Purchasing Train Tickets
I can't seem to purchase train tickets online. Is it going to be difficult to buy them at the station if we want the "fast" train from Florence to Rome? Also, it doesn't tell me the price-about how much should I expect to pay for 4 adults?
Linda
Louisville 10/8/09
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It should not be a problem unless you are traveling on a busy holiday weekend (friday and Sunday) or during a peak day during the summer.
Schedules for next year should be up in mid-October.
Tickets are about $50 2nd class.
"Italy: www.trenitalia.com The site keeps changing, but it frustrates most Americans who try it. Eurostar Italia and InterCityPlus departures require reservations before boarding (included in ticket price) but are often available on short notice, so consider buying tickets in person in Italy a few days in advance or when you arrive. "Ticketless" online reservations require online payment, but the site may only accept credit cards if you have set up a "3D" security system, such as Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. Those plans require you to activate and use an additional password for all online purchases. If you can pick up tickets in Italy within 24 hours of booking, then you can choose "Self-Service" and "PostoClick" to avoid online credit card issues (which are not a problem in person). Create a user ID before booking, then proceed through the booking quickly, as there is a time limit."
Note: Trenitalia shows the price of a 2nd class ticket on the 12:33 ES* from Florence to be €39,90 pP ($59 @ today's exch rate). This is the price you will pay online if you can get a card to work or in person in Italy. For exactly the same train, buying the ticket in advance over here (from a stateside ticket reseller like RailEurope) would cost $65 per person, possibly with additional shipping.
how did you get to see the price? it won't let me get that far?
Linda: Maybe you already know this but it looks like no one has actually said that you can't buy tickets in advance online at the Trenitalia site--it rejects all US credit cards.
Linda,
It's not difficult at all to buy tickets at the station, and most often that method provides the best prices. You can purchase tickets either from automated ticket machines (which have an English-language option) or from staffed ticket windows. For an example, check www.roninrome.com as there's lots of great information listed there.
For the EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita, I'd suggest buying tickets a day or so before you'll be travelling. Take a few minutes and go to Firenze S.M.N. station to purchase. Your tickets will include the cost of the compulsory reservation, and the ticket will specify your car and seat number.
I checked the cost of tickets from Florence to Rome, and second Class tickets for the EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita were listed at €39.90 per person; first class were €56.10 per person. Note that these prices may be slightly different at the time you'll be travelling.
Note that your destination station will be Roma Termini, which is the main rail station in Rome. The trip will take 1H:40M.
Happy travels!
"how did you get to see the price? it won't let me get that far?"
What date are you using. Prices after mid-December won't be posted for a few days yet, but this years prices should be close. They usually don't change much.
We're traveling on November 10, 11, or 12.
Linda, I just now went to the Trenitalia website, put in Firenze to Roma and day=11, month=11, year=2009, and hour=12. It gave me a list of trains with 1st and 2nd class fares. I know "Rome" also works; I don't know about "Florence".
Linda, there is 50+ trains a day between Florence and Rome so even on a busy weekend you can still get there and in Nov you may have the whole car to yourself. And the fast train, as I remember, is only 30 minutes faster than the slow train so just go when you want.
Is there a big price difference between the fast and slower train? We're thinking about leaving Florence around 6 am to make it to Rome by 8:30 or so.
From the Trenitalia site:
Leave Firenze on an IC train at 05:50 and arrive in Roma at 08:24. The 2nd class fare is 26.50 EUR and the 1st class fare is 35.00 EUR.
Leave on a EuroStar Alta Velocita train at 06:40 and arrive at 08:29. The 2nd class fare is 39.90 EUR and the 1st class fare is 56.10 EUR.
So, both trains arrive about the same time (5 min apart) and at your target time. The real question is whether you want to spend an extra €13,40 (~$20) each to leave 50 minutes later.
But I gave you the link and told you the names, you could have looked that one up yourself. (Are you still having trouble? PM me or Tim or Frank).
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
I was in FLorence last year in early November. I purchased my ticket from the American Express office located on the same block as my B&B. It's very near to the Duomo. They were very helpful and offered a discounted price that I wasn't aware of. Also, this is the low season and the train had many empty seats.
Thank you all so much for your help-I feel a lot better about this trip now. We'll just get the tickets as soon as we land in Florence. Thanks, everyone!!
I've also used the American Express office to purchase tickes in Vience and Florence. Works just fine. I have NEVER had a problem purchasing tickets at the last minute in Italy (but did HAVE to travel 2nd class once!) Did have one problem a couple of years ago - ticket window would not take a credit card so I had to use cash. American Express takes cards and are very helpfull.
For purchasing bus and train tickets at the station: We always carry postit notes and print out all the info in the local language. (i.e. Seniors, 2nd Class, Round trip/one way; date; approximate time, destination). There are no "accent" mistakes and you don't forget to include a category. They are also great to carry in a phrase book to write down memories, addresses, names or even sights. We were just a quarter mile from the prado and the first two people we asked didn't know what we were talking about... I took a minute to print Museo de Prado, Pintura,(painting) Arte and had an immediate response. Mostly, relax and enjoy the adventure, you will be better at it all than you may think. George, Pgh
hi Linda, I just returned from Rome two weeks ago. We took the Eurostar from Florence to Rome and it cost approximately $58/person 2nd class(which was very nice). We bought our tickets from the counter and even with a long line it moved fairly fast. No worries!
Is the 39.90 euros EACH WAY- or round trip?
Here are the fares and times EACH WAY for Roma-Firenze:
1hr39min on EuroStar Alta Velocita trains for 39.90 EUR.
2hr52min on InterCity trains for 26.50 EUR.
3hr42min on regional trains for 16.10 EUR.
Does anybody know the email or phone number for the AMEX office in Venice. I've tried googling and even called AMEX directly, but I can't get the information.