Planning to take train from Venice to Florence in april. advised it should take 4 hours. advisable to make reservations in U.S. prior to leaving, or "wing it" upon arrival?? how much should I expect to pay?<BR>know any user friendly websites for info??<BR>thanks.

It's actually only about 3 hours. There's no need to reserve until you're in Venice. Have a look at www.trenitalia.com--it gave me a price of 39.25 Euros for first class, 26.60 for second.

Jahoulih has quoted fares for Eurostar (ES) trains between Venice and Florence. You could save a little by taking the InterCity (IC) train leaving Venice at 13.29. Fare is Euro 25.25 in First and 18.75 in Second. However, the more expensive and slightly faster Eurostar is a better, more modern train and therefore recommended. Whichever train you select, make sure to get seat reservations, particularly if traveling in second class. You pay about 3 Euro extra for seat reservations in the IC train (ES train fare is all-inclusive)

I printed out the timetable before we left, but didn't make reservations. That way we knew the time of the next train in case we missed the first etc.. It helped us plan the day.

Sandi - or anyone!<BR>We will be travelling by train in Italy soon and I'm doing the usual panic over it. If you buy a ticket, is it for a particular time train? And if you miss that train, do you have to throw the ticket away or can you use it for the next train. I suppose if you have a reserved seat, that's only for a specified train? We are thinking of buying a Kilometrico ticket for the two of us - to use over 5 weeks. Any comments?<BR>Thanks for any help.<BR>Kay

Unvalidated tickets are valid for 1 or 2 months, I don't remember for sure. Once you validate(date stamp) the ticket it must be used within a certain number of hours. Be sure to use the ticket on the type of train for which you paid the fare.

If you're traveling around Easter, do get a reservation ahead of time.

leslie, you suggest advance reervations if traveling in april? how far in advance? would a day or so be sufficient? <BR><BR>to all, thanks for the tips and advice.

Joan-<BR> <BR>A couple days advance is fine for purchasing your train tickets (provided you're not traveling around Easter -- not sure when it falls out this year). And so opt for the Eurostar trains. Fastest & most comfortable.

To Sandi.<BR>We found a Kilometric ticket very useful, but you still have to pay supplements on some trains,and you have to remember to have it validated for every journey, but it was well worth it.<BR>Jane<BR>