Hello all,

Is it cheaper to book the train tickets before hand at RailEurope website or purchase it when we are in Rome?

Thanking you in advance for your assistance

Hi O,

You can get Amica fares (20% cheaper) online in advance.

How exactly do we get this reduced Amica fares?
Thanks. ( I only wish to double check, I imagine is through the internet Italian railway ?)

Hi Graziella

Here's the site:

trenitalia.com
or in English
http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

I haven't checked for Rome > Florence, but I do know that Amica fares aren't available on every train.

I think RailEurope is always more expensive than buying in Italy. I won't swear my life on it, but I do think it is true.

Ciao, Debbie

Thank you IRA - Just saved e20.00

Here is what you do:
1. go to www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
2. enter Rome and Florence for a sample trip
3. Click on the shopping cart icon to see pricing (no, you don't have to buy).
4. Note that there are different types of trains with different prices (slower is cheaper).
5. Note that from the drop down menu, there are few fares available. Choose Amica. The Amica fare is a 20% discount on limited seats, and must be bought at least the day before. It is available on many higher speed trains, but not regional trains.

Play with the trenitalia website, and see if you have any questions...

Thanks guys - Fodorites are saying my money already!

Well, the "campo" of my email cannot be validated by Trenitalia, so I cannot register for online purchase. I tried a @yahoo.com and a @cfl.rr.com. Any suggestions?

Thanks

How do you specify the fast train?

Tried again and they found my email! Fast trains have the cool logos and the shortest times.

You are welcome, O.

Linda,
>How do you specify the fast train?

You click on the shopping basket for the ES* or AV trains.

ES stands for? (Extra Swift??)

Eurostar Italia (ES) high-speed trains (a k a ETR) that run on purposely built high-speed lines mainly between Milan, Rome and Naples - as not all the high-speed lines are complete they also run on regularly older tracks

pecking order:

ES IC+ (InterCityPlus), IC (InterCity), Regionale - stops everywhere. You often have a choice of any or all - regional trains are dirt cheap.

Eurostar

Linda, sorry I misread your question last night.

Is anybody else having trouble processing their credit card payment on the TrenItalia website? Since last night my cands have been "declined" on the English version, but when I ran one using the Italian version, the message seemed to say more, something like "unable to process, try again later". Any thoughts??? Thank you!

Ira? not so simple it seems.

So great to read expert tips on trains.

Ira or anyone, can you buy the Amica fare at the station in Firenze because we will be needing transport to Rome on l8th Oct. thanks all.

Hi T,

"The new "Amica" tariff allows you to travel with a 20% reduction off all the medium- to long-distance trains when booking by midnight of the day before departure".

This summer we did not prebook our tickets (from Rome to Venice, actually) as Trenitalia seemed to be causing a lot of problems for people, and I wasn't able to find any discounts online for our train anyway. But once we got to Rome, we went to a travel agent with a Trenitalia sticker in the window facing Argentina, and they booked the tickets for us, at 20% less than the online fares. Supposedly it was some other special they could do -- two people traveling together midweek(?). I also liked the idea that they could guarantee us the seats we wanted -- two facing with a table between. That seems impossible to do online, as various cars seem to end up being numbered differently.

GianniFL- did you unblock your card for international useage? cfl.rr dot com? You in the Orlando area? Me too.

Ira, Thanks again for your great advice I'm planning to purchase tickets on Sunday for Thursday travel. I will try to get Amico rate.

Tania

Hello Phyllish, yes I'm in Orlando and yes I advised my credit cards of the transactions in advance. When I called afterward, both said no such transactions came through, so I think the problem was with Trenitalia. I have never had a problem getting tickets after arriving in Italy, as I typically like to stay in my arrival city for at least a few days. But, I try to avoid the trains on Holidays and Sundays. And, now I've found that it is also quicker, at least for me, to just buy them there.