Murky1980

I am planning to take the train from Lucca to Cinque Terre, one of the schedules i am interested in is below, my question is related to the charges and validation.

1. If i buy each leg separate, the cost is 2.5+5.3+1.8=9.6 Euro (2nd class) but if i buy them together the charge is 7.10 Euro (2nd class) for the same trains through trenitalia.com. How does buying together work? If i validate the ticket at Lucca station, do we need to strictly follow the train numbers or if we miss one we can hop on to another regional train?

2. People talk about validating the ticket, let's say i come to Lucca station at 7:00am and do the validation immediately does that mean i will lose 45 mins since my train from Lucca is at 7:42am or is it advisable to validate the ticket right before i board the train?

Lucca to Pisa.R @ 7:42am;
Pisa.R to La Spezia @ 8:15am;
La Spezia to Riomaggiore @ 10:01am

Thanks.

PalenQ

Validation takes one second - sticking it in a machine on the platform or entrance to it - if you have one ticket that reads Lucca to say Monterosso then you validate it once I believe but if you actually get three separate tickets then yes validate each one -

how long are the tickets valid for - I though regional tickets were valid for the day or so - why will you lose 45 minutes by validating it at 7:00am?

As you usually have to change to La Spezia - I think you can hop on any regional train with the ticket as that ticket is not train specific - but you cannot hop on an IC train with that ticket as the IC train fares are higher.

kybourbon

You only have to validate tickets for R trains. They do not have seat reservations (no reserved seats on R trains - not possible). You don't want to buy any R tickets on Trenitalia.com as there are restrictions placed on them that aren't on R tickets bought at a shop or station (no refunds, not changeable, etc). There is absolutely no point in buying an R ticket online anyway.

Tickets with assigned seats (in Italy that would be for AV,ES,ESCity and IC trains) do not require validation as you are buying a specific seat on a specific train.

Typically, with R tickets, once validated, you have 6 hours to complete the journey (exception - Leonard Express is only 3 hours).

kybourbon

FYI - The first two trains you've selected have no 1st or 2nd class - it's all the same.

I can't get your exact trains/times to pop up on Trenitalia on one ticket.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

GAC

Saavy travellers ALWAYS wait to validate their ticket for a "regionale" train until they see it actually pull into the station. In that fashion (i) they "get the most" of the 6-hour validity; and (ii) protect themselves in case the train is cancelled at the last moment.

Some might say "don't validate the ticket until you see the white of the eyes of the train conductor", but that would be a metaphor to a cowboys and indians movie!

If you have three separate tickets, you must validate each ticket separately each time you board. If you have ONE ticket for the entire trip, you validate it only when you board the first train. Most PAPER regionale tickets for travel less than 200 kilometers have a validity of six hours after validation.

qwovadis

italyby.com/italy do this a lot.

You only have to CONvalidate regional train tickets

that you do not have a seat reservation for

Period is 6 hours after you stamp in the little yellow

machines you see everywhere you must do this for each leg

you train unless you see a seat number and car number

printed on the ticket all the more expensive tickets will

have car/seat assigns so no need to do them.

Just be sure and do it B4 you board.

qwovadis

seat61.com/italy sorry for typo

If you buy even second class on intercity

tourist machines always assign seats so no worries.

PalenQ

So if you do not have to validate a full fare ticket on say IC and above trains and there is no conductor some aboard and you use it can you then refund it - or are full fare tickets not refundable? If they are then I would think they would have to be validated? For my info - thanks.

kybourbon

>>>Typically, with R tickets, once validated, you have 6 hours to complete the journey (exception - Leonard Express is only 3 hours).
>>>Most PAPER regionale tickets for travel less than 200 kilometers have a validity of six hours after validation.

From my link above for R tickets purchased online:

It is possible to buy single tickets, valid only on the regional trains, for journeys up to 600 km with departure in one region and destination in another. The validity of these tickets is 4 hours.

GAC

But you should really avoid the temptation of buying any electronic "regionale" train ticket online. Electronic "regionale" train tickets have greater restrictions and limitations than the traditional paper tickets (including no right to seek a refund and a 4-hour timeframe within which to use them)!

Murky1980

Thanks everyone.

kybourbon, here is the link for the train time i was talking about. I just selected one of the days this week just for the schedule (weekday) and clicked "all solutions".

http://orario.trenitalia.com/b2c/npp...aintype=&car=0

From above link, it's possible to have Regional train with 1st class (one of the journey's on R train shows as 1st class)

Here are the things i understand from above postings:

1. If i miss one of the trains in above journey, there are chances i have to wait for close to three hours before finding another train to connect so keeping that in mind it's better to validate the ticket once i can spot the train pulling in to the station.
2. Keeping the restrictions in mind, it's better to avoid buying tickets online.

Thanks.

GAC

As long as you don't miss the train connection at Pisa San Rossore, you should be just fine.

If you DO miss the connection, you'll need to wait three hours for the next "regionale" train, OR get to Viareggio (or Pisa Centrale) on a different "regionale" train, and continue to La Spezia on a more expensive ES-City train.

kybourbon

Odd that those times don't show on the first list of train choices when I entered the same info and only show if you click all solutions. Good to know for anyone searching tickets/times.

>>>From above link, it's possible to have Regional train with 1st class (one of the journey's on R train shows as 1st class)<<<

Perhaps I wasn't clear. Some R trains will have a choice of class, but many R trains don't.

There might be some buses that would work if you get stuck. There is a bus Lucca to Pisa airport and one from Pisa airport to Viareggio. There may be other bus options from Lucca to La Spezia, but I'm not familiar with them.
http://www.pisa-airport.com/aeroporto_di_pisa_197.html
http://www.pisa-airport.com/aeroporto_di_pisa_261.html

PalenQ

From above link, it's possible to have Regional train with 1st class (one of the journey's on R train shows as 1st class)>

I've ridden many regional trains - such as the ones between Pisa and Florence that have first class and lots of seats in it - and I have been happy many times as 2nd class can always be SRO - you never know. Penny wise and pound foolish IMO on a regional train not to go first class unless you want to know what the proverbial cattle car is like - again not always the case but not unusual at rush hours at least or when a noisy group of school kids swarm aboard as happened on my train back from Viterbo to Rome - glad I was ensconced in the first class area as it was SRO with unruly high school kids in the rest of the train for several stops.

Forget the 2nd class mantra that it is just as good as first class and first class is a waste of money - shows IMO folks just have not traveled on trains that much to say that.

Man in Seat 61 has said he is a first class aficiando and for good reason IMO - if you are on a starvation budget OK but for folks typically staying in $200 a night or more hotels and spending $100 a day on meals spend IMO the few extra euros to ride first class on trains - it is a much much more relaxed journey

kybourbon

PalQ - The discussion isn't about class. We know your mantra is to insist on all the train threads that everyone book 1st class. I was letting the OP know that there were no class distinctions on trains he selected and that may have accounted for some price differences when he chose things on all one ticket instead of individual. There is no use promoting 1st class all the time for R trains when many times there is no 1st class at all.

PalenQ

Many of the regional trains I have been on have indeed have first class and if those do I would strongly suggest first class to prevent a sudden mobbing by schoolkids, commuters, etc.

I was making a general comment about regional trains often indeed having first class though some obviously do not and if they do do not try to save a very few euros IMO.

Again I have been recently on several regional trains that have first class and on which second class at times became horrendously overmobbed third-world style. Caveat emptor!