Judy_Rosa

Suze....we start our trip in Venice, where we will spend 2 days, then we travel to Rome where my kids will stay 4 days then they go back home to Philly (via Venice) while DH and I continue on to the AC for a few days.

rialtogrl, ellenem, Doug_Stallings.....Mestre sounds like the logical choice.

I will give my kids all the options available to them and let them decide for themselves. Since we will have spent 2 days in Venice at the start of our trip, my guess is that they will want to stay in Rome for as long as possible, so a midnight arrival in Venice is probable.

Thanks everyone -- I'm now much more informed of all my options and will let my kids know how helpful you all have been in helping THEM get home!

suze

Thanks for clarifying the itinerary.

I really loved Venice so would want more time there, but that's not the point here.

I would be too nervous not to be in the same city I was departing from for an international flight the night before.

Judy_Rosa

Totally agree!

Judy_Rosa

I think I messed up!

Do train fares go up in price the closer you get to your departure date?

I just checked train schedules and prices and I would swear that the prices look higher today than they did a few days ago!

These are the sites I checked:

app.italiarail.com

trenitalia.com

Are these the sites I should be looking at? Are there others?

nytraveler

Yes, for fast intercity trains as with planes the cheapest fares go first and the closer to the date the higher the price (except for the very slow local trains).

Definitely get tickets ASAP.

And yes, trenitalia is the correct site.

Judy_Rosa

oh my!

Judy_Rosa

I'm still over two months out!

ellenem

I believe it works a bit like frequent flyer seats. When tickets first go on sale, there are a set number of reduced-fare tickets available. As the departure date nears, most, if not all, of the reduced-fare tickets have already been purchased.

nytraveler

Tickets go on sale typically 90 days out and that's when the cheapest tickets are sold. This is typical throughout europe with the fast trains - although the timing is not exactly the same 90 days is very frequent.

Judy_Rosa

I have a dumb question.

I purchased the 4 one-way tickets Venice/Rome just now.

On the ticket there's a not that says:

Please show your PNR code to the on-board staff. If you are unable to produce a valid PNR code, you are liable to a penalty fare as being without a valid ticket.


What is a PNR code and how do I get my hands on one?

bvlenci

The PNR code is printed on the reservation that was emailed to you. The exact text is "Codice prenotazione (PNR): xxxxxx". This is all you need to show the ticket collector. The reservation also show the carriage number and the seat numbers (just above the PNR). (I purchased a ticket myself just half an hour ago, so I have it right in front of me.)

Tickets on the fast Italian trains go on sale 120, not 90 days, out.

Judy_Rosa

Got it! Thanks!