sfbayarea

Hi!!! I wanted to buy ES train tickets ahead of time for Florence when I arrive in Venice from Paris at the Marco Polo airport. Does anyone here know if they sell tickets there and where I can purchase them???? Unfortunately I'm in Venice on a Sat and a Sunday so I know the regular travel agencies are not open on weekends. Thanks!!!

Steve_James

SF - I don't think you can buy rail tickets anywhere at the airport, - so the obvious alternative is the main Venice railway station at Santa Lucia.

Some travel agencies may be open on a Saturday, so that's also a possibilty.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

ira

Hi SF,

Yu can buy your tickets online at www.trenitalia.com/en.

Use "ticketless" option. For ES* and reservations on IC trains, you will get a confirmation which is your ticket.

If you have a European cell phone, you can purchase tickets as late as 5 min ahead. The confirmation is sent as a phone message.

sfbayarea

thanks guys! initially i was just thinking of purchasing them as i go at the train station, thinking the lines won't be as long because it's no longer high season, however, i heard it's still very crowded!!!

almesq

we just got back on Sunday from Rome/Venice. I had purchased my train ticket at trenitalia.com before we left. It was no problem at all. Showed the printed confirmation to conductor on train, he printed out receipt, all was fine. I found this to be much easier than having to worry about getting tickets once I got there.

sfbayarea

Sorry another question - if i make reservations online and then miss the train, am i able to get on the next train? thanks!!!!

almesq

Yes. Tickets can be changed I believe up to 1 hour after time of train. So as long as you go to the ticket window upon missing your train you can change the reservation for any later train that is available.

sfbayarea

Great! That's good to know. Here's another question - they just don't end!!!

I'm looking to book online a train from venice to florence early in the morning, however, the only direct one early in the morning is from Mestre station and not S. Lucia in Venice (about 2.5 hours). I can do this or I can leave an hour even earlier and go to the S. Lucia station -this one connections through Bologna though so it's about 3.5 hours total. My question is, is it worth the trouble of connecting through Mestre and saving the hour (and leaving an hour later!) or should I take the flight from S Lucia but connect through Bologna???

almesq

Well, if it leaves an hour earlier, and takes an hour longer you get in to Florence the same time. So, I would do that to save the hassle of getting to Mestre. While the train ride might be an hour shorter, you have to figure in the extra time to get to Mestre. But this is really a scheduling/timing issue, it really is whatever you prefer. I'd go with the ease of getting to the S. Lucia station.

sfbayarea

you're right - what's an extra hour when you're on vacation. =D