2happyhills

We will be traveling in Italy on a fixed schedule and plan on using the train between cities. Should we buy tickets before we go or when we get to Italy?

Jed

Going from Mantua to Florence last October, we bought our tickets in Mantua the day before.

PalenQ

It depends on types of trains you'll be taking.

local and regional trains are a flat fee regardless of when bought i believe, pay by the kilometer

Faster trains cost more and you can get especially attractive online only discounts up to 60 days in advance but they often are sold in limited quantities and may be sold out as soon as they come on the system - i believe 60 days ahead.
Thus a Eurostar train, the best trains and fastest, say from Venice to Florence could cost $30 or so cheaper with the discount route..
That said the www.trenitalia.com site you do this on is notoriously fickle and seems to cause many posters untold agonies actually trying to book. And trains in Italy are dirt cheap compared to other countries so even at full price you won't break the bank.
Thus you can wait - there are so many trains you always can get seats once there (do so as long before the train as possible however to make sure)
you can get all your tickets and mandatory reservationson Eurostar and ICplus trains upon arrival at Rome Airport's train station ticket window or at any station in Italy by using the, in my experience, idiot-proof automatic ticketing machines that walk you thru it in English.

judybr

We were in Italy Sept., 2005 and also used trains between cities. I printed out the schedules and highlighted the train we wanted. When we arrived in Milan, we purchased all the tickets at once at the train station. The agent spoke good English, but still used the printouts.
Actually, we traveled 2nd class so the tickets were valid for a month or two between the two cities specified. He used the date we wanted as the beginning date.
Don't forget stamp the tickets in the machine before you board.
Hope this helps.

ellenem

What time of year? What days of the week?

If you are traveling on a Friday or holiday or in peak tourist season, it would be wise to purchase a few days ahead. You can probably wait til you arrive in Italy and then buy your tickets all at once. Use trenitalia.com to plan your trips and take along printouts. You can buy your tickets at the trenitalia site if you like.

Some like to arrive with tickets/reservations in hand to ease their minds. In the past, long lines at stations and confusing discussions with ticket sellers were a problem. Now most large stations have automatic machines with an English language option, so it's very easy. The only monetary benefit is that some routes offer discounts for online purchases.

PalenQ

and though there is an Italian railpass the typical tourist will not come close to realizing economical benefits from it - especially because with the pass you still must pay 15 euro supplements ($20) above the pass to ride them.
However if going from Trieste to Palermo and Palermo to Turin the pass would be good.

ellenem

<<Actually, we traveled 2nd class so the tickets were valid for a month or two between the two cities specified.>>

For ES trains, the ticket is good only for the exact train and date for which you bought a ticket, no matter if it's first or second class.

ira

Hi 2,

If you know which trains you want, buy them online.

You won't have to bother when you are in Italy.

If you will be going from Rome to Naples, you want to buy the 2-4-1 special on the AV in advance.