Do you need to pre book trains in italy

Trenitalia portal the trains seem to be departing every hour, 20 mins past the hour. Because its easter or any major holiday, you will want to secure your seats for a specific time rather than risk not getting one. Conductors will also let you know if validation is needed and where your car carrozza and seat posti are located. 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. But, the flexibility is great to have if you dont want to be tied to any specific time. Now i am turning my attention to what else i need to prebook. However, if you do not want to deal with it on the day, you can buy it in advance here. Eurostar between london and paris or brussels reservations needed. 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. Some european trains cant be booked through our reservation service. 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. France, which tickets do i need to book in advance. If you buy your ticket online, there is no need to. You do not need to pre book your ticket, you can just buy it on the day at the station.

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. This site uses proprietary or thirdparty profiling cookies to send online advertising with your preferences. First things first choose which pass youre going to travel europe with. Though some train rides should be booked in advance, its generally easiest to buy.

You cannot reserve anything online for croatia, romania and hungary, and they have responded that we would need to do it in person. Next, you need to know that your train ticket is only good for the ter trains. Best way to buy train tickets italy forum tripadvisor. 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. When to buy your train tickets for italy tripsavvy. 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. I thinks the doges palace might also be worth booking a tour also. 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. 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. Any segments that use a regional train called ter in france dont need advance booking, and can be purchased on the day. If you are planning to visit rome, florence, venice, and milan, individual train tickets will cost less than an italian rail pass. You dont necessarily need to make the reservations that far in advance, but if youre traveling with a. Now, with select italy, you can purchase italy train tickets right on our website, which gives you the chance to pay.

If you are traveling on international trains between countries, you will also need a seat reservations. You can always try buy train tickets at your train station of departure. 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. Most car rental companies will charge you an extra fee if youre a young driver under 25.

Because its easter or any major holiday, you will want to secure your seats for a. Trains from the surrounding countries to switzerland usually do require seat reservations. All intercites have plenty of room for luggage, toilets, and often some form of catering either a trolley service or a cafebar. When you book online, youll receive an email about 5 minutes after booking with a pdf attachment. This doesnt mean you need to have your whole trip prebooked, but itd be nice to have an address to write down. 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. You do not need to prebook your ticket, you can just buy it on the day at the station. 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. 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. I would definitely prepurchase tickets on the trenitalia site with a seat confirmation these are high speed trains, not the regional trains. If im in transit and i only have 1 day in a city, i usually book in advance. Intercity train tickets can be bought on the trenitalia website, on in person at train stations in italy. Find alternative ways to book your seat reservations below.

Apr 02, 2015 this means all tickets for these trains are sold without a time or date. We are both so excited as this is our first trip to italy. Italia rail reservations and supplements italiarail. 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.

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. 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. We are flying from paris to venice and then were planning on taking the train. Check the timetable to see whether your train requires seat reservations. Not good for the faster tgv or corail trains, which cost more and require a reserved seat and you buy from sncf ticket office.

Travel with our frecce trains, at high speed, departing and arriving from the center of the main cities. For example, if you buy a month long pass you can travel at any time during that month. 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. 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. Day trains, for example the highspeed trains in any country, require seat reservations. When i try to book the train, it asks me to choose your rate. We are taking the train from rome to florence, florence to venice and then the high speed train from venice to milan. This is especially the case if you buy tickets in advance and are able to get a discount. Please note that if you wish to continue your bernina express journey on another day, youll need to book a new ticket. 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. Complete beginner guide to italy by train save a train. We are taking the train from rome to florence, florence to venice and then the high. 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.

Catching a train from genoa port to milan liguria guide. 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. In general, you have to validate if a seat is not assigned, but if you want to play it safe just validate every. For the milan venice route, i was thinking it may be better to prebook as i would. Though you re given the option of registering on the site, you do not need to do so in order to buy tickets. We have covered some of the things that help make traveling with children by train in europe easier in another article.

If you wish to continue on a regional train, you wont be charged. 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. 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. 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. Feb, 2017 trains in italy function rather well, except in case of extreme weather which includes heavy rain, or when there are strikes.

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. And youll need to book ahead or at least pay a little extra for a spot on nearly all overnight trains in europe. What to do before you board a train in italy italy explained. A complete guide to how to buy train tickets in italy, including the different reliable.

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 can see which trains require a reservation in our timetable, or you can check by country or by train type. In france, the tgv and inner city trains require seat reservations. Its now easier than ever to prebook activities in each of the cities youll be visiting. Know when you need to buy a reservation before you board.

You can check schedules and buy tickets on trenitalia, the italian national train site. Like with the fast fast trains, you do need to book a seat on intercity trains and sit in your designated spot. Things to know before renting a car in italy anna everywhere. Italiarail is a train ticketing site that is 100% in english. 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. Yes, you can get off at a train station and get back on the next train to continue your journey. 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. When you get to italy by train station, your next cue is a big hanging board. 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. Hello, my husband and i are traveling to italy march 1120. With one ticket, you can travel freely on europes trains for up to a month. Do i need to make seat reservations on italian trains. You ll mostly need trenitalia staterun trains, as those go to the places you ve mentioned. This is how seat reservations work for swiss and european trains.

However, try to remain calm and limit the number of smaller activities that you prebook, as you risk wasting cash and causing disappointment. 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. Buying train tickets in italy the 2019 guide the hotel. 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. How to buy italian train tickets before you leave home tripsavvy. How to pre book a taxi in rome an american in rome. There is also a taxi stand outside of baggage claim and there is not usually a long wait so reserving a. Preempting that is impossible as many traveller will attest to once they get on the road. Pompeii is open every day except 25th december, 1st january and 1st may. 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. Buying train tickets in italy the 2019 guide the hotel expert. I want to book trains ahead too but this can only be done a month or 2 at most for europe and so on.

Train travel in france, a beginners guide paris to nice. 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. Buying european train tickets by rick steves rick steves europe. All other trains can just be boarded with a rail pass or a ticket and do not need to be booked in advance. Italy rail passes and train tips from rick steves rick steves europe. There are machines by the trains where you insert your ticket and get it stamped. How to buy italian train tickets before you leave home. Europe should i have prebooked my trains for italy we are leaving in a few days for our trip to franceitaly. Tickets between the major italian cities do sell out so book train seats between rome, florence, milan, venice, and naples in advance. The only time you need to buy a reservation separately is if you have a rail pass.

Bernina express cheap bernina express tickets trainline. You can compare fast and slow trains or filter them out completely if you dont want to worry about accidentally. If youre looking for an adventure this summer, an interrail ticket could be just what you need. 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. If you buy your ticket online, there is no need to validate it before boarding. Train travel in italy, a beginners guide tickets from 9. 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. Find out when you need to book extra seat reservations and how much they cost. 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. Europe booking trains in italy should i book in advance. There are only a few trains in switzerland that require a seat reservation. 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. How to buy the cheapest italy train tickets online.

Hi, i am a bit confused whether i should book my train tickets in advance for my travel in italy. 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. For most trains between most major destinations, yes, you do. And, given the frequency of trains in italy on certain routes and the ones you are taking, it is easy to enjoy that flexibility. Eurail passes are only available to noneu citizens and residents and must be purchased in advance of your trip to italy. The short answer is that you dont need to book seats for trains in switzerland, except for a few scenic trains. Start by selecting whether you want oneway or roundtrip travel, then start typing in your station of origin. 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. Typically as one forumite mentioned, you can book train tickets on the day of travel. 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. 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. Having spent two summers interrailing round france, switzerland, italy and spain, i can reliably inform you that interrailing is cool. When travelling in italy, is it best to prebook trains. Heres how to find the train schedule, choose the train you want, book your ticket, and more.

Usually, the cutoff is 70 or 75 years old depending on the provider. 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. Everything you ever wanted to know about train travel in italy. What to do before you board a train in italy italy. Should you, well there are hundreds of posts on the topic with most saying you should. Now i am turning my attention to what else i need to pre book. You can visit bustling cities, sunsoaked beaches and tiny towns clinging to. Train travel in italy can save you time because they frequently use highspeed trains. Btw, im doing all the research and planning, and he doesnt do any of that. That is where you will get all of the updated information you need. And booking a week in advance is almost always cheaper than booking on travel day. If you are just travelling on short day trips rome florence venice etcthen i would wait until you get to italy.

Going to rome, florence, venice, and back to rome will be closer to the same amount. Only on the route venice florence and if you would go direct florence rome theres also the option of ntv italo privaterun highspeed train, which does have competitive prices. How to buy train tickets in italy an american in rome. Choose where you want to go and check whether you need to reserve a seat. How can i buy tickets for italian trains before i go to italy. 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. If you do not see the board, look for a crowd of people standing underneath something huge and voila.

Book your seat reservations quickly and easily with our online tool. The legal driving age in italy is 18 years old, but you need to have your license for at least a year. For the milan venice route, i was thinking it may be better to prebook as i would want a high speed train. Trains do sell out now and again so play it safe and get the tickets ahead of time. Insurance companies set a maximum age for car rental. Trying to figure out how to buy train tickets in italy in italian can be overwhelming if you are not fluent. Since you are traveling to rome for easter, i suggest that you book those tickets as soon as you get to venice. 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. About reservations train reservations, reservations faq. Seat reservations on intercity trains are mandatory and will be assigned automatically if you dont choose your own. You can book museum tickets and passes, walking tours, boat cruises the list is endless and quite tempting. What attractionssites to prebook in rome, florence. The vatican is a given planning to book a guided tour.

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. Pre empting that is impossible as many traveller will attest to once they get on the road. 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. A consecutiveday pass provides unlimited rail travel for the duration of the pass, once it has been validated. For example, the train from florence to rome takes 1 hour 30 minutes. This means all tickets for these trains are sold without a time or date. You can do this by inserting the ticket into one of the validation machines scattered along the train platform. How do you get to italy by train once you got your ticket. Europe should i have pre booked my trains for italy we are leaving in a few days for our trip to france italy. Regionalle trains local trains do not require a reservation. 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.