kybourbon

Isabel - It's too early to purchase on Trenitalia, but there are discounts from Milan/Basel on Trenitalia (19€ Smart Fare 2nd class - two weeks advance purchase). The rules for Smart Fares:
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

I would think you could purchase Basel/Luxembourg on the Swiss site or just buy when you arrive Basel.

>>>Depending on how much is for the 4 of us that trip if I still will buy the Eurail for us. I calculated with the minis for today and it came to 344 euros, so Minis may not be so convenient against the pass in the event you have more than 2 passengers. <<<

I see fares as cheap as 9€ per person for a random date in April that doesn't require a train change. No way a pass can beat those prices. Most Venice/Naples seems to require a change of trains somewhere so that means you must pay for two seat reservations for each person if you book one of those using a pass. That will add 20€ to each person for the day on top of the pass price.

KentV

Thanks for the info. I just found our trip from Venice to Florence for 18 Euros (sounds prety good to me).

isabel

kybourbon - thanks for that info.

PalenQ

. No way a pass can beat those prices.>

Yes IF you can get those very limited in number fares - if not you may pay more than a pass.

These 9 euro fares are extremely limited in number and to imply that they are generally available is misinformation - one should advice that you MAY be able to get it today but not tomorrow, etc.

jrecm

Thank you so much. I was able to secure 2 tickets from Venice to Rome for a total of eighteen euros. My credit card went right though. I truly appreciate all of the help everyone has given.

annettafly

After much trial and error I finally made it to the purchase page and was able to select the MINIfare for the four of us to travel round trip Florence Venice in May. But, sadly, the BIG discount was not there. The price shown is 39 euro instead of the 43 euro base fare. Could it be that there are NOT any highly reduced tickets for my journey in May?

GAC

It would be a mistake to choose a "MINI" fare which yields a miserly 10% discount. Don't do it. The savings don't justify the risk involved (in case you need to change the reservation or cancel at the last moment).

The cheapest "MINI" fares will get snapped up quickly, leaving the less generous discounts for those who have not been "quick at the draw".

Note: to see whether better "MINI" fare discounts are still available, choose the "Flexible dates (+/- 3 days)" option when searching on the LE FRECCE website. It will bring up the cheapest fares for an entire week. You can then scroll forward and backward one day at a time by clicking on the arrows.

kybourbon

>>>These 9 euro fares are extremely limited in number and to imply that they are generally available is misinformation<<<<

Entering random dates in April/May/June (showing a week of fares at a time), the 9€ prices don't seem to be limited at all, not even Easter week. They are available every day for Rome/Florence. To imply that they are extremely limited seems to be misinformation. 9€ is less than the seat fee you have to pay to use a pass.

pookymimi

I will keep looking as I know the dates we have to travel, June 11 Venice-Naples, June 17th Naples-Monterosso, June 30th Monterosso-Livorno and small day trips in between.

If I can refrain from buying the pass, I'm all for it, but it seems the June dates I need are too far still.

GAC

Remember also that the "MINI" fares are NOT available for the unreserved "regionale" and "regionale veloce" trains.

The "MINI" fares are available only for the FAST trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, Intercity, Intercity Night, and Espresso (night trains)).

I can't repeat this often enough!

englishval

A quick question - Is there any problem on Italy trains of getting off earlier than the station on the ticket? I want to travel from Rome to Bologna but the 9 euro mini fares are only available for my train for the whole route Rome to Milan. If I buy a Rome to Milan 9 euro ticket, can I get off at Bologna without a problem? This may seem like a silly question but UK train companies say it is a breach of contract to do this. I'd like to know if Trenitalia has any problem with it. Thanks.

GAC

It's technically a breach of contract, but no one will notice, and no one will care (unless you do it habitually).

pookymimi

Remember also that the "MINI" fares are NOT available for the unreserved "regionale" and "regionale veloce" trains.

Yes, I know that it's only for fast trains and I intend only getting those as the distances for our 3 big trips are great, never mind the regionale for those.

jrecm

annettafly,
Just now I booked a different mini fare ticket. It was Pisa to Venice (via Florence )in May. On the Florence to Venice portion of the trip with the fast train, I was able to secure the 9 Euro fare per person. My other ticket Venice to Rome was in May also.
Did you try the website GAC suggested?

sushimomma

Just booked Venice to Florence for 9 euros each. Appreciate the tip. Glad to finally catch a deal while planning our trip to Italy...

annettafly

Why am I not surprised? Despite all your great info it just isn't meant to be for me. Yes, I tried over and over and over for two hours on the site GAC suggested. Kybourbon, you found a lot of low MINI fares in May? Unfortunately, my dates are not flexible because I'll only be in Italy for a two-week course in Florence April 30-May 12. The plan for a short hop to Venice is to go early Saturday, May 5 and return Sunday evening May 6. Maybe that's just a really popular weekend and those MINI's are sold out already. You're right GAC, I'm not going to lock into tickets now just to save 4 euro. On the up side: We have secured a great apartment in Florence, and really nice B&Bs in Venice for one night and in Rome for the night before flying back to Detroit. All is good.

GAC

I'm going to make a few comments about purchasing "MINI" fare tickets for the Trenitalia FAST trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, Intercity, etc.) when CONNECTING to or from another FAST train OR an unreserved REGIONALE train, because there are potential dangers which really should be avoided. These pitfalls are not self-apparent from reading the Trenitalia website. I will address these seriatim:

1. Connecting FROM a FAST train TO another FAST train (having a "MINI" fare ticket for the second train OR for both FAST trains):

It's very important that you have absolutely no less than 15 minutes official connection time between the two FAST trains. That way, if you were to MISS your connecting FAST train (for which you hold a "MINI" fare ticket), you SHOULD be accommodated to a later-departing FAST train to your destination, without penalty or surcharge. I say "SHOULD" because this result is not stated anywhere on the Trenitalia webpages. Nevertheless, Official Tariff Rule 7.3 for the National (i.e. FAST) trains SHOULD yield this result. If the official connection time is greater than 15 minutes, you will be better protected, and indeed, I would avoid a connection of only 15 minutes, opting instead of a longer connection time. Even though the "MINI" fare tickets are nonchangeable and nonrefundable on the day of travel, Trenitalia customer service personnel have the DISCRETION to accommodate passengers who miss their connecting trains, WHERE CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT. That means that you may (and you might not) be accommodated. I recently verified this information with two Trenitalia customer service agents in Florence.

If you can't bear this uncertainty, buy a "Base" fare ticket for the second (connecting) FAST train. That way, you'll have a ONE HOUR grace period to re-book in case you MISS the connection (and Trenitalia personnel have discretion to extend the grace period when circumstances warrant).

2. Connecting from a FAST train to a REGIONALE train:

No problem here if you MISS the connecting REGIONALE train: just take the next one to your destination. If you have an ELECTRONIC ticket for the REGIONALE train, it's valid for 4 hours after the departure time of the train shown on the receipt. If you have a PAPER ticket for the connecting REGIONALE train (which does not specify any particular departure time), it's valid for 6 hours after "validation" in the little yellow punching machine at the track head (and you should "validate" it only prior to boarding the regionale train, not beforehand).

3. Connecting FROM a REGIONALE train TO a FAST train (for which you hold a "MINI" fare ticket):

DANGER HERE! The "15-minute" connection rule noted above does NOT apply when connecting FROM a REGIONALE train TO a FAST train. The REGIONALE trains have their own tariff rules, and they are not classified as "National" (.i.e. FAST) trains. You do run a real risk of forfeiting your "MINI" fare ticket for the connecting FAST train if you MISS it. Trenitalia personnel MIGHT accommodate you, but it's not at all guaranteed. I also verified this information with Trenitalia customer assistance personnel.

Solution: In this case, buy a "Base" fare ticket for the connecting FAST train rather than a "MINI" fare ticket.

kybourbon

>>>pookymimi on Feb 18, 12 at 4:22pm
I will keep looking as I know the dates we have to travel, June 11 Venice-Naples, June 17th Naples-Monterosso, June 30th Monterosso-Livorno and small day trips in between.<<<

Fares are only listed through June 9. Summer fares start June 10th and aren't loaded yet although you may find a few random trains loaded.

annettafly - I would keep watching for specials as Trenitalia often has a Saturday special that is 2 for 1. Currently it's scheduled to expire next week, but they often extend it or they might announce other discounts so you still might get a deal.

jrecm

GAC
"3. Connecting FROM a REGIONALE train TO a FAST train (for which you hold a "MINI" fare ticket):"
We are going from Pisa on a REGIONALE train with a 30 minute layover in Florence. Then from Florence to Venice with a MINI fare. How does the 15 minute rule come into play here? Thank you

GAC

The 15-minute rule does NOT apply in this case, because REGIONALE trains have their own (different) tariff rules, and Trenitalia officially does not "recognize" CONNECTIONS from a REGIONALE train to a FAST train. This was explained to me my an experienced Trenitalia Customer Assistance Representative at Florence SMN Station.

He told me that the Customer Assistance Representatives have the DISCRETION to accommodate passengers with "MINI" fare tickets who have missed their connection owing to a late arrival of an incoming REGIONALE train, but that this is not guaranteed to happen. He also noted that a mere 15-minute connection "won't cut it", but said that a longer connection time (e.g. one hour) might. I did not specifically inquire about a 30-minute connection.

My recommendation to you (if you purchase a "MINI" fare ticket from Florence to Venice): take an EARLIER incoming REGIONALE train from Pisa to Florence to give you a one hour connection. Purchase an ELECTRONIC ticket for the REGIONALE train as well (that way, the departure time of the train will be noted on the receipt, and you'll be able to prove that you were booked on an incoming train which was supposed to give you a one hour connection in Florence, something you can't demonstrate as well with a PAPER ticket for the REGIONALE train, because PAPER tickets don't specify a train departure time).

Otherwise, if you are uncomfortable about the connection situation, simply purchase a "Base" fare ticket for the FAST train from Florence to Venice. (This of course defeats the advantage of the "MINI" fare). That way, if you miss the connection, you have a one hour grace period to re-book to a later-departing train without penalty or surcharge (and Trenitalia staff have the DISCRETION to extend this grace period further when circumstances warrant).

If you are travelling during a period of generally good weather, a one hour connection should be ample time, such that you should not miss your connection to the FAST train. If you do miss the connection, try to get accommodated by approaching the Customer Assistance Mobile Desk at the head of the center tracks at Firenze SMN. Tell the agent that you were booked on an incoming REGIONALE train which was supposed to give you a one hour connection. Show the agent your ELECTRONIC ticket for the REGIONALE train. Your odds of being accommodated should be better than even (but I make no promises here!).

NOTE: Even with an ELECTRONIC ticket for a REGIONALE train, you have the ability to take a LATER (but not earlier)departing REGIONALE train to your destination, departing within 4 hours of the departure time of the train noted on the ticket. That means that if your scheduled REGIONALE train is cancelled or is running very late, you could board the next train (let's say departing 30 minutes later), to arrive in Florence in time for the connection to the FAST train.

REGIONALE trains from Pisa to Firenze SMN run more frequently than every 60 minutes (on average, every 30 minutes).