MichaelT

suz1672,

Thanks for the tip. The site does look to be very user friendly.

I just used it and plugged in the exact trains I successfully purchased on the Trenitalia site and they turned out to be about 35% more expensive than what I got through the site (sorry, not trying to give you bad news but just offering facts). In my case, it would have amounted to about $82US more than what I paid using the site.

Trenitalia site – Amica Fare (With the above mentioned headaches) - $232.54US (as converted by Citibank 3/14/08).
Selectitaly.com (User friendly) - $314US (as priced today)

ANY trip to Italy - Priceless!

suz1672

Your last line says it all, Michael..I'M GOING TO ITALY

MichaelT

Coincidence?

This morning, I finally received an email from Trenitalia reinstating my original account (see top post) to be able to “purchase online with more than one credit card.”

It made me wonder though… after weeks of waiting, was it just a coincidence or was it brilliant foresight on their part that they reinstated me on April Fool’s Day?

sherhatfield

Thanks for posting this! I thought perhaps I'd be one of the lucky ones who could actually purchase tickets on the Trenitalia site without a problem, but no dice.

I will keep trying and hopefully sometime in the next six weeks I'll be able to purchase!

caroline_edinburgh

I'm still baffled as to why people go through all this. As always, over the last month I bought my Italian train tickets from self-service machines at the stations when I turned up ready to go - it took about 2 minutes each time.

sherhatfield

<I'm still baffled as to why people go through all this.>

For me, it is because I like to know that everything is taken care of ahead of time. I'm obsessive about planning and it just makes me feel better to know I have my tickets in advance. Sure, if I have to, I can wait til I get to the station, but I'd rather not. On a recent trip to Salzburg from Munich, I had issues getting my train ticket at the station. Despite my careful planning and printouts of prices and train schedules, I couldn't get the ticket I wanted and ended up spending quite a bit more money for my ticket than planned. It made for a bad start to my morning and I'd prefer not to do that again!

I want to get to the station with my luggage, head to the correct track and be ready to go.

LJ

I am SO on board with CarolineE...I remain baffled as to why anyone goes through this. I have always used the self-service kiosks with great results and no hassle.

I will ask again a question I have posed before and never had a negative repsonse to: has anyone ever failed to get on a train in Italy they wanted because they didn't book from back in the US, UK or Canada?

ellenem

In more than 20 trips to Italy using trains each time I've always been able to get seats on the trains I wanted. I usually buy a day or two ahead if I'm concerned about a weekend or holiday crush. I purchase from ticket windows, ticket machines, and also local travel agents. I confess that I usually travel off-season.

AKNIC

MichaelT

I tried for weeks to buy tickets online through the Trenitalia website and even resorted to calling on the telephone. Each time I called and was told the lines were busy, I was charged
about $5.00 for one minute.
Please do not make that mistake - we had no problem buying tickets in Italy, just stay on trip ahead on purchasing.
AKNIC

caroline_edinburgh

sherhatfield, I take your point as regards countries where booking ahead can be a lot cheaper (I would never turn up & go in the UK for anything more than a local journey like Glasgow). But that doesn't apply to Italy.

And what if you arrive at the station too late for the train you've booked ? I would worry more about having to be there at a set time. Surely it's easier just to buy tickets for the next train after you arrive (assuming it's one which runs fairly regularly) ?

Very good question, LJ !

Skedaddle

OK - I've had it with trenitalia.com! I've never bought train tickets on-line before, but this time, I am traveling with friends on an overnight train from Rome to Venice. They will kill me if we aren't able to get a four-person sleeping compartment!
So, to avoid a possibly grisly death, I've been unsuccessfully trying the trenitalia site with all my cards, my husband and all his cards, and one of the travel companions and all his cards. No luck!

I need to contact Marco at Pantheon Travel, I guess. Does anyone have his e-mail?

Thanks for your help!

ellenem

Rome to Venice on an ES train is only 4.5 hours . . . get an early train and be there in time for lunch.

luvtotravel

bookmarking

Skedaddle

Ellenem,
Thank you for the suggestion, some members of our group wanted the overnight train experience.

ellenem

The "overnight" train leaves Rome at 22:50 and arrives at Venice SL at 5:30. The train makes 11 stops over the 6.5-hour trip. I can't imagine sleeping very well through a train stop every 30 minutes or so.

Ozziez

MichaelT, thanks so much for this wonderful, detailed user guide.

I would appreciate some feedback (from you, or anyone else who has the time) about my thoughts on buying train tickets from Rome to Naples.

Until I read your post, I assumed we (family of 5) could just turn up at Termini station in Rome early in the morning in December (about 7am) and buy our tickets to Naples from a ticket booth. Would it be better for us to buy these tickets in advance? Also, should we buy return tickets, or is it OK to just buy the tickets back to Rome from Naples train station at the end of the day? This is just a day trip to Naples because we're going to Pompeii for the day (my understanding is we'll buy tickets to Pompeii once we arrive in Naples).

caroline_edinburgh

Just turn up & buy them on the day. The self service machines have an English language option & shorter queues than the ticket booths so are easier and quicker. You may as well buy returns as long as you don't mind comitting yourself to which train you'll get back. There is no way you won't get on the next train, at 7am in December. Personally I wouldn't go from Rome to Pompeii as a day trip, especially when the days are at their shortest, but each to their own.

IdyllicItaly

Michael,

Thanks for the tip about being able to display prices on the Trenitalia website for R tickets by specifying a date within 7 days of the current date.

I read elsewhere that a holder of an American Express card in the US was able to use the AmEx travel services to book train tickets from Venice to, I believe, Florence. The AmEx agency in Venice made the purchase for the specific train requested, at no extra charge, and the traveler picked up the tickets while in Venice. That person was able to take advantage of the Amica fare, too.

LAwoman

We used the American Express agency in Venice to purchase all our train tickets. We arranged this in advance from the US, via email, then picked the tickets up once we got to Venice. They did not charge extra, and we got the Amica fare. We are not American Express credit card holders.

We saved over $100 by getting the Amica fares (family of 4, multiple trips). That's why we wanted to purchase in advance. Had no success on Trenitalia.com - have bought tickets in the past from them online, but couldn't do it this trip, even after notifying our credit card companies, trying our numerous cards, setting up multiple user id's, etc etc.

Neotraveler6

Hello All,

MichaelT - It was like you were talking right to me (thanks) however still can't book and yes I have the account, called the credit card place ect...

Question (anyone) is there a email address to use to get help if online is a bust?

I really want to book since I am going from Rome to Venice on a night train and see that some of the cabins are already booked. I am afraid to chance not getting a ticket for a cabin and have to ride in a seat for 4 (plus) hours.

In a word....Help! All advice welcome except "it is simple"

Thanks in advance.

Bless all that got it to work *smile*