katiekb

I am getting ready to purchase tickets in advance for Italy on the Trenitalia site, and notice that the delivery method says to retrieve tickets at any Italian station. My problem is that I will be traveling from Brig, Switzerland to Florence, and will not be in an Italian station ahead of time. I recall previously only having to give the invoice code to the conductor. Does anyone have experience with this? I hate to spend extra money purchasing paper tickets from Rail Europe to avoid this.

kybourbon

Don't buy them on Trenitalia as you will have to go to a self service kiosk in Italy to retrieve them. You need to buy them on the Swiss site and select a station to pick them up in Switzerland. www.sbb.ch

>>>I recall previously only having to give the invoice code to the conductor.<<<

Some train websites allow this and others don't. It's often different crossing borders than traveling within a country. If you were buying Milan/Florence only, you would buy on Trenitalia and only need the code (and you do need to purchase this leg on Trenitalia). Buy Brig/Milan on sbb.ch.

kybourbon

FYI - You will have to select which station in Switzerland to retrieve your tickets. You can click on the choices of cities you will be in before you visit Brig if you want to pick them up elsewhere or select Brig. Make sure of opening/closing hours. Some stations have shorter hours. Here's the hours for Brig.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-servic...osid.1609.html

bobthenavigator

Buy them here, not at Raileurope:
http://www.italiarail.com/rail-promotions

kybourbon

You can't buy them on Italiarail. You need to buy the international part Brig/Milan on sbb.ch as I stated above if you don't want to avoid mark-ups.

I would not buy the Italian portion on Italiarail either (a reseller in the US) as there is no way to change your reservations (even on tickets that allow changes) if you book with them. They also charge a fee (less than RE).

katiekb

Obviously, kybourbon! Why didn't that cross my mind. Thanks!

Bob, have you used italiarail? I like livin' on the edge with the Trenitalia site, but I am somtimes traveling with students, and it's nice to have a US agency to work with.

katiekb

If I have a Swiss pass, do I start my ticket in Brig, or can I start at Domodossola? I usually make this trip in the opposite direction before my pass starts.

kybourbon

I'm confused. I thought you were traveling from Switzerland to Italy. You want to buy your ticket from the departure country.

You will have to get your pass activated.

Beware of Italiarail. Read their fine print. You can't access your tickets to make any changes like you can on Trenitalia(if you registered). They also tack on fees.

http://www.italiarail.com/terms-conditions

katiekb

I am traveling from Switzerland to Italy, and will already have been in Switzerland for a week, and will still have time on my Swiss Pass. I will be leaving from Kandersteg, and am unsure if my pass will end at Brig or Domodossola.

Going from Kandersteg to Milano on SBB it looks like I won't be charged until Domodossola if I put in the GA discount (which is the same as the Swiss Pass?).

So I think I have it figured out, SBB Kandersteg to Milano, Trenitalia Milano to Firenza. Thanks so much for your help! I have never used a pass for part of a trip before.

kybourbon

My understanding is it's good to Domodossola. Click on show map of validity under advantages at a glance. You will have to enlarge the map a few times.

http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/en/...s-pass-en.html

>>>if I put in the GA discount (which is the same as the Swiss Pass?).<<<

If you are taking an EC train, you need seats (mandatory on fast trains in Italy). Yes, I think you select the GA class that is the same as your pass. You still have to pick up the ticket in Switzerland (check if you can pick up in Kanderteg/hours).

I don't know if you have to have seat reservations for EC trains from Brig to Domodossola. Perhaps someone can answer that. If not, you could just use your pass for Kandersteg/Domodossola and buy a ticket on Trenitalia for Domodossola/Milan (discount tickets for 9€ for the EC train). You would need to make sure were catching the same EC train that you were taking from Brig. The Trenitalia ticket Domodossola/Milan should be an e-mail code that you would show on board. The regular price is 21€ so if discounts aren't available it would cost the same just booking the GA discount on sbb.ch for Kandersteg/Milan.

Be sure to register on Trenitalia before purchasing anything and contact your credit card that you will be making the purchase. Scroll down this thread and read about registering (don't click the various links, just keep scrolling). Some of it may be a bit outdated (screens may look a bit different now), but still covers the basics.

http://www.roninrome.com/transportat...ebsite-updated

katiekb

Thanks so much kybourbon!