Train travel: SRO
 

We are planning a trip with another couple to Rome, Florence, Bologna/Parma and leaving from Milan in March 2007. We will be going between cities by train.
I have not used inter-city trains in Italy since the early 70s. One thing I recall is that they were frequently oversold and there were no seats available. That's okay for a 23 year old, but not now :>) Is this still done in second class? If so, I'll go first and reserve in adavance.
Grazie in anticipo!
Joe

Hi Joe - If you travel by ES (Eurostar) this problem doesn't arise as your booking includes a reserved seat.

www.trenitalia.com

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Trains have never been "oversold". If you buy an ordinary train ticket, you can catch any train, whether there are seats or not. If you want to be sure of a seat, you need to reserve one, which you can do in first or second class. Most times, trains have empty seats but, if you're worried about it, you should make sure you have reservations. What has changed over the past 30 years is that more high-speed trains such as Eurostars have compulsory reservations (and hence no standing passengers), so you cannot just turn up at the station, buy a ticket and hop on the next train.

Thanks for the tips, gentlemen. Standing is out so I'll play it safe.
Thanks also for the link, Steve.

Joe

Go with Eurostar wherever possible. In my 15 years in Italy the InterCity trains have gone downhill - last time I tried them (3 years ago) I often had to walk several carriages to find a usable bathroom, which was difficult with the corridors crammed with people who didn't have seat reservations. Eurostar is worth the extra cost.

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com