Rail advice for Italy and France
Apr 23rd, 2013, 06:15 PM
#1
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Rail advice for Italy and France
I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice on rail tickets for my upcoming trip to Italy and France. We will be traveling Venice - Florence-Cinque Terre - Nice - Aix en Provence. In Aix we will be picking up a car and driving through Provence.
I am wondering if I should pre purchase these tickets through a website like Rail Europe while still in the United States or should I wait until we get to Europe and buy there? I don't want to waste my time going to the train station ahead of time to buy tickets if I can do it at home.
I know to get to Florence - Cinque Terre (Manarola) I will transfer through Pisa and La Spezia then get a regional train from there.
Does anyone know how early I can leave La Spezia and arrive in Nice? I don't want to arrive late at night but everything I see gets us in no earlier than 9 pm.
We will be traveling in July for 3 weeks. I know I can't buy tickets this far out but I would love to get everything ready ahead of time and have a schedule.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
I am wondering if I should pre purchase these tickets through a website like Rail Europe while still in the United States or should I wait until we get to Europe and buy there? I don't want to waste my time going to the train station ahead of time to buy tickets if I can do it at home.
I know to get to Florence - Cinque Terre (Manarola) I will transfer through Pisa and La Spezia then get a regional train from there.
Does anyone know how early I can leave La Spezia and arrive in Nice? I don't want to arrive late at night but everything I see gets us in no earlier than 9 pm.
We will be traveling in July for 3 weeks. I know I can't buy tickets this far out but I would love to get everything ready ahead of time and have a schedule.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
Apr 23rd, 2013, 06:58 PM
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I looked on the DBahn site (and I suggest that you do the same).
Connections from La Spezia to Nice are quite frequent each day.
As an example I chose the 0746 departure from La Spezia and, with changes at Genova and Ventimiglia, it arrives at Nice at 1405.
Connections from La Spezia to Nice are quite frequent each day.
As an example I chose the 0746 departure from La Spezia and, with changes at Genova and Ventimiglia, it arrives at Nice at 1405.
Apr 23rd, 2013, 07:02 PM
#3
>>>I am wondering if I should pre purchase these tickets through a website like Rail Europe<<<
No. RailEurope is a reseller. They markup the prices. The only tickets on your Italy itinerary that you would want to buy in advance would be Venice/Florence. You can snag some discounts on the fast AV trains with advance purchase. Use Trenitalia, the Italian rail company.
The rest of your Italy trip will be mostly slow R trains. These trains don't have reserved seating, no discounts and can't sell out. Tickets bought online in advance have more restrictions than tickets bought at the station.
If you want to see prices/schedules for Italian trains, enter a date within the next 7 days (you must use the Italian spelling).
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD
You might be able to get discounts for Nice/Aix on the French rail site.
No. RailEurope is a reseller. They markup the prices. The only tickets on your Italy itinerary that you would want to buy in advance would be Venice/Florence. You can snag some discounts on the fast AV trains with advance purchase. Use Trenitalia, the Italian rail company.
The rest of your Italy trip will be mostly slow R trains. These trains don't have reserved seating, no discounts and can't sell out. Tickets bought online in advance have more restrictions than tickets bought at the station.
If you want to see prices/schedules for Italian trains, enter a date within the next 7 days (you must use the Italian spelling).
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD
You might be able to get discounts for Nice/Aix on the French rail site.
