Do you need to pre book trains in italy

When travelling in italy, is it best to prebook trains. Feb, 2017 trains in italy function rather well, except in case of extreme weather which includes heavy rain, or when there are strikes. Train travel is a convenient form of transportation when vacationing in italy, especially when moving between major cities, where using a car would be a nightmare for visitors not familiar with the maze of meandering alleyways, oneway streets and traffic restricted zones. Although these trains dont need to be prebooked, if you book in advance you can often find cheaper trainspecific prems fares which save money over the ontheday fullflex price. If you plan to use the high speed trains trenitalias frecciarossa, frecciargento or frecciabianca as well as italo trains you better book them in advance to save some money, perhaps going for a more flexible fare on the other hand, if you plan to take conventional trains there is no need at all to buy the tickets in advance because. However, if you do not want to deal with it on the day, you can buy it in advance here. If youre looking for the cheapest possible ticket between a and b especially if a and b are in the same country this is the way to go.

In france, the tgv and inner city trains require seat reservations. And booking a week in advance is almost always cheaper than booking on travel day. So you can take any train, the ticket is valid for 2 months from time of purchase and what you do need to do as uomo grasso said is stamp your ticket in the machines along the tracks before getting on the train. Italy rail passes and train tips from rick steves rick steves europe. Europe booking trains in italy should i book in advance. I thinks the doges palace might also be worth booking a tour also. Its now easier than ever to prebook activities in each of the cities youll be visiting. To get the best rates on the train trip from london to italy you need to book at least a few months in advance and travel at offpeak times. If you do not see the board, look for a crowd of people standing underneath something huge and voila. How to buy italian train tickets before you leave home. The short answer is that you dont need to book seats for trains in switzerland, except for a few scenic trains.

What to do before you board a train in italy italy explained. Because its easter or any major holiday, you will want to secure your seats for a specific time rather than risk not getting one. France, which tickets do i need to book in advance. And youll need to book ahead or at least pay a little extra for a spot on nearly all overnight trains in europe. That is where you will get all of the updated information you need. You do not need to validate tickets printed at home or tickets for frecciarossa, frecciargento, frecciabianca, italo, intercity and eurocity trains as these are valid for a specific train and include a seat reservation. It helps to know some basic italian phrases that will help you buy a ticket, but the italian ticket machines and signs are fairly easy for english travelers to navigate. If you already know the trains you want, you should book them online ahead of time because its quick and easy and you might get a better fare. Since you are traveling to rome for easter, i suggest that you book those tickets as soon as you get to venice. The good news is that you can generally get a decent discount on the full fare if you buy at least a month in advance. You can always try buy train tickets at your train station of departure. How to buy the cheapest italy train tickets online. If youre looking for an adventure this summer, an interrail ticket could be just what you need. There is also a taxi stand outside of baggage claim and there is not usually a long wait so reserving a.

Things to know before renting a car in italy anna everywhere. How to buy italian train tickets before you leave home tripsavvy. You cannot reserve anything online for croatia, romania and hungary, and they have responded that we would need to do it in person. You can see which trains require a reservation in our timetable, or you can check by country or by train type. The only time you need to buy a reservation separately is if you have a rail pass.

If you re spending that many hours in transit, you re going to be exhausted by the time you get there and you wont want to start scouting places. Europe should i have prebooked my trains for italy we are leaving in a few days for our trip to franceitaly. You do not need to pre book your ticket, you can just buy it on the day at the station. This is one of the most important things to know about traveling to italy make sure you validate your ticket before hopping on the train. There is a box to tick on the site where you will choose your seat regardless of which class you book, you will choose your seat.

If you have a deep interest in the subject matter you will need all day, most leisure tourists may spend 2 hours, 3 hours at most. Know when you need to buy a reservation before you board. You can buy your train tickets roughly 2 months ahead of when youll need them, and can even book them the day before your train trip. About reservations train reservations, reservations faq. Hello, my husband and i are traveling to italy march 1120. All other trains can just be boarded with a rail pass or a ticket and do not need to be booked in advance. You do not need to prebook your ticket, you can just buy it on the day at the station.

This means all tickets for these trains are sold without a time or date. Though you re given the option of registering on the site, you do not need to do so in order to buy tickets. You dont necessarily need to make the reservations that far in advance, but if youre traveling with a. Now i am turning my attention to what else i need to pre book. And, given the frequency of trains in italy on certain routes and the ones you are taking, it is easy to enjoy that flexibility. I do not like to have everything planned out to the minute, but i understand that certain sites are better to pre book so as to not wait in long, hot lines. Book a few days ahead to get the amica fare 20%discount or if you are travelling at a busy time easter etc or have a large group and specifically need a certain train. You can just follow other passengers or ask a conductor. Typically as one forumite mentioned, you can book train tickets on the day of travel. You can buy most european train tickets online from anywhere, so it all comes down to how early you are able to commit to a nonrefundable. For example, if you buy a month long pass you can travel at any time during that month. I want to book trains ahead too but this can only be done a month or 2 at most for europe and so on. Pre empting that is impossible as many traveller will attest to once they get on the road.

Bernina express cheap bernina express tickets trainline. Not good for the faster tgv or corail trains, which cost more and require a reserved seat and you buy from sncf ticket office. Trying to figure out how to buy train tickets in italy in italian can be overwhelming if you are not fluent. If you buy your ticket online, there is no need to validate it before boarding. Trains do sell out now and again so play it safe and get the tickets ahead of time.

Hi, i am a bit confused whether i should book my train tickets in advance for my travel in italy. Day trains, for example the highspeed trains in any country, require seat reservations. If you are traveling on international trains between countries, you will also need a seat reservations. Any segments that use an intercities train, may need booking in advance some dont, but its best if you do book to get cheaper fares and to guarantee a seat. Italiarail is a train ticketing site that is 100% in english. What to do before you board a train in italy italy. We are taking the train from rome to florence, florence to venice and then the high speed train from venice to milan. We have planned our days out thoroughly, as well as the train we need to take and the thought of not being able to reserve those particular trains is horrifying. Would i need to pre book for march 2017 and if so how do i have my tickets collected since i land in helsinki on the day of travel. Start by selecting whether you want oneway or roundtrip travel, then start typing in your station of origin. We are both so excited as this is our first trip to italy. All intercites have plenty of room for luggage, toilets, and often some form of catering either a trolley service or a cafebar.

Buying train tickets in italy the 2019 guide the hotel. Next, you need to know that your train ticket is only good for the ter trains. You can book museum tickets and passes, walking tours, boat cruises the list is endless and quite tempting. You can do this by inserting the ticket into one of the validation machines scattered along the train platform. Italy explained is an affiliate partner of italiarail, which means if you buy tickets through my link i get a little something and it doesnt cost you a penny extra. Advance tickets can be an especially smart buy for popular highspeed trains such as frances tgv trains and italys le frecce trains, which frequently sell out. Flexible travel days give the passholder a 2 month period from the validation date to utilize the number of days they have purchased for their pass. For the milan venice route, i was thinking it may be better to prebook as i would want a high speed train. In many cases, these required reservations arent so much a matter of space constrictions, but a surcharge for the privilege of riding the fastest or fanciest train. Complete beginner guide to italy by train save a train.

In general, you have to validate if a seat is not assigned, but if you want to play it safe just validate every. This site uses proprietary or thirdparty profiling cookies to send online advertising with your preferences. Theres no better way to see the cities of italy than by train, trains link just about every town or city of any size, centre to centre. Unfortunately, theres really nothing you can do except roll with it when this happens, and be comforted by the fact that everyone else is in your same position. A complete guide to how to buy train tickets in italy, including the different reliable. But if you intend to catch an onward highspeed train from milan or rome to lets say florence, naples or venice, remember that italian highspeed trains require reservation and tickets are only valid on the specific train you book. Choose where you want to go and check whether you need to reserve a seat. Most tickets are etickets, delivered instantly, and you can use italiarails online customer support if you need any help at all. When i try to book the train, it asks me to choose your rate.

For example, the train from florence to rome takes 1 hour 30 minutes. Trains from the surrounding countries to switzerland usually do require seat reservations. Apr 02, 2015 this means all tickets for these trains are sold without a time or date. Eurail passes are only available to noneu citizens and residents and must be purchased in advance of your trip to italy. I would definitely prepurchase tickets on the trenitalia site with a seat confirmation these are high speed trains, not the regional trains. If you are planning to visit rome, florence, venice, and milan, individual train tickets will cost less than an italian rail pass. I would like the flexibility of booking the day before, but dont want to end up having limited options if i hold off too long. What attractionssites to prebook in rome, florence. You can compare fast and slow trains or filter them out completely if you dont want to worry about accidentally getting stuck on the regional train making 20.

The legal driving age in italy is 18 years old, but you need to have your license for at least a year. Like with the fast fast trains, you do need to book a seat on intercity trains and sit in your designated spot. As a eurail pass holder you are entitled to a discount on eurostar tickets if you book through the same agency, and you dont have to use a travel day on the. Find alternative ways to book your seat reservations below. Seat reservations on intercity trains are mandatory and will be assigned automatically if you dont choose your own. Please note that if you wish to continue your bernina express journey on another day, youll need to book a new ticket. If im in transit and i only have 1 day in a city, i usually book in advance. How to buy train tickets in italy an american in rome. We have covered some of the things that help make traveling with children by train in europe easier in another article. Buying train tickets in italy the 2019 guide the hotel expert. If you buy your ticket online, there is no need to. Train travel in france, a beginners guide paris to nice.

Having spent two summers interrailing round france, switzerland, italy and spain, i can reliably inform you that interrailing is cool. Find out when you need to book extra seat reservations and how much they cost. How can i buy tickets for italian trains before i go to italy. You can compare fast and slow trains or filter them out completely if you dont want to worry about accidentally. Any segments that use a regional train called ter in france dont need advance booking, and can be purchased on the day.

Buying european train tickets by rick steves rick steves europe. This doesnt mean you need to have your whole trip prebooked, but itd be nice to have an address to write down. Catching a train from genoa port to milan liguria guide. I dont want to book ahead of time if i dont have to because i dont want to be bound by time constraints that i make now. For the milan venice route, i was thinking it may be better to prebook as i would. Pompeii is open every day except 25th december, 1st january and 1st may. Italian train tickets and rail passes can be purchased through eurail, italiarail and rail europe, all private entities, the latter of which are brokers of trenitalia tickets.

Heres how to find the train schedule, choose the train you want, book your ticket, and more. Jun 06, 2011 mike i understand short trips etc being booked but for longer travels who knows where you will want to go or what you will want to do once you arrive. If you are flying into one of romes airports and want to pre book a taxi, then you can do that online with welcome pickups at just about any time. Should you, well there are hundreds of posts on the topic with most saying you should. Some european trains cant be booked through our reservation service. You can visit bustling cities, sunsoaked beaches and tiny towns clinging to. With one ticket, you can travel freely on europes trains for up to a month. The vatican is a given planning to book a guided tour. This is especially the case if you buy tickets in advance and are able to get a discount. Now i am turning my attention to what else i need to prebook. Train travel in italy can save you time because they frequently use highspeed trains. Italia rail reservations and supplements italiarail. If you are just travelling on short day trips rome florence venice etcthen i would wait until you get to italy. Its wonderful, its incredible, and its why italy remains one of the most popular destinations on the planetbut its not going to help you plan your trip.

You can hop on and off most trains as you please with your eurail pass, but some trains ask you to buy an additional seat reservation before you can jump aboard. The eurostar trains that operate under the english channel between london and paris or brussels are a separate line that is not part of the eurail system. You probably have only 1 or 2 precious weeks of vacation time, and i suspect you have your own ideas about how to spend it. You ll mostly need trenitalia staterun trains, as those go to the places you ve mentioned. Check the timetable to see whether your train requires seat reservations. Tickets between the major italian cities do sell out so book train seats between rome, florence, milan, venice, and naples in advance. There are only a few trains in switzerland that require a seat reservation. What attractionssites to prebook in rome, florence, venice. Btw, im doing all the research and planning, and he doesnt do any of that. Eurostar between london and paris or brussels reservations needed. Because its easter or any major holiday, you will want to secure your seats for a. If youre planning to see a lot in a short amount of time on your eurail trip, then youll most likely need to buy some seat reservations for highspeed routes before you go.

Usually, the cutoff is 70 or 75 years old depending on the provider. Now, with select italy, you can purchase italy train tickets right on our website, which gives you the chance to pay. Conductors will also let you know if validation is needed and where your car carrozza and seat posti are located. Intercity train tickets can be bought on the trenitalia website, on in person at train stations in italy. Regionalle trains local trains do not require a reservation. When you book online, youll receive an email about 5 minutes after booking with a pdf attachment. Yes, you can get off at a train station and get back on the next train to continue your journey. How do you get to italy by train once you got your ticket. Preempting that is impossible as many traveller will attest to once they get on the road. Train travel with children in italy bringing the kids along on a trip through italy is both an exciting and rewarding adventure, but it can be challenging at times.

Europe should i have pre booked my trains for italy we are leaving in a few days for our trip to france italy. Trenitalia portal the trains seem to be departing every hour, 20 mins past the hour. Do i need to make seat reservations on italian trains. We are taking the train from rome to florence, florence to venice and then the high. Most car rental companies will charge you an extra fee if youre a young driver under 25. Mike i understand short trips etc being booked but for longer travels who knows where you will want to go or what you will want to do once you arrive.

Whereas if you do not pre book then you have to show up early to buy your ticket along with a throng of other travelers that for most part do not understand the system and you need to be aware of pickpockets and scammers trying to help you. Here there is no discount for advance purchase, you buy a ticket and it is valid on any train, but you must stamp validate the ticket before you get on the train to stop you using it twice. First things first choose which pass youre going to travel europe with. If you wish to continue on a regional train, you wont be charged. I do not like to have everything planned out to the minute, but i understand that certain sites are better to prebook so as to not wait in long, hot lines. How to pre book a taxi in rome an american in rome. When you get to italy by train station, your next cue is a big hanging board.

Going to rome, florence, venice, and back to rome will be closer to the same amount. Travel with our frecce trains, at high speed, departing and arriving from the center of the main cities. Best way to buy train tickets italy forum tripadvisor. Insurance companies set a maximum age for car rental. Though some train rides should be booked in advance, its generally easiest to buy. There are machines by the trains where you insert your ticket and get it stamped. But, the flexibility is great to have if you dont want to be tied to any specific time. Everything you ever wanted to know about train travel in italy.

For most trains between most major destinations, yes, you do. You can check schedules and buy tickets on trenitalia, the italian national train site. However, try to remain calm and limit the number of smaller activities that you prebook, as you risk wasting cash and causing disappointment. This is how seat reservations work for swiss and european trains. Many trains in britain require free seat reservations for passengers with a eurail global pass whereas anyone with a pointtopoint ticket, or a britrail pass, can hop on these trains at whim go figure. A consecutiveday pass provides unlimited rail travel for the duration of the pass, once it has been validated.