My suggestion is that you wait until you get to Italy and then buy your ticket. It will be cheaper and much more convenient to do it that way.

Don’t worry about having things fil up, cause that won’t happen. I was in Italy last summer, and bought my tickets with reservation about 1-2 days in advance. I never once had any problems. I was worried at first about not having tickets, but it was so easy it was worth not going through the hassel buying before I got there.

hi nivid,

i was planning to do this but thought i’d just check on the web to see the prices in advance and was quite shocked when raileurope said esi trains from florence to rome were sold out! everyone i’ve asked said they’d be shocked if that was the case so i’ll cross my fingers and try to book my rail travel once i arrive in europe.

a second, semi-related question if you (and/or others) wouldn’t mind. among my rail travel itinerary is one leg from london to paris but all of the sites i’ve checked prefer to get a eurostar chunnel reservation, then a select saver pass for the remainder of my travel. is there any reason not to just get the eurail pass?

lastly, i’ve heard from friends that train strikes occur quite often in italy. is there a web site where i can get the dates of any potential train strikes?

thanks in advance!
-wayne

quote:
Don’t worry about having things fil up, cause that won’t happen. I was in Italy last summer, and bought my tickets with reservation about 1-2 days in advance. I never once had any problems. I was worried at first about not having tickets, but it was so easy it was worth not going through the hassel buying before I got there.

Hey wayne,

Really don’t worry there is no way that tickets will be sold out in Italy. Not a chance.

Did you look on the Tren Italia website?

http://www.trenitali…

Let me know what your dates are and i’ll check it out.

As for your other question, it really depends on where you are traveling with the Eurail pass. Sometimes it pays for itself and other times it’s cheaper to go with point 2 point tickets. I used all P2P tickets and have never bought a Eurail pass.

Have you checked with railsaver yet?

http://www.railsaver…

Since you seem to know your itinerary, then you can type it all in there, and it will calculate what pass, if any, you need. Check the box that says "only if railpass saves me money".

Regarding train strikes, i’m not sure of a website. Maybe just check the Tren Italia website. I wouldn’t worry too much though cause there will still be German, Swiss, French etc. trains running through Italy. You could always hop on one of those and get where you need to be.

I’m happy to answer any questions you have to keep em coming if you have any.

thanks for the reply nivid. the whole european rail system can be quite confusing for first-time visitors—so many train operators, different classes, reservations, etc, etc. i did have another question—i need to get back to london (heathrow) for a 1:40pm flight back to new york from florence. is it possible to get from florence to heathrow and still have sufficient time to make my return flight or would it be better to return the night before and stay the night in london before going back? i’d prefer the former as it would mean i could spend a little more time in italy but i’m open to suggestions. thanks again!
-wayne

i just checked their site but am not sure which fare to select. is it possible to do a eurail pass reservation?

quote:
Did you look on the Tren Italia website?

http://www.trenitali…

quote: thanks for the reply nivid. the whole european rail system can be quite confusing for first-time visitors—so many train operators, different classes, reservations, etc, etc. i did have another question—i need to get back to london (heathrow) for a 1:40pm flight back to new york from florence. is it possible to get from florence to heathrow and still have sufficient time to make my return flight or would it be better to return the night before and stay the night in london before going back? i’d prefer the former as it would mean i could spend a little more time in italy but i’m open to suggestions. thanks-wayne

My favorite site to check timetables is the German rail site. You can look up schedules for any place in Europe (not just Germany).

http://reiseauskunft…

quote:i need to get back to london (heathrow) for a 1:40pm flight back to new york from florence. is it possible to get from florence to heathrow and still have sufficient time to make my return flight or would it be better to return the night before and stay the night in london before going back?

How do you intend to do this leg of the trip? Train, plane?

It’s a lond trip by train, but doable by plane.

Check www.whichbudget.com to look for budget flights. Many times flights in Europe are just as cheap as train tickets, and if not only a little more.

You can fly Florence to Gatwick on http://www.meridiana…

I have no experience with that airline, so I can’t recommend it.

You can take the train to Pisa from Florence (only 1 hour) and then take www.ryanair.com to Stanstead. Ryanair is definitly recommended and you probably won’t find a cheaper ticket than with them.

Just check out the timetables. I’m not sure, but you would probably have to go back the day or night before you return to the US. It’s always better just incase of delays or cancellantions. You don’t want to miss your trans-atlantic flight.

I flew from Prauge to Gatwick to catch my return flight home and I gave myself 2 nights before. I wanted to check out London again so it worked for me, but also get rid of any stress.

sorry, i would like to return to london from florence by plane. i saw the flight from pisa to stanstead on ryan but then saw the bus transfer time from stanstead to heathrow was 3 hours?? i’m not familiar with the proximity of london’s other airports to heathrow. however i think i will do as you suggest and return the night before. you’re right—i do not want to miss my flight back to ny because i have to be on another flight to mexico the morning after i return. thanks again for the info!

quote:
How do you intend to do this leg of the trip? Train, plane?

It’s a lond trip by train, but doable by plane.

Check www.whichbudget.com to look for budget flights. Many times flights in Europe are just as cheap as train tickets, and if not only a little more.

You can fly Florence to Gatwick on http://www.meridiana…

I have no experience with that airline, so I can’t recommend it.

You can take the train to Pisa from Florence (only 1 hour) and then take www.ryanair.com to Stanstead. Ryanair is definitly recommended and you probably won’t find a cheaper ticket than with them.

Just check out the timetables. I’m not sure, but you would probably have to go back the day or night before you return to the US. It’s always better just incase of delays or cancellantions. You don’t want to miss your trans-atlantic flight.

I flew from Prauge to Gatwick to catch my return flight home and I gave myself 2 nights before. I wanted to check out London again so it worked for me, but also get rid of any stress.

Travelling from Gatwick to Heathrow may take long, but it’s not difficult.

First, at Gatwick take the Gatwick Express (30 mins and i think 12 pounds) to Victoria station. Then just ride the tube on the Victoria line, switch to the Picadilly line and ride it all the way out to Heathrow. Simple!!!!

Or even simpler, take the National Express bus (17 pounds a year ago) from Gatwick to Heathrow.

http://www.nationale…

If you go to Victoria from Gatwick, the Southern train is about 3 or 4 pounds cheaper than the Gatwick Express, and takes about 8 minutes longer.

I’m not sure which route is faster, but I took the National Express bus because I was traveling late at night, and I know the tube shuts down sometime between midnight and 1 AM.