TrenItalia or RailEurope?
 

My sister and I want to go to Florence for the day from Rome. I have tried to understand the Trenitalia website but (I'm hopeless) and raileurope.com offers roundtrip tickets from Rome to Florence for $96USD each way. Can I get them cheaper elsewhere? Should I just buy them in Termimi Station on the day I want to go? Will that be cheaper? We are on a budget therefore don't want to pay for the escorted tour that starts at $176USD per person. I appreciate your help! Thanks.

Luvly - You're not the first person to have trouble with the trenitalia website, and you won't be the last. I just went to the trenitalia website and entered dummy data for a trip from Rome to Florence - cost of 47 € per person, or about $62. That means that raileurope.com is charging you about $34 per person (one way).

Did you click on the English version of trenitalia website? And are you trying to buy tickets more than 60 days out (or maybe it's 90?).

If you still have problems, just buy your tickets at Termini Station and you'll save $136 for the two of you - enough for lots of fun in Florence and/or Rome.

KC

By the way, my figures were for 1st class. 2nd class was 33 € per person. Save even more money if necessary.

Sam

I will try it again (I didn't see the option for an English Version) the RailEurope is $96 each way, include the taxes and fees and the total for a roundtrip is $207.00 per person. That seems expensive, specially since I did request 2nd Class tickets.

have no worry about being able to book these trains in Rome - two trains an hour - no problem getting seats.

Use the automatic machines in Italian stations - idiot proof and all is in English. Or at Rome airport train station buy your tickets all there.

Usually much cheaper than RailEurope.

I tried the English Version (still having trouble getting to check out) I guess I can just show up early at Termini Station on the day I want to go and buy them there....thank you!

Author: knoxvillecouple
Date: 03/14/2007, 02:24 pm
Luvly - You're not the first person to have trouble with the trenitalia website, and you won't be the last. I just went to the trenitalia website and entered dummy data for a trip from Rome to Florence - cost of 47 € per person, or about $62. That means that raileurope.com is charging you about $34 per person (one way).

buy your tickets at Termini Station and you'll save $136 for the two of you - enough for lots of fun in Florence and/or Rome.

By the way, my figures were for 1st class. 2nd class was 33 € per person

knoxvillecouple: ???
33 e each way makes 66 e round trip or about $90 return per person vs RailEurope's $96 p.p. return or $48 each way.

Is my math fuzzy? i can't see how you would save 'even more than $136' - i suspect you may be right about big savings but i can't quite figure it out.

please point out my mistake? i may be mixing up return and one way fares?

Perplexed Pal

(33 euro p.p. = 66 euro or $90 or so

You could wait until the day of your trip OR you could go to the rail station (or a local travel agent) right after you arrive in Italy and buy the tickets ahead.

That way the day of the trip you simply show up and get on the train.

...unless there is one of those pesky all too frequent it seems trenitalia rail strikes!

PanenQ - Sorry, my mistake. I didn't realize that Luvly was quoting a roundtrip. I'm surprised that raileurope's price is so similar to trenitalia.

KC

On RailEurope, the price for one round trip ticket second class ticket is $96 + a mailing fee of $18 for a total of $114. RailEurope's website says they only do paper tickets. I'm not sure their ticket will include seat reservations which is mandatory on ES trains. Usually a seat reservation purchased from RailEurope for use with passes is $15, although it would only cost 3E in Italy.

On Trenitalia's website (or buying the ticket when you get to Italy)the price is 66E for one round trip ticket 2nd cl ES train which includes seat reservations = $87.13 Savings $26.87 per person.

Luvly76 - There are cheaper trains, but they take longer. You can travel for as little as 14E on an r train (3 1/2 hours), but the trip will be much longer than the ES train (90 minutes).

Raileurope tickets include reservations on trains they are required on. Thus no extra $11 fee.

But they do have a $15 fee per order to make any reservations, from one to 20, etc. - one-time $15 fee.

Though these tickets are easily obtainable in Italy for those who want a paper ticket in their hand, with a seat reservation on it, i'd advise skipping Raileurope and calling BETS (800-441-2387) who give personal service where you can ask questions and don't charge RailEurope's $18 mailing fee. But again i'd just wait until Italy for this type of ticket.
I took a regional train Rome-Florence last month and loved it - i was in no hurry and enjoyed stopping at all the stations that the ES trains avoids on its new high-speed tracks that skirts cities. think my train took at 2.5 hours. And since i had a railpass i saved the 15 euro ES fee for railpass holders to ride.

PalQ - Are you saying RailEurope has a $15 order fee + the $18 mailing fee?

that's my belief - haven't checked their web site recently. I understand the $15 is for any reservation made, even if included in the ticket price. I could be wrong.

As you sightsee in Rome, look out for a travel agent with the trenitalia logo in their window. Buy your tickets to Florence there. Almost all travel agents speak English, there is no surcharge, and you won't have to stand in line the morning of your trip.

I hung out at the Rome Termini train station off and on for some days recently and the automatic ticket machines never have a line and are really idiot-proof with English instructions and have your tickets in about a minute. there should be no waiting in line at ticket windows with these things and the machines will give you a selection of trains to chose from with various pricing. Something a travel agent may not bother to do.

We are going to Italy in October and are planning to use the train from Pisa to Florence, Orvieto to Rome, and Rome to Venice. Can I buy all of these tickets at the Pisa train station or do I have to go to buy each ticket at each train station?

Hi A,

You can buy all of your tickets at the same time at any train station or TA.

((I))

You can buy them at ticket windows or the automatic machines in any station, including Rome airport's train station - yes all at once. But specify the date you want to use them - the machines clearly show in English how to do it all.
Pisa-Florence; Orvieto-Rome are mainly regional or IC trains that don't require reservations - can't even make on regional though can on IC.
For Florence-Venice you pretty much have to go via the high-speed ES (eurostar italia) trains that cost more but are much quicker.
You could cut costs a bit perhaps for this leg on www.trenitalia.com and get one of the elusive advance online fares, many of which disappear when they come on it seems about 60 days in advance.
But trains in Italy are so cheap you regular fare won't break you.
Though there is a Trenitalia railpass you are not nearly training enough to make it pay off...not nearly.

Thank you all for this information. I was wondering why Trenitalia had to different trains showing duration of 3 hours & 1:30 minutes? I will be buying my ticket at the station...it seems so much simpler and as PalenQ said...the machines are IdiotProof ;) gotta luv that one!

PalenQ has the right idea about using the automated machines. Once you use one 1 time, they are pretty easy. Just make sure you wait for your ticket and receipt to drop.

As for the train time differences, I'm surprised no one has brought up the train differences. The main trains are ES, IC and IC+. Look in the trains section in Trenitalia to see the differences. IC+ is slower but cheaper. IC+ also has all new trains and no smoking. Some ES trains were looking pretty tired last year.

When looking at a fare on Trenitalia, click on details and then on the train number, which is highlighted. This will tell you if you have any stops or not and where they will be.

If your trip date is more than 90 days out, wait until you get within the 90 days and print out the page, in case you decide to go earlier or later.