 Saving money on trains in Italy
For those of you planning a trip to Italy, there are definitly ways to save money on trains. In the past I bought europasses, but I`ve discovered that if you know what you are doing, you could get away with much less bying locally instead.
Here is the trick: The day before you want to go somewhere, go to the train station and get on one of those automatic ticket machines and type in where you want to go. They will give you lots of alternatives and different types of trains, for example Eurostar and regional. Click on each one and see which ones that given you the best price and time that fits your needs.
For example, I traveled (all second class tickets)
Bologna - Firenze for 5 Euro (compared to 25 Euro taking Eurostar
Bologna - Genova for 16 Euro (a three and a half hour ride)
Bologna - Siena for 15 Euro (two and a half hours)
Bologna - Rome for 32 Euro (Going to Rome is more expensive, but you still save compared to 48 Euro, which is the next price up).
Don`t forget to book a day in advance. Bying your ticket the day will almost certainly result in an expensive ticket. Trains in Italy DO sell out, and they get crowded often, especially in the weekends. Also, you have to be prepared to depart early to get the best prices, typically 5-7 in the morning. However, I loved it. When I got to Siena 8am in the morning, I had the whole city for myself. Now I prefer to get to places before all the tourists and really get a feel for the city.
By the way, I believe you can also check out the schedule and prices on Trenitalia.it It given you all the regional trains as well, not just the major ones as disclosed on raileurope.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone. Cheers!
 | 
Linear Mode
