Train Travel
 

We will be in Italy at the end of June for a two week honeymoon, all by train. Our trip includes stops in Bellagio, Verona, Venice, Florence, and Milan. <BR> <BR>Do we have to buy train tickets in advance, or can we buy as we go? There are so many different train lines, does it matter which one we pick? I also read stories about people forgetting to stamp their tickets before boarding and getting fined. Is this true for all train travel?

My advice would be to pay the extra fees <BR>and order your tickets and seat reservations before you go. Summers are busy, and people have told stories about buying tickets shortly before train time, waiting in long lines, and then standing during the entire train trip because all the seats were taken. Especially on a honeymoon, I'd want to have things go as smoothly as possible; traveling can be a little stressful as it is. I also strongly urge you to keep your luggage light and manageable. <BR>The two best places on the web that I know of for information on the <BR> Italian rail system are: <BR> www.itwg.com/trains/trains.asp <BR> and <BR> www.fs-on-line.com/ <BR> <BR>For rail information and schedules for all of Europe, use the Thomas Cook European Timetable, which is sold in most travel bookstores or you can order it directly from Forsyth Travel Library, tel: (800) FORSYTH in the U.S. or Canada (www.forsyth.com). This is the best timetable available and is published on the first day of each month. Otherwise, you can visit Rail Europe's Web site at http://www.raileurope.com/ or call them at (888) 382-7245 or fax them at (800) 432-1329 . They have an information by fax on demand system. They also have information on rail passes. <BR>Please note that whether you have a rail pass or not, reservations are mandatory on the Eurostar Italia (ES), EuroCity (EC),InterCity (IC), the Pendolino and EuroNight (EN) night trains. Train information line in Italy (English language) Tel: 1478-88088. Hrs.: Daily 7am-9pm. <BR>For advance purchase in the US of train tickets and seat reservations I have used CIT Tours: <BR>email [email protected] <BR>or phone 888 CIT TOURS <BR> <BR>

You can buy your tickets when you get to Italy; be prepared for long lines, so don't plan on buying your ticket 20 minutes before the train leaves. <BR> <BR>If you have a set itinerary, then buy ALL your tickets when you arrive (if you have to stand in line for 45 minutes, make it worth while). I've read somewhere that there are travel agencies in Italy that'll issue train tickets on the spot - anybody know about this? <BR> <BR>In France and Italy, there are little machines on the boarding platforms in which you stamp your ticket (like a date machine at work, except bigger). In France, once, I forgot to stamp my ticket and the conductor gave me such a look - but no fine. I will never do that again, make sure you don't either. Anyway, other people will be stamping their tickets, too, so that'll remind you if you forget.

What can you tell us about first class vs second class? We want to take the train from Paris to Rome. Any thoughts on that out there?

Second class on French trains is fine when not crowded; during high tourist season, the cars are packed with backpackers and other tourists, as well as cranky French. For a short haul, it's not too bad (think New York commuter trains); for looooong distances, during the busy season, I would opt for first class. Unless you are breaking up your Paris-Rome trip with stopovers, take the overnight sleeper train. I know there's scenery during the day, but 12 hours on a train - AWAKE - is more than I want to handle. <BR> <BR>Alternatively, have you checked airfares? I'm planning a Venice&gt;Paris run this fall, and I'm seriously considering flying vs taking the train, to save time and quite probably, money.