Being new to Europe, my wife and I going to Italy in May and would like to know what is the best deal to take a train through Italy. We are going from Rome to Assisi to Florence to Venice and finishing in Venice- a ten day trip. Please help
SteveRaye

We were there in September (probably about the same amount of crowds that you'll have) and always just purchased our train tickets at the train stations before we left. If a Eurostar is available, I'd take that - no real need for first class because all seats are reserved. If no Eurostar, I'd book first class or whatever would get you a reserved seat. Just a little more stress-free that way! Train travel was fun. You can get the schedules ahead of time at trenitalia.com (I think). Put trains/Italy in the search box above and you'll get a ton of info about train travel. Safety, etc. Have a blast! I am envious!! If you want any hotel tips, etc. feel free to email me at [email protected]

The Italian train website is www.trenitalia.com but the English part rarely works very well.

Hi steve,

Use this link for schedules and prices in English:

www.trenitalia.com/en

Ifyou want to buy your tickets online see
Trenitalia Tickets Online
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34465647

I have to disagree with an earlier post about buying train tickets on the day of travel.

My wife and I were there 2 weeks ago and I purchased a First class Eurostar round trip travel between Florence and Venice the day before our travel at SMN in Florence. Yes, the seats were automatically reserved, but the train was so packed and we realized that even with our one-day advanced purchase, our reserved seats were 3 rows away from each other. For a 3+ hour train ride, I would recommend first class travel - more room , larger and much more comfortable seats.

"The Italian train website is www.trenitalia.com but the English part rarely works very well."

I find it quite reliable (unless I mistype the name of a city, in which case it goes bonkers). People too often quickly blame a site when they are having connection problems. You may be using some software or setting on your browser that is causing problems. Big sites that use a lot of javascript and java often interact unpredictably with your own browser. Try loading Mozilla and see if things improve. It is very basic and robust and I frequently find that I can access a site more readily with it than with IE. In a pinch, I try Opera, the simplest browser around.

If your schedule is absolutely fixed and inflexible, you could buy all your tickets when you first get there. I don't recommend buying on line as there may be language difficulties, nor at the places that sell tickets to Americans (their commissions are very healthy). I always wait until we arrive before getting the tickets, as I don't trust the airlines to get me there on time always. We have never had difficulty buying tickets and reservations on the same day, but we avoid travelling on holidays.

On the other hand, if your schedule is flexible (you want the freedom to stay in Florence, for example, for an additional day, just buy the tickets when you want to leave, or the day before. I know that in the huge number of people who read here there must be a few who have had problems buying tickets the same day, but, neither I nor anyone I personnaly know has had that problem, and it is a widely accepted way of touring for students.

Incidentally, be sure you get to the right station in Venice; Mestre is on the mainland, while Santa Lucia (the one you will want) is on the island.

Enjoy your trip. You have quite a bit packed into ten days.