We are traveling to Switzerland by rail mid May for three nights and two full days. Zurich to Wengen and they from Wengen to Italy via Milan for rail/train to Cinque Terre for three days and then to Florence , we will have a rental car for a few days in Florence, and then will travel by train from Florence to Rome and will be in Rome for a full day, overnight and fly out in AM. Do we purchase tickets for rail and trains in advance, we have some of the connections mapped out for travel or do we wait until we are there? what is the difference in cost of the tickets? I am concerned that if we purchase in advance and miss the train we will be paying for the tickets again? Just wondering what you would suggest?

Well Zurich to Wengen may as well buy there - not many discount tickets available I believe but check www.sbb.ch - Swiss Railways web site to check on that.

But Wengen to Italy check www.sbb.ch too and www.trenitalia.com for sizable discounts which yes are train-specific and non-changeable non-refundble I believe. Ditto Rome to Florence.

For lots on trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Thus tickets to Italy and in Italy yes -www.trenitalia.com for Italy.

Wengen-Interlaken-Spiez-Milan-Cinque Terre

CT-Florence-Rome

Do you have a specific reason for wanting a car in Florence? If it is for leisurely gallivants about the countryside, sure, but any driving in Florence itself is not advisable.

If you land at ZRH and want to continue by train to Wengen, it doesn't make sense to book ahead as you don't know exactly if your flight will be late or too early.
Just go to the airport railway station, buy a ticket and take the next train. Trains to Berne and from there to Interlaken run every 30 min.
If you prefer to travel via Lucerne (longer but cheaper), trains run every hr.
For Spiez - Milan and Milan - Genoa or Monterosso, you may get highly discounted tickets (smart or mini) if you book ahead in the web.
If you don't stay at Wengen all the time but want to go to Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn or so, you may be interested in the Swiss Half Fare Card.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/s...fare-card.html

I suppose you know that weather is always unpredictable in the Alps. Rain and fog during 2-3 days is not uncommon.

>>>we will have a rental car for a few days in Florence<<<

You aren't allowed to drive in Florence and parking would cost 30-40€ per day. If you want to see a few things in the countryside around Florence, pick up a car as you leave CT (La Spezia or Pisa airport), tour the countryside and drop your car as you arrive in Florence.

For your Florence/Rome (you must use the Italian spelling on Trenitalia) rail tickets, Trenitalia and Italo both operate fast trains on this route. Advance purchase might save you money although your trip is only a few weeks away and discounted tickets may have been snatched up by now.

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

http://www.italotreno.it/en

I've taken regional trains between Florence and Rome and though they take about twice as long - 2.5 hours or so - they are dirt cheap and have a flat fare so walk-up tickets are very cheap. I enjoyed the slower trains that stop at lots of towns - high-speed trains avoid all but the biggest towns- usually not stopping between Florence and Rome.

And as regional trains don't even take reservations you can board any regional train.

For the ticket from Switzerland to Milan, I suggest buying it on the Swiss rail site ( https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html ), because you'll almost certainly have to change trains somewhere, and the Italian rail site ( http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en ) will only sell tickets from the last change of train in Switzerland. On the Swiss site, you can buy a ticket as far as Milan, and there are usually good discounts on these international tickets if you buy at least two weeks in advance.

For the trip from Milan to the Cinque Terre, you will probably be using regional trains, and it's not advisable to buy these tickets online. For the trip from Florence to Rome, you can get good discounts if you buy well in advance, as much as 120 days in advance. The discounted tickets generally cannot be modified.

what is the difference in cost of the tickets?>

I'm not an expert on that like bvlenci is - bv- what would be a typical discount ticket cost vs fully flexible full-fare ticket - say Switzerland - Milan or Florence-Rome?

Off hand I'd say about double the price or more?

Thanks.

>>>http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en ) will only sell tickets from the last change of train in Switzerland.<<<

Trenitalia used to require you to pick up your tickets at a kiosk in an Italian station for international tickets so it didn't work even you were starting in the other country. I don't know if that's still the case. Last time I took this route (a few years ago) I bought online on the Swiss site. I had to present my print out at a station in Switzerland to get the ticket though.

>>>I've taken regional trains between Florence and Rome and though they take about twice as long - 2.5 hours or so<<<

Takes 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours depending on train vs the fast trains taking 90 minutes.

>>> what would be a typical discount ticket cost vs fully flexible full-fare ticket - say Switzerland - Milan or Florence-Rome?

Off hand I'd say about double the price or more?<<<

Cheapest fare Milan/Zurich 2nd class is 9€ for a mini fare (at least 21 days before departure) or 19€ for a Smart 1 fare (Go fare on the Swiss site last I looked and at least 14 days before departure). Full fare 2nd class Zurich/Milan is 76€.

A random day in June (21) shows a 9€ fare on Trenitalia (prices will be chf on sbb)for 4 departures and 19€ for the other 4 departures:

EuroCity 19 - da Zuerich Hb a Milano Centrale

Posto 2ª Classe
Adult/standard


Offerta SMART 2
Posto 2ª Classe 39,00 € 39,00 €

Smart
Posto 2ª Classe 19,00 € 19,00 €

Offerta MINI
Servizio Posto 2ª Classe 9,00 € 9,00 €

Thanks for taking time to give those prices! Huge discounts possible -even 9 euro fare still available!

......even the bus is more expensive. Usually 7 daily departures, journey time 4 hrs, Fare 19 EUR (if booked ahead in the web).

I think for mid-May the 9 euro tickets may be gone long ago. And book ASAP for any discounts -they go fast-limited numbers sold.

If you cannot get a discounted ticket then there is no hurry to book as trains rarely sell out but if sure yeh book.

It happens some times at the beginning of Zurich school holidays that some Zurich - Milan trains are sold out up to 3 days prior to departure. In such cases, people take domestic trains up to Lugano leaving Zch up to 30 min earlier or later and change at Lugano to a regional train to Milan. The whole journey may then last up to 3/4 hrs longer.

You can certainly buy rail tickets from Zurich to Milan using either the Swiss Rail site OR the Trenitalia site OR the ItaliaRail site. I say this because I just used them last night to make a purchase for a trip in August.

The fare using the Swiss site was cheaper than using the Trenitalia site. Tickets can be printed out at home

>>>I think for mid-May the 9 euro tickets may be gone long ago.<<<

It has to be at least 21 days in advance to get a 9€ fare.

>>>You can certainly buy rail tickets from Zurich to Milan using either the Swiss Rail site OR the Trenitalia site OR the ItaliaRail site.<<<<

Apples to oranges? Did you buy a ticket for Zurich to Milan on Trenitalia that doesn't have to be retrieved at a kiosk in Italy? That used to be the case last time I was purchasing Zurich/Milan so I used the Swiss site to buy.

Again here today gone tomorrow -book NOW or go full price.