Train Travel In Italy
 

We will be traveling from Venice to Florence on August 6, 2009 and from Florence to Rome on August 9, 2009 by train.

Do we need to book these tickets in advance and is there a certain time of day that is better to travel? We were thinking around lunchtime since it is probably the hottest time of day, but any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Hello lexdave, you can buy all of the tickets when you are in Venice.

I have been on the train from Venice to Florence when the A/C was not working properly and it was sure a hot and stuffy ride so if it was me I would take earlier trains and try to get into Florence and also Rome in time for lunch. If your hotel room is not ready I have always had the hotel store them for the few hours until the room is available.

Have a wonderful time in Italy!

As LoveItaly says, yes you can certainly book your tickets when you get to Venice (you can use self-service vending machines - quite easy to use, accept major credit cards).

However, I would do some homework before you leave. Use www.trenitalia.com to check routes (click "English" to view them in English). Get a feel for which trains leave when, etc., so you have an idea before you get there of which trains you'd probably take before you get to Italy. Then when you are actually buying your tickets - assuming all has gone according to your original plan - you can book the trains you wanted, or modify if you changed your plans a little. I imagine there are a lot of trains especially between Venice and Florence. There are also several different types of trains; the regional trains are often the slowest and cheapest, perhaps not what you'd want from Florence to Rome.

If you're sure of your dates and times you can buy tickets more cheaply online at www.trenitalia.com (f you can persuade it to accept your credit card).

This way you can get a 20% Amica discount and save time as you simply print out your booking reference and board the train - no ticket office required!

It's not likely the Amica fare will be on the trains you want to use since it's not for the faster trains (AV/ES/ICPlus).