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Train ticket dilemma from Zurich to Milan

Train ticket dilemma from Zurich to Milan

Old Mar 9th, 2014, 08:05 PM
  #21  
 
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>>>"from 22 euros" does not mean it is easily available - bit of a used car salesmanship there - always 'from xx euros)!
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 05:58 AM
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It's not difficult to find.

I'm seeing €29 on the 11:09 as well as the 09:09. Haven't checked the others.

Like air fares it varies and it depends how popular that date is, and how far ahead you book.
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 05:58 AM
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Sorry I meant CHF 29!
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 10:51 AM
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I was about to book the tickets for CHF 29 but these rates are no longer available.

SBB folks said they can't help in this situation. I am still waiting to hear from TrenItalia folks.

In the meantime I am trying to get hold of some one at the B&B and see if they can print and mail the ticket.

I was just checking the mailing rates from Italy to USA from UPS and FedEx and they are outrageous. How's Italian Postal service in terms of reliability and rates with tracking? Can't seem to calculate the rates here.

Wow this has been a ride, thank you everyone.
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 11:10 AM
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Some Italians have been known to use the Vatican post office to be sure they get timely service!
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 11:15 AM
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waytonottravel: How much did you pay for the Zurich to Milan tickets you cannot access - just curious - must be a whole lot to go to all these angles to get - if a 29 franc fare just bite the bullet - having mailing fees, etc and a nice tip for however goes from the B&B to the train station to print them, etc could cost more than you're trying to save.
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 11:30 AM
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>>>I was about to book the tickets for CHF 29 but these rates are no longer available.
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 11:49 AM
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@PalenQ I paid 64 Euros (around 78 CHF) for 2 adults, which I bought from TrenItalia. I was willing to give it up for 58 CHF for 2 adults but the special offer is no longer available and it is 176 CHF now for 2 adults.

@kybourbon You are right this morning it was available but not any more.

Thank you @Cowboy1968 and @man_in_seat_61 for finding the fares. I so wish I can book it at 29 CHF.

Just wanted to make sure, we have a baby under 2 years. There are no tickets or any kind of reservation needed right?
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 12:52 PM
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Just curious. I thought Trenitalia uses E tickets.
Last year I bought all my tickets on line for Intercity trains within Italy and was able to print them at home. Maybe this applies only to tickets within Italy?
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 01:20 PM
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There are no tickets or any kind of reservation needed right?>

I think the rule on most trains there is that if the child does not occupy their own seat they under 4 go free and need no ticket - but not sure about that exact train.
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 02:25 PM
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On trenitalia trains in Italy if you have the PNR code you don't need anything else. It could be written on the back of your hand, shown on your iphone, etc. Is this not the case on trenitalia trains originating outside of Italy?
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Old Mar 10th, 2014, 08:23 PM
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>>>Is this not the case on trenitalia trains originating outside of Italy?>>@kybourbon You are right this morning it was available but not any more.
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Old Mar 11th, 2014, 10:00 PM
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@kybourbon Tried clearing the cookies too but had no luck.

Heard from Trenitalia online help where they asked me to call the international number, which I called few times in the last 3 days but all it leads me to is a voicemail and after leaving about 3 messages, I still haven't heard back.

In the meantime after going back and forth with the B&B owner explaining the situation, she called Trenitalia and got the same answer. However she was so very kind and patient with me and agreed to print the ticket and mail it to me to USA Go Italy!

Thank you one and all for all the help and suggestions and taking your valuable time out to answer questions and do some research. I feel like I have a family around here. Go Fodors!
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Old Mar 12th, 2014, 05:04 AM
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I don't know if Trenitalia has Twitter, but some travel sites (especially airlines) are better at responding to problems on Twitter than on e-mail. Sbb has both Facebook and Twitter and I've seen responses from them on FB when someone posts an issue.

I hope the tickets reach you in time. I find the Italian post very random. I've mailed postcards with some arriving within a few days and the others taking two months.
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Old Mar 12th, 2014, 05:59 AM
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Trenitalia has been known in the past to totally refund the cost of nonrefundable tickets when a mistake has been made. This is obviously a mistake, and I think they would rectify it. You have to make sure you call them during Italian business hours.

Mailing from the Vatican perhaps used to make the mail arrive quicker, but it hasn't been so since 1998, when I moved to Italy. In fact, the Vatican mail is now slower, especially in the summer, than the Italian mail. I live in a rural area of Italy, and my sisters live in rural areas of the USA. We routinely have letters and packages, in both directions, arrive in less than a week. The fastest has been four days.
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Old Mar 13th, 2014, 09:59 PM
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@kybourbon I didn't realize about the FB/twitter accounts, I would have tried that.

@bvlenci I had tried TrenItalia during their business hours, however they claim the international number to be 24 hours a day. Anyways I haven't heard back yet.

The tickets have been mailed with Poste Italiane with a tracking number and costed about 38 Euros (around 53 dollars) from Rome. So hope to receive it in a week.

I wasn't expecting my adventure for the trip to start so early But it has been a fun ride
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Old Mar 17th, 2014, 09:25 PM
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Just got my tickets from the very kind and lovely B&B lady. Mailed from Rome on Thursday and reached USA on Monday (about 5 days). Go Rome! It had a tracking number so it may have been a priority mail and was reached in a timely manner.

Thank you all! Learned something new
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 05:40 AM
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Glad it worked out even if they were expensive to mail. Very nice of the B&B to help you out.
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