nbs_mjs

I've searched and read all of the posts about train tickets in Italy, but alas, I am still confused.

My fiance and I would like to travel first class on the fastest possible trains (eurostar??). I'm a major planner (ie., have my plane tickets and hotels booked already for my honeymoon next June) and don't want to worry about how to get train tickets through a travel agent once we get to italy. Therefore, I would ideally like to book them in advance while here in the States or would like to arrange for our first hotel stop (the belvedere in bellagio) to get the tickets for us.

We only need 3 days of travel -- (Milan to Venice, Venice to Florence and Florence to Naples)

Here are my questions:

1. It seems like the rail passes only have a minimum travel package of 4 days of travel and we only need 3 -- is the rail pass deal worth it if we aren't going to use one of the days of travel?

2. Or, is it cheaper to get point to point tickets? If so, how can I figure out how much each ticket will cost?

thanks in advance -- sorry i'm being so dense on this topic.

Travelnut

Try inputting your itinerary on www.railsaver.com - that site will provide a comparison between the pass or the P2P tickets, also telling you the price of all of it.

LeCanard

Buying p2p tickets should be less expensive.

Here are fares on Eurostar First Class as of today

Milan to Venice : € 28.92 ; 2h 40'
Venice to Florence : € 39.25 ; 2h 49'
Florence to Rome : € 63.01 ; 3h 36'

New Trenitalia website allows on-line registration and booking for residents outside Italy also, now, as it doesn't require address and italian personal tax code anymore, but those pages seem to be only in italian for now.
In this case you would be able to reserve your tickets and seat reservations on-line and to collect them from vending machine, once in Milano Centrale station.

Let's see what's new during next days.

e_roz

It's so much cheaper to buy your train tix in Italy. I too am a super planner but it worked out fine (congrats by the way! I just spent my honeymoon in Italy this past June!). It should be very easy once you arrive in Bellagio to get to a travel agent and get the tix. Also, check with your hotel, they may do ti for you or have an There was even a travel agent in the tiny towns we travelled throughout. If you don't mind missing some flexibility (to change dates & times) just book your tix with the agent once you arrive. It'll be easy really, most of the stuff I worried about b4 my trip was such a waste of time. Enjoy and Ciao!

laurie_ann

Have you tried the RailEurope website? (www.raileurope.com) You can check available schedules, purchase tickets and have them delivered by mail. There are some service charges, but for peace of mind it might be worth it. I used them for France and Germany in the last few years and it was nice not to have to worry about jet lag, language barrier and all the other things that sometimes make even a routine transaction difficult abroad. Have a wonderful trip! (They also sell passes, rental car reservations, etc., although I have not used them for other than point to point train tickets.)

kismetchimera

Rail Europe is convenient but Very Expensive.. Buy your tickets in Italy, much cheaper..

LeCanard

On my previuos post, I wrote Florence to Rome but I meant :

Florence to Naples : € 63.01; 3h 36' average travel time.

Rookie

I agree with other posters that in your case, P-T-P tickets will be the best value and cheaper if you purchase them upon arrival in Italy. But if it will ease your mind and make your honeymoon more enjoyable to have your train tickets in-hand, (and since you still have lots of time for research) if you haven't already done so, look at www.euraide.com.

Their primary business is selling rail passes and associated seat reservations and high speed train supplements, however, earlier this summer, Ira was able to order P-T-P tickets through them for his current trip to Italy.

Their fee ($35US per order - not per ticket or reservation) is much less than RailEurope's fees.

They have an office in Florida if you wish to speak with someone directly that is closer to home. Their email address goes to their Munich office, and it sometimes takes a day or two to get a response from there.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you can actually get reservations on any trains until much closer to your travel dates (60 days in most cases, 90 days in some). Also, new schedules will be published in late 2003 or January for 2004. As I recall, the ES* trains I first looked at in 2002 for my 2003 trip did not change much if any, but the times and train numbers were not official until the 2003 schedule was published.

Have you done any premiminary research yet on train schedules?

Happy planning.

nbs_mjs

goodness i love this website!

you guys are always so helpful! part of me can't wait to go just so i can come back and write up my trip report to pass along feedback to others so that i can return the favor!!

i have not yet looked into the actual train schedules yet -- that was going to be my next step.