Should I buy a single country Interrail pass for Italy? | eurotrip

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3 replies

Should I buy a single country Interrail pass for Italy?

Mon, 07/26/2010 - 09:20

iamundernodisguise

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Eurotrip Points: 12

Member: 28158

Joined: 07/26/2010

Hi

I’m travelling around Italy with a couple of friends and was wondering whether it would be worth my money to buy the ‘travel 3 days within 1 month’ interrail ticket. We’re travelling between Rome, Florence, somewhere on the coast and finally Venice. I arrive in Rome and so will have to make three longer train journeys between cities, which, from what i’ve found out, seem to cost around £45 each. The ticket is £59.

However, I’ve also heard that Italy is supposed to be relatively cheap for train travel but that you generally have to pay a supplement for a reservation on most longer journeys. I’ve also heard that its best to book in advance, but we really don’t want to be tied to particular trains. Can anyone clear up for me what would be the best way to go about this? There’s a lot of conflicting information on the internet! I will most likely be taking shorter journeys which i’ll just pay for on the day, but for the longer ones, is it worth getting the ticket?? I’m trying to do this as cheaply as possible.

Thanks in advance! Helen

Mon, 07/26/2010 - 11:45

#1

oldlady

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Joined: 01/03/2007

Price out the tickets at the Italian rail company website; http://www.ferrovied… Most of the prices you find on the website will include a reservation — which isn’t covered by the interrail ticket, so use the lowest price you find (probably a local or regional train) for comparison.

Quote:

I’ve also heard that its best to book in advance, but we really don’t want to be tied to particular trains.

I’m guessing you read that on a website that sells reservations at an inflated price. Some trains (many in Italy) require reservations and you must have one to board the train. It’s much cheaper to buy those at the train station about a day in advance than to buy before you leave home from a travel agency website. You can avoid reservations by taking slightly slower regional and local trains, but you’ll probably end up taking at least some trains in Italy that require reservations.

One of the disadvantages of using some sort of railpass (eurail or interrail) in Italy is that it’s fast and easy to buy a ticket, with reservation if required, from the automated kiosks but buying “just a reservation” to use with a pass used to require waiting in a (sometimes very long) line. This post details how to buy “just a reservation” from the kiosk. http://www.eurotrip…..

Mon, 07/26/2010 - 12:58

#2

iamundernodisguise

New Member

Eurotrip Points: 12

Member: 28158

Joined: 07/26/2010

So would you suggest getting the interrail pass or not, considering I can just use the GPASS thing at the kiosk to avoid queues?

Priced out, the journies cost between 100 and 130 euros, so in terms of money, the interrail pass (combined with the ‘GPASS’ kiosk thing) is cheaper and quicker, as I’m seeing it. Am I right or is there something else i should consider?

Thanks, Helen.

Mon, 07/26/2010 - 16:52

#3

oldlady

Moderator

Eurotrip Points: 5998

Member: 778

Joined: 01/03/2007

If the interrail works out cheaper, and the GPASS option to buy reservations from the kiosk works, then an interrail pass is probably the way to go. I have no personal experience with the GPASS method of getting reservations from the kiosk and, to my knowledge, no one else has ever posted about it. I think the poster was using a eurail pass as opposed to an interrail pass, but I don’t think that would make any difference???

The only other consideration is any advance purchase special fares that might be available from the Italian rail company website. If you’re willing to buy those in advance you can often save over using a railpass. That requires committing to exact dates and times and purchasing the tickets well in advance