answer any questions you might have. I've no idea whether they have English-speaking staff (my Italian is fluent), but I spoke with a man named Gianluca and he was terrific.<BR><BR>This done, you can go on-line and purchase a ticket using your username and password. When it's all done, they'll send you an email confirmation. You might want to print out one of the intermediate pages showing your carriage and seat number on a Eurostar train, as this information was not included in my final email or payment confirmation.<BR><BR>I don't know what CIT and other agencies charge as commission, but a five-minute phone call might be worth it if you plan a lot of train travel!<BR><BR>Good luck,<BR>Christina