Question about Italian Train Reservation
 

Alright, I am going to Italy in about a month. I am going to buy the Eurail pass that covers Italy. But I know in Italy, you mostly have to reserve your seats too when traveling. However, I have one question. I am going to Lake Como, and I will have to take the train from Milan to Como, which is like a 30 minute train ride. Do I still need to reserve this? I mean it is a 30 minute ride. Is it an absoulute requirement to get on the train, or could I just stand up for 30 minutes. Any info would be helpful

Have you verified that you need a pass? What trips will you be making?

Unless you will be traveling the length of the country quite a few times, a pass may not be cheaper that buying individual tickets. Try your itinerary at trenitalia.com.

Certain faster trains, such as the Eurostar and Cisalpino, require reservations. These are indicated in the online schedule. You can get the reservations most easily at a train station after you get to Italy.

From Milan to Como, you could always take one of the many non-reserved trains if you don't need to go on one of the fastest.

It's not the length of the ride but the type of train that determines whether or not you need a reservation. EuroStar Italia trains and certain other fast trains require reservations while reservations aren't even possible on regional trains.

If you have a railpass, a seat reservation will cost 3-4 euros on most trains but 15 euros on EuroStar Italia trains. If you buy point-to-point tickets (usually the cheapest way to ride the rails in Italy), the reservation is included in the price of the ticket. If seats are available, Amica fares (20% discount) are sold up to the day before departure.

It's usually not cost effective to buy a rail pass for Italy.

There are AV, ES, ICplus trains (faster trains) and the tickets will include the seat reservation (when purchased from Trenitalia). R, IR, D trains (slower) don't sell reserved seats. Some routes only R trains are available so you can't reserve a seat at all.
http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Well, I am traveling in 4 other countries, so that is why I am buying a pass. Point to point tickets are out of the question. Thanks for the info.

Bump

It all depends upon your itinerary, but a combination of a railpass for longer rides and point-to-point tickets for shorter ones may be cheaper than a railpass alone. If you list your itinerary here, some Fodorites may be able to give you specific suggestions.

See the railpasses sections at www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

TimS gave you all the info you need.

Try entering your itinerary at www.railsaver.com and click only if a pass saves me money.