TRain travel in italy
 

My 20 year old son wil be traveling in Italy in AUgust for ~10 days by train. Should he buy a rail pass here first or wait till lhe gets to Italy? Also he plans to stay in hostels does he need to make reservations in advance? He plans to go to Rome, Florence, Lake como area and Cinqueterra. Any other suggestions about particular hostels/cheap pensiones or things to do would be apprecitated.

Unless he is planning to do a lot of rail travel, then it's not worth getting a rail pass. Ordinary point-to-point tickets in Italy are cheap. For travel between Roma, Firenze, Como and the Cinque Terre, it'll be cheaper to buy ordinary tickets in Italy.

Since europe will be mobbed with traveling students in August I would suggest that he definitely make hostel reservations in advance. Some are great- some not. Why be stuck in the latter? Or use his limited time searching for one with room?

He should consult some of the student/ budget traveler sites and guidebooks for specifics.

Unless things have changed hostels will let him cancel a reservation right up to the day of arrival. So it would be wise to have reservations, but he needed get too worried about meeting up with people or wanting to change his itinerary as he goes.
I agree it doesn't sound like a rail pass would be worth it for him.

Hi M,

Before buying any railpasses, enter your itinerary at www.railsaver.com and click "only if it saves money".

It is unlikely that your son will want to buy a railpass.

((I))

Especially so since if you do have a pass you often have to pay $15 or more in order to ride the fastest trains - the Eurostar and ICp (ICplus) trains - a supplement pass holders must pay but which is included in the rather dirt cheap Italian point-point tickets on these trains. Not even close to making the Italian railpass pay off in this itinerary - even a youth pass. And if railsaver.com says you need a pass then check with www.trenitalia.com for real prices in Italy - railsaver.com uses RailEurope pricing i believe and these are currently much inflated over what you'd pay in Italy. With two trains and hour on many routes i wouldn't worry about getting reservations on the many Italian trains that do mandate them either. He can buy all his tickets at once upon landing so he won't have to wait in line - or he can use the ATM-like ticketing machines in stations.
Tell him to get a copy of Let's Go Italy as this has a wealth of info on hostels - both the traditional HI (Hostelling International) hostels and the many many other non HI hostels - reserve ones that sound best. Let's Go would be an invaluable resource for him - not just on accommodations for youths but lots of other info.

If he picks the slower trains that don't require reservations, he'll save. Reserve hostels, sure, but not trains, and buy point-to-point, to make a pass worthwhile in Italy with its cheap fares, you have to go up and down the length of the boot like crazy.

thanks to all- that was very helpful! I just picked up a copy of Lets Go Italy for him. What about an INternational Student Id? We live in Los Angeles, any idea of where he can get one and if it is needed?

International Student ID - gets good discounts on museums in Italy other than that benefits overhyped - but will save probably the $30 or so the card costs on museum entries - call the International Center at UCLA or your local STA Travel, student-oriented travel agent on or near college campuses. Another great planning tool for him would be the free European Planning & Rail Guide, free from BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) - a great primer for novice rail travelers in Italy and all of Europe - rail maps, etc. The more days you buy on an Italian youth pass the better deal it becomes as extra days are but around $20/day - the pass could be good for him if as Wally says above and he sticks to regional and IC trains that he can just board and no surcharges or reservation fees - plenty of these in Italy. See BETS for current pass prices and i also always recommend them for their sheer expertise for passes. Not sure though with the itinerary in OP a pass is worth it - easy to check prices at trenitalia.com however - with pass he can just hop on many trains - lending sponteneity.