train reservations?
Jul 23rd, 2004, 08:53 PM
#1
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train reservations?
Please help. If I have an Italy rail card, when do I need to make reservations? Is it only on longer train trips (intercity)? For instance would I need one going from Florence to Siena...or Florence to Orvieto?
Thanks!
P
Thanks!
P
Jul 24th, 2004, 03:33 AM
#2
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Here's crossing my fingers that you didn't fall for the assumption that you need to buy a "rail pass" (rail <i>card</i>?) in the first place. It's rarely a good valu for rail travel in Italy, as the price of ordinary point-to-point tickets is very affordable in
Italy. The website www.railsaver.com will allow you to accurately determine the price of tickets versus a rail pass (if any would save you any money).
Moreover, train is not generally the best mode of transport from Florence to Siena anyhow. For most travelers, (the SITA) bus turns out to be a better choice. It takes you <i>up</i> the hill <i>into</i> Siena; the train station is <i>down</i> the hill and leaves you with a substantial uphill walk or taxi ride.
You can always ask for a <i>seat</i> reservation for any ticket you purchase in Italy, and it will be provided as part of your train <i>ticket</i> purchase. The website www.trenitalia.it - - click on the UK flag for English or go directly to http://www.trenitalia.com/home/en/index.htm - - will provide you detailed answers on a route like Florence-Orvieto. There are 15 departures daily, and about half of them are "intercity" (three stops), and half are "diretto" (twelve stops) and take almost twice as long; I don't think that reservations are even offered on the "diretto" trains.
Best wishes,
Rex
Italy. The website www.railsaver.com will allow you to accurately determine the price of tickets versus a rail pass (if any would save you any money).
Moreover, train is not generally the best mode of transport from Florence to Siena anyhow. For most travelers, (the SITA) bus turns out to be a better choice. It takes you <i>up</i> the hill <i>into</i> Siena; the train station is <i>down</i> the hill and leaves you with a substantial uphill walk or taxi ride.
You can always ask for a <i>seat</i> reservation for any ticket you purchase in Italy, and it will be provided as part of your train <i>ticket</i> purchase. The website www.trenitalia.it - - click on the UK flag for English or go directly to http://www.trenitalia.com/home/en/index.htm - - will provide you detailed answers on a route like Florence-Orvieto. There are 15 departures daily, and about half of them are "intercity" (three stops), and half are "diretto" (twelve stops) and take almost twice as long; I don't think that reservations are even offered on the "diretto" trains.
Best wishes,
Rex
Jul 24th, 2004, 04:03 AM
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One other thing I meant to add - - there is the "Trenitalia Pass" - - sold directly by Trenitalia - and you CAN buy it in Italy, unlike the passes that RailEurope sells. I actually don't know if it is a good deal or not; there don't seem to be any prices on the Trenitalia website. Perhaps someone else can comment.
Jul 24th, 2004, 04:20 PM
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It's possible that it's not this simple - - but I think msybe on "EuroStar" routes (represented by ES*on trenitalia website), reservations are always required (and thus automatically sold to you when you buy a ticket on those routes) - - and ever required on any other route.
There aren't THAT many Eurostar routes - - the main north-south "trunk" which passes from Venice through Bologna to Florence to Rome and on to Naples (with one or two a day through Verona); and in the north, the main east-west trunk from Milan to Venice (Mestre) - - via Brescia, Verona, Vicenza and Padova, with extensions a few times a day to Turin in the west, and Trieste in the east.
There aren't THAT many Eurostar routes - - the main north-south "trunk" which passes from Venice through Bologna to Florence to Rome and on to Naples (with one or two a day through Verona); and in the north, the main east-west trunk from Milan to Venice (Mestre) - - via Brescia, Verona, Vicenza and Padova, with extensions a few times a day to Turin in the west, and Trieste in the east.
Jul 24th, 2004, 06:10 PM
#6
You only NEED to make reservations on Eurostar Italia, and that's for seat reservations. The IC trains will take seat reservations, and the IR trains do not. In other words, it depends on the type of train you'll be taking.
Jul 25th, 2004, 04:42 AM
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Hi Patricia,
If you have already bought a Eurailpass, you might want to consider turning it in for a refund.
Enter your itinerary at www.railsver.com to see if it will save you money.
The Italian trains are
ES* (eurostar) high speed, reliable, reservations required. If you have a railpass you must purchase the reservation - about 8E.
IC (intercity) often hve the same schedule as the ES*, less likely to run on time. You can make reservations for an extra fee (about 3E), but don't bother for trips under one hour.
IR (regional trains) older, slower, no reservations
D (diretto) local trains - no reservations
If you have already bought a Eurailpass, you might want to consider turning it in for a refund.
Enter your itinerary at www.railsver.com to see if it will save you money.
The Italian trains are
ES* (eurostar) high speed, reliable, reservations required. If you have a railpass you must purchase the reservation - about 8E.
IC (intercity) often hve the same schedule as the ES*, less likely to run on time. You can make reservations for an extra fee (about 3E), but don't bother for trips under one hour.
IR (regional trains) older, slower, no reservations
D (diretto) local trains - no reservations
Jul 25th, 2004, 08:10 AM
#9
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Well, I haven't bought one yet...however I compared point to point tickets with the rail pass and they turned out about the same for me??? (or almost the same, maybe $10 difference or something)...so I really don't see why it would be so pricey, unless you are concerned about the additional shipping charge? (just curious)
Thanks ira! Do you have to stamp the tickets?
Thanks everyone!
Patricia
Thanks ira! Do you have to stamp the tickets?
Thanks everyone!
Patricia
Jul 25th, 2004, 08:26 AM
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What itinerary? - - just being nosy... I have seen SOME times that a pass was cost-effective (for two people), though have you included the added cost of rservations? (free, if you buy WITH the tickets).
Jul 25th, 2004, 08:54 AM
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Just returned from 3 city thing in Italy last week -- by rail. We bought 4day passes from Rail Europe before we left the US. Its cost was $203 PP. I just looked up individual tickets from Rome to Venice to Florence to Rome, and it was $188. These are first class. I guess the $15 difference is so you dont have to stand in a ticket line. The down side is that Eurostar requires reservations available at the station in Italy also. That is another hit of between 8 and 12 Euro Per Person. It also means standing in the ticket line. However, pay attention to these folks on this thread. I did all of this before I discovered this chat line, and made a bunch of mistakes. Good Luck.
Jul 25th, 2004, 09:12 AM
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You can buy your tickets (including resrvation if it's for a Eurostar) at any travel agency in Italy that displays the Italian railroad logo. I'm no longer sure what the logo looks like, to be honest, but it's probably either FS intertwined -- for Ferrovie dello Stato -- or Trenitalia as you see it on the Web site: www.trenitalia.com
Most travel agencies will not charge for the service.
Line-ups at major stations can be long; there are generally only very short lines at smaller stations like Orvieto or Siena.
Most travel agencies will not charge for the service.
Line-ups at major stations can be long; there are generally only very short lines at smaller stations like Orvieto or Siena.
Jul 25th, 2004, 10:43 AM
#15
Ira has a good description of the trains, but here's the other differences. The IR trains have no air conditioning, whether you're in first or second class. While the seats are comfortable, in summer they can be really stifling while the train is sitting in the station.
The IC and the Eurostar both have a/c in first and second class.
On the Eurostar, with the seat reservation comes beverages -- juice, soda, water -- and newspapers. Most, but not all of them have power points, so you can plug in your computer or other electronic device. This was really useful during our trip from Naples to Bologna a few weeks ago. These power points did not exist on the Eurostar we took from Venice to Milan.
I prefer the IC trains, except for the lack of power points, because you get a compartment rather than a seat and can stretch out if no one comes into your compartment.
With the rail pass, you do NOT stick it in the machine on the platform at the station. However, the first time you use it, you have to get it validated at the ticket window at the station, or whatever window the station has determined they are validated. After that, you're home free. Just make sure you write in your passport number on the pass before you get it validated. Otherwise, you hold up the rest of the line while you search for your passports, and now everyone knows where you have them hidden.
You don't need to get your reservation ticket validated.
The wait in the ticket line to get tickets, at least in summer, is usually fairly long, taking you anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour, depending on the people in front of you. Meaning, there's always someone in front of you that halts the line forever, as you are the next person waiting for the next clerk.
We had four people and two saver passes (Italy & France) for four days. Because of our long trips (notably Naples to Venice and Venice to Paris), it was worth our while. Plus, we didn't have to be concerned with waiting in lines at stations (always an ordeal) or trying to figure out in which line we were supposed to stand.
The IC and the Eurostar both have a/c in first and second class.
On the Eurostar, with the seat reservation comes beverages -- juice, soda, water -- and newspapers. Most, but not all of them have power points, so you can plug in your computer or other electronic device. This was really useful during our trip from Naples to Bologna a few weeks ago. These power points did not exist on the Eurostar we took from Venice to Milan.
I prefer the IC trains, except for the lack of power points, because you get a compartment rather than a seat and can stretch out if no one comes into your compartment.
With the rail pass, you do NOT stick it in the machine on the platform at the station. However, the first time you use it, you have to get it validated at the ticket window at the station, or whatever window the station has determined they are validated. After that, you're home free. Just make sure you write in your passport number on the pass before you get it validated. Otherwise, you hold up the rest of the line while you search for your passports, and now everyone knows where you have them hidden.
You don't need to get your reservation ticket validated.
The wait in the ticket line to get tickets, at least in summer, is usually fairly long, taking you anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour, depending on the people in front of you. Meaning, there's always someone in front of you that halts the line forever, as you are the next person waiting for the next clerk.
We had four people and two saver passes (Italy & France) for four days. Because of our long trips (notably Naples to Venice and Venice to Paris), it was worth our while. Plus, we didn't have to be concerned with waiting in lines at stations (always an ordeal) or trying to figure out in which line we were supposed to stand.
Jul 25th, 2004, 10:46 AM
#16
One more thing. There is no more smoking on Italian trains anymore, so there's no need to request a non-smoking car. Having said that, the least amount of illegal smoking is on the Eurostar, followed by the IC, follwed by the IR.
Jul 25th, 2004, 12:16 PM
#17
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Patricia
Surfer is right. Last week it ranged from 10 to 30 minutes in line for seat reservations. My personal preferance, if one has the time is to take the trains other than Eurostar. First clss is almost as nice, air conditioned, and very quiet. Those you can just get on with a pass. Unfortunately, I was traveling with a bunch of people who sorta insisted on Eurostar, so I spent a lot of time in line. Just an opinion.
Shrink
Surfer is right. Last week it ranged from 10 to 30 minutes in line for seat reservations. My personal preferance, if one has the time is to take the trains other than Eurostar. First clss is almost as nice, air conditioned, and very quiet. Those you can just get on with a pass. Unfortunately, I was traveling with a bunch of people who sorta insisted on Eurostar, so I spent a lot of time in line. Just an opinion.
Shrink
Jul 25th, 2004, 01:39 PM
#18
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Right, I've had the rail pass before. I was wondering about the point to point tickets needing stamping validation (this I couldn't remember)..but it sounds like they don't.
Thanks again everyone!
Patricia
Thanks again everyone!
Patricia
Jul 25th, 2004, 01:48 PM
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Hi Patricia,
If you do buy train tickets in addition to your railpass, these must be stamped at the yellow box at the track head.
If you have a railpass and just buy a reservation you don't have to stamp the reservation.
I suggest that you take the SITA bus from Florence to Siena - - 13E pp RT, which is less than a day on your railpass.
The SITA station in Florence is about 2 blks from the Train station on Via Santa Caterina de Siena. The bus takes you into Siena. The train station is below the city, about a 1 km uphill walk.
If you do buy train tickets in addition to your railpass, these must be stamped at the yellow box at the track head.
If you have a railpass and just buy a reservation you don't have to stamp the reservation.
I suggest that you take the SITA bus from Florence to Siena - - 13E pp RT, which is less than a day on your railpass.
The SITA station in Florence is about 2 blks from the Train station on Via Santa Caterina de Siena. The bus takes you into Siena. The train station is below the city, about a 1 km uphill walk.
