How early can i book trains in italy

Jan 21, 2019 however, because there are so many trains coming and going, dont expect it to even be at the station more than 1015 minutes before departure if youre lucky. The complete guide on how to use your eurail pass in 2021 and. If the train you are taking is a regionale train, then there are no cheap deals, and they dont sell out anyhow. Sep 15, 2020 shows a full days trains in the search results not just an hour or two like other train booking sites, can book up to 20 people at a time trenitalia only books up to 5 people, and highlights the cheapest trains for each route. How to book trains in europe by rail expert the man in seat.

How to buy the cheapest italy train tickets online and in advance. Booking trains italy train companies popular routes trains italy. My family is flying into rome in march and plan to immediately go from rome to naples by train enroute to final destination of sorrento. For international trains cheap train tickets are available if you book early, like frankfurtzermatt from 39, parisgeneve from 29. As the others have mentioned, you can easily book tickets online up to 120 days in advance at a considerable discount. For italy you can book the interrail one country pass and eurail one country. Other towns, particularly hilltop towns in tuscany, dont have train stations. When 1st class tickets are cheaper than 2nd class tickets as a free upgrade those options are. How far ahead do we need to reserve trains in italy. Italy rail passes and train tips from rick steves rick steves europe. We recommend that you make reservations for the high season may to september and european holidays as soon as. Buying train tickets in italy how to book in advance santorini dave. The ultimate italy by train itinerary, from a european local. Tickets can be bought online at the italo website or at italo booths in the train stations served by italo.

Advance tickets can be an especially smart buy for popular highspeed trains such as frances tgv trains and italy s le frecce trains, which frequently sell out. This guide will show you how to find an italian train schedule online, how to figure out the difference between italian trains, how to book a train ticket, and how to get on the train. First thing first the italian train system has two main components high speed train syste. Beware too when booking through trenitalia that unless you specify the type of train yourre looking for, you will also be shown the slow, stopping services. So far, in my last 3 visits to italy, i have always bought tickets on the day of travel at the train station, and never encountered a sold out train. 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. I travel with italo a lot youll find out why below and i think they offer a nice service.

Jul, 2016 just like budget airlines, the cheapest train fares are usually available to those that book early, therefore i recommend making your reservations as soon as you possibly can. The child offer is now extended to children ages 4 to 14 years when traveling on highspeed frecciarossa, frecciabianca, frecciargento, intercity, intercitynotte, eurocity, and thello trains. Trains in switzerland are very punctual, clean and comfortable. For france, they require a high seat reservation fee 20 to 40 per person on the most popular highspeed routes, so the pass doesnt save much money unless you book at the last minute. Train travel in italy can be incredibly fast but some smaller towns are only served by older, regional trains which make frequent stops and move slowly. Oneweek italy by train itinerary on the luce travel blog. How can i buy tickets for italian trains before i go to italy. Tickets for this route can t be bought at italian train stations. How to travel in italy by train, if you never did it before. Booking trains within italy fodors travel talk forums. How to get the cheapest train tickets in italy luggage and life.

Trenitalia, italy s government owned train operator is also its biggest. Trenitalia railways italy cheap train tickets happyrail. How to travel italy by train guide to backpacking through europe. If you can commit to a specific date and time then buy as soon as theyre available to save money. As of august 2016, all regional trenitalia train tickets now automatically come with a specific date and a fourhour timeframe within which you can travel. Trenitalia is the name of the national railways of italy. Buying train tickets in italy how to book in advance.

Travelers can admire the beautiful scenery of the country as they pass through cities, mountains, countryside, lakes or by the sea. How to book highspeed train tickets in italy rome vacation tips. Beautiful rail journeys like the glacier express, bernina express and the golden pass. Bear that in mind when anyone tells you you can easily buy at the station. Frecciarossa or red arrow trains, are the fastest on the network and passengers in all classes of travel enjoy free wifi, plug sockets at each seat, a food carriage and air conditioning. How to buy italy train tickets and save lots of money. When travelling in italy, is it best to pre book trains. Among the railway networks in europe, i think the railway network in italy is one of the best railway networks, the intuitive ticketing interface of train ticket websites is easy to use, quick payment, tickets can be bought at very cheap prices if you plan hunting for tickets early sometimes only eur9trip. Can anyone tell me if i should book trains within italy online ahead of time to save money, or if i should wait until it is within 7 days and book the regional trains. Italy s intercity train network is modern, efficient, and incredibly fast.

Train travel in italy, a beginners guide tickets from 9. Trains milano to roma trenitalia italy frecciarossa exterior. We are taking the train from rome to florence, florence to venice and then the high speed train from venice to milan. For more details on booking horizons, see how far in advance can i book. For the milan venice route, i was thinking it may be better to pre book as i would want a high speed train. Jan 23, 2019 trains in italy sometimes dont go to the smallest, hilltop towns. You can buy your train tickets in advance if youre travelling on an intercity or highspeed train in italy e. While tickets can be bought at the station, either at the ticket window or using the ubiquitous selfserve machines, buying tickets in advance for italian trains often translates to big savings.

For high speed trains, you will have a carriage number and a seat on your ticket for a train that leaves at a specific time and date. Thanks for this great information on trains in italy. To book this train, visit the raileurope office near milan central station milano centrale. New rules for regional train tickets in italy italy explained. Fares shown on the map include reservations when required, but they cost extra when using a rail pass. Using the train in italy is one of the best ways to move around the country, so saving money on your train tickets means you can use that money to spend on the more important parts of your holiday. Hi, i am a bit confused whether i should book my train tickets in advance for my travel in italy. There are often machines where you can buy tickets as well. The regional train schedule wont be up until the middle of june. Tickets for the private italo rail service that serves most major italian cities can also be bought up to four months in advance, with good discounts and upgrades often available for advance or lastminute bookings.

Once youre in italy, you can buy tickets just before you get on a train. Book italy train tickets online with italiarail the italian train travel specialists. When im traveling alone, i rely a lot on public transportation. You can cross international borders on the trains, so if you feel like it, head north into other countries by train. And in italy, the train tickets are heavily subsidized so they are reasonably priced to begin with, and quite cheap if you buy at least a couple weeks. The regionale trains from florence to pisa have no reserved seats. In italy, regional trains can be booked 2 months ahead, while national and international trains may be available 6 months in advance. For instance, you can buy italy rail tickets for your italian connections on rail ninja for departures which are as far as 2 years ahead. Its easy to buy tickets directly from the train companies, and theres no need to use an intermediary. Besides the popularwithtourists trains listed above, several other privately run italian railways dont accept rail passes. Eurail pass holders have to pay an additional fee for these reservations. Trenitalia are increasing this to 180 days in early 2018.

To collect your tickets in the automatic stations, you must bring your reservation code received by mail. Italy is one of my favorite countries, and i love to ride the rails between rome, florence and pisa. Also, if i wait and buy tickets there, do i just buy them at the train station. How to master train travel in italy an american in rome. Would like to book trains ahead if possible but i worry that customs and transporting to main station in rome that it would be hard to select a departure time. May 04, 2019 book as early as you can, but you can get these cheap rates even a couple of weeks ahead, depending on the day of the week and month youre travelling.

The italian train network is one of the best ways to travel to and around italy. With omio, you will not need to print your eticket and you can travel by train directly to italy with your phone. This will guarantee you better availability, more options, and better rates than at lastminute bookings. Check for the same day of the week for next week and youll see an approximate schedule for the regional lines. Feb, 2015 riding the train in italy how to travel italy by train.

If you live in the uk you can buy french train tickets by phone with a number of ukbased train travel specialists, for example, international rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09. How to buy italian train tickets before you leave home tripsavvy. Discounts are often available on fast trains for advance purchases, sameday return, or for groups of three or more. Hello, my husband and i are traveling to italy march 1120. The board will show what track your train departs from. The best practice when it comes to purchasing tickets for italy trains.

Regional train tickets are usually only available about 60 days in advance. In general, the earlier you book, the more youll save the cheapest ticket fares tend to sell out much. Jun 21, 2011 europe booking trains in ita ly should i book in advance. Jun 01, 2018 so, if you want to save the most amount of money, you can take a regional train in about 6 hrs from florence to rome, for only 15 euro or so vs. Tickets for frecce trains, the highspeed trains that run between italy s major cities, can usually be bought within four months of your travel date. Frecciarossa, italo, frecciargento for routes like rome to florence, milan to rome or milan to venice and want to save money. 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. No need to wake up in the middle of the night, nobody gets tickets so early. The faster trains tend to be posted first and the slower, regional trains will get posted last. Its easy, we promise walks of italy one of the best ways to travel around italy is by train. How far in advance can i book european train tickets.

How far in advance can you book tickets with trenitalia. Make your reservations for day trains by phone through the db call center and pick them up at a german train station reservations for night trains from germany to italy can be made online on the db website. Like with the fast fast trains, you do need to book a seat on intercity trains and sit in your designated spot. 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 buying international train tickets from italy, see the advice here. When buying train tickets, i always use a credit card that earns extra points on travel purchases.

How to buy italian train tickets before you leave home. Apr 30, 2019 train travel in italy is easy and relatively inexpensive. When travelling by train in italy, youll want to make sure you get the cheapest train tickets for your journey, especially if you are mak ing more than one trip. The booking horizon for some trains particularly those in spain and italy can vary depending on the type of train, route and season. A specified number of seats are made available on each train at a reduced price and these are sold on a firstcome firstserved basis. You can also buy your tickets directly at the stations at the automatic stations until 5 minutes before the departure of the train. You can make a reservation up to 60 days prior to your travel. Italiarail italy train ticket and rail pass experts. Dec 05, 2019 italo is the first private train company in italy. Reservations are compulsory for le frecce trains frecciarossa, frecciargento and frecciabianca, formerly known as eurostar italia, intercity trains, night trains and international day trains like the eurocity. While you can usually buy italian train tickets right at the station in italy, its often more convenient to buy them ahead of time. You can still purchase those same regional tickets in advance, but youll have to choose a travel date when you do online or otherwise. By all means rent a car at your destination if you want to enjoy exploring the countryside, but it doesnt make any sense to drive, either financially or timewise. How to travel the easy way around italy by train corinna.

How to buy train tickets in italy an american in rome. Hello, my hubby and i are heading to italy in may 2018. Just board the train, find your seats, and give the conductor your booking information when heshe. May 12, 2020 the amicotreno card for travel throughout italy costs 50 and gives a 50 % discount on regionale trains and 1020% discount on intercity trains. Italian train system can be intimidating if you are not used to it.

Italian train system an easy way to use trains in italy. This is in part due to long lines at the ticket windows at some stations you dont want to miss your train because the ticket line didnt move fast enough. Many non italian credit cards dont work on the site, but whygo italy now has a ticket booking method that works with any credit card, lets you book tickets in advance, and gives you access to those great trenitalia discounts. Making a reservation italy s night trains and highspeed trains require passengers to make seat reservations in advance of the journey. Everything you ever wanted to know about train travel in italy. We highly advise travelling around italy by train not car.

Spacious and rather plush, they can be a lowercost option for trips like milanrome, slightly slower and not quite as ontime as the newer frecciarossa and the italo trains which take priority in the control rooms. Booking horizon by train if booking isnt open set a booking alert. How to travel in italy by train, if you never did it. Dont forget to select 1st or 2nd class under eurail interrail pass in the bottom left of the block, otherwise youll only get search results for the full ticket price. On the milan to venice route, the majority if not all trains are high speed. You can book them all at the same time at any train station. Trains in italy book your best train ticket here omio. Always book trains in advance using omio or trenitalia. Onsale dates vary by country, route, and time of year, with most starting two to four months in advance of travel, and six months ahead for germany and the eurostar chunnel train. They only offer highspeed services to cities, so, like i said above, if youre traveling to small towns, youll have to take a regional train and book it through trenitalia.

Guide to rail transport in italy how to travel around. Online purchase will give you an eticket you can print out. Trains in italy the fastest and best value routes omio. Trenitalia runs high speed intercity services as well as regional trains. The only time you can t is during their schedule change which happens in mid december and mid june. 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. Buying tickets soon after theyre released gives you a better chance of securing seats during busy travel days, and may give you access to sales or ticket discounts that are only available for advance purchases. With omio, you can book the insieme ticket on more than 900 routes served by trenitalia see the terms and conditions below. When you try to make reservations for international day trains you may need your pass number you can find this 7 digit number at the back of your pass. Intercity train tickets currently can only be bought within four months of your travel date.

Just before departure, train tickets can be three to ten times more expensive. Note that in the period after the two annual europewide timetable changes, on the 2nd saturday in june and 2nd saturday in december, it can be as little as 30 days. A government taskforce report is due on 12 april, about how and when international travel can resume. Do i need to make seat reservations on italian trains. Bear in mind that regionale tickets not purchased via internet can be used on any. How to book trains in europe by rail expert the man in. Trenitalia, italian high speed trains buy your ticket from 9. For this reason, it is challenging for us to state when we expect booking to open. You wont be able to book tickets beyond the schedule change until they post them. Book reservations for trains in italy on or in our rail planner app. Train travel in france, a beginners guide paris to nice. Wait to buy regional trains within 7 days or book early.

Buy your train tickets from trenitalia and travel italy with our offers. At the minute depending on the departure hour for each train, italian time. Guide to rail transport in italy how to travel around italy. In some areas such as switzerland and most eastern countries, advancepurchase deals either dont exist or arent worth the hassle.