Looking for Italy Train Tips
 

My wife and I will be arriving in Rome at on a Saturday 8.30am after an overnight flight from NY. Our plan is to take the train immediately from Rome to Florence wehere we will be staying for the first part of our trip. I am interested in getting tickets before hand but I am not sure how long to allow before we can get to the train station. From what I read it seems it is best to train from the airport to the main train terminal. Does anyone know the policy for train reservations if you are early or late? Is there only one station to arrive in Florence? It seems EuroStar is the fastest option, is there a large difference between seat classes? Where is the best place to buy tickets if you want to buy tickets in the states or should we wait to we get to the airport in Rome? Thanks for all your help.

Hi scoob,

Strange, I'm doing the same thing.
First, go to http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34443340 for helpful information.

Second: I chose to take the 12:30 train following our 8:40 arrival figuring that we could always have a gelato if we have to wait.

The shuttle from the airport to Roma TE leaves every 1/2 hr. You can purchase your tickets to Florence at the airport station.

If you have a reservation and miss the the train, you have to pay a fee for a new reservation.

There is only one station in Florence.

I used Euraide to purchase tickets in advance. 941 480-1555

You don't need to purchase train tickets in advance. When you arrive at Fiumicino's train station (5 minute walk from baggage retrieval), purchase BOTH the ticket to Roma Termini (8.80 Euros), as well as the Eurostar ticket from Termini to Firenze S.M. Novella Station. Allow 20-30 minutes transfer time at Temini to walk between trains (you may need to walk up to 800 yards). The train from the airport to Termini leaves every 30 minutes, and takes 32 minutes, so you will be able to choose the exact departure time from Termini to Florence, and select the Eurostar train accordingly. The Eurostar ticket for the train selected by you includes the mandatory seat reservation. Eurostar trains to Florence depart no less than hourly. You can check departure times at www.trenitalia.com

Type in "Roma Aeroporto" as your departure point and "Firenze S.M. Novella" as your arrival point. The schedules will show a connection at Roma Termini.

I meant to say that Eurostar trains from Rome Termini to Florence depart AT LEAST hourly (during selected timeframes, at 30 minute intervals). You must PUNCH the ticket for the airport train to Termini before you board at the yellow punching machines at the head of the train track. Seats on the airport train are all unreserved. (If you wish, you can also punch the separate ticket for the Eurostar train, although punching is not mandatory on Eurostar).

Ira and GAC:
Thanks for all of your help and good ideas. If you could explain what you mean by "punch" the tickets and also do either of you have an opion of the different classes on the ES train.
Thanks again for all your help and Ira that link was great.

"Punch" means that the ticket must be inserted into a narrow slot of the yellow ticket machine. The machine will date and time stamp the ticket, thereby rendering it useless after six hours (so, you want to stamp it minutes before you board, and not the day before!) I should have described the machine as STAMPING (rather than punching) the ticket.

As regards the differences between first and second class on Eurostar, there is a very long thread on this subject (which I largely authored), as well as other opinions in this forum.

For the 90 minute ride between Rome and Florence, second class is perfectly acceptable. You don't need to pay more for first class. However, expect that second class will be more crowded, and the very limited luggage racks at the ends of second class cars fill up quickly, compelling travellers to wedge suitcases between the seatbacks, or in the overhead racks (which are not very large).

Scoob, GAC's thread gives very good info. I used it make a decision on which class to go, myself.

We recently traveled first class from Florence to Venice and were glad we did for the small additional fee. We were extremely comfortable with a bit larger seats, plenty of leg room, great A/C, a light service (juice, coffee, cookies, danish, newspaper, etc.), and no crowds in our car.

If we had it to do over again, we'd still go first. There isn't, however, a large difference between the two classes. We mostly felt the extra legroom was worth the cost.

I forgot to mention (VERY IMPORTANT): when you purchase your reserved seat on the Eurostar between Roma Termini and Firenze S.M. Novella, remember to specify smoking or non-smoking, as there are dedicated rail cars for each in both classes of service. If you are a non-smoker, you don't want to be caught amongst the smokers, even if for only 90 minutes. (The airport train to Termini is all non-smoking).

You can also purchase train tickets in Rome at a travel agency or an American Express office a few days before you plan to leave for Florence. If I remember correctly, there is an American Express office near the Spanish steps where I purchased some train tickets last year. I am not absolutely certain about that location though, so ask at your hotel and they should be able to guide you.

Don't know if there is one in Rome, but in Florence we purchased our Eurostar tickets at the Eurostar Club at the train station, and it was very fast and easy. They spoke English, were very helpful, and ensured that we had exactly what we were looking for. Just another suggestion.

Hi GAC,

Would you mind giving me the link to the differences between first and second class on ES*, I'd like to add it to "Helpful Information: Italy".

When you reserve a train ticket are you also reserving the time? If we have a itinerary for our trip do we need to decide the time we want to leave each day or is it OK to show up for the train we want on the day and time we feel like and assume we can still get on. We are willing to pay for first class if that means more flexibility with more available seats at the last minute. Is not planning each leg at a certain time and playing the train by ear a mistake? I don't want to end up waiting at the train station or worse, not making it to a destination and losing a hotel deposit because we can't make it there. Advice please!

thorspecken, I can't offer advice regarding the IC trains, but with Eurostar the date and time is stamped on your ticket. Therefore, THAT is the only train you have a seat reservation for, and thus the only one that your ticket is valid for.

scoob,

go to trenitalia.com for schedules and fares.
If you are able to buy ES train's tickets for the same day, I noticed that there is a 10:55 ES that leaves Rome Termini and also another ES at 11:30. The duration of the ride is only 1:35 minutes and the second class ticket is 29.45 Euros. Second class in the ES is nice,clean and comfortable.
Enjoy Italy,
Buon Viaggio,

Thorspecken,

If you book an ES ticket, it is for a particular train on a particular day at a particular time. If you miss the train you must rebook for another train and pay a small fee to do so.

If you book an IC ticket, it is good for any IC train on any day between your two cities. This is why you must stamp the ticket before boarding, to verify your actual use of the ticket. (Sometimes the ticketpunchers don't show up to punch your ticket on the train.) You can reserve a seat on a particular IC train for an additional fee. The reservation is separate, so if you miss the train, you can get on another train, but you won't have a reserved seat unless you bother to make another reservation.

I just returned from Rome last Monday and took the "Leonardo Express" train that operates from 6:37 am to 11:37 pm every day of the year going back and forth between Leonardo Da Vinci Fiumicino Airport and Roma Termini train station. The trains leave every 30 minutes and were very convenient, not to mention cheap (8,80 euro per person). There is always an attendant near the departure/arrival points and it was not a problem to purchase the ticket upon arrival.

There are 2 train stations in Florence, you want to go to Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN). I would buy my tickets upon arrival in Roma Termini, there are numerous trains so it should not be a problem. I always buy 2nd class seats which seem to be just as nice as 1st, without the additional cost. Also, as of April 14, 2003, Trenitalia abolished all of its smoking areas on its trains so thankfully, all the coaches are smoke-free now. Enjoy your trip!