Alice11

It really depends on the regional line. I mean, some of them have no stops at Termini and the other way round. A few have stops at both stations - or at Ostiense - and, yes, in that cas preferences may apply.

Peregrinus

Good point, you're quite right; it would have to depend on where you're headed...

frank_10b

does anyone know which track italotreno uses in milano porta garibaldi?
(malpensa express uses 13, and I want to know if they are close enough to make a 3 minute connection)

corky

Ok--see some good fares for our trip in April but should I book this far in advance? Can you make changes?
There are 2 Romes & 2 Venices....how do I know which is the one I want? Which is the most convenient to the city center? Sorry...as you can see I am totally ignorant when it comes to this.

franxit

Any track between 13 and 20


Venezia S.Lucia is the one located on Venice island, while Mestre is on the mainland. As a tourist, you'll probably want to use the one on the island.

About Rome: it truly depends on where your hotel in Rome is located. Both stations are on the metro B line, have a look at the metro map to decide. Both stations are served by airport trains to Fiumicino.

corky

Thank you! that is a big help. We are staying at the Westin Excelsior in Rome so I will have to look at a map.
I sent an email to the train company 2 days ago but have not heard back. There are some very good fares posted between Rome & Florence now but I wonder how long in advance we need to purchase our ticket & if it is refundable/changeable. I hate to lock in to a time now as our trip is in April & we want to stay flexible. I don't know if it is like the airlines & those fares will disappear as we get closer to the date. Also, is there a certain train company that services the Tuscany region?

franxit

Keep in mind that any ticket purchased at a rock-bottom price (low cost and promo on Italo treno) will be not refundable.

Fares are very likely to disappear up 7 days before your intended travel date, the ones on Trenitalia will be definitely gone, while Italo usually has decent priced tickets up to 3 days before.

Tuscany is served by trenitalia, for regional travel (short distance) there's no reason to purchase tickets in advance, as Italian train prices are very low compared to the rest of Europe. If I were you I'd give italo business class a try on longer routes, as prices are very convenient and the price will be a fraction of what you'd pay on a flight.

corky

Thank you for this....I didn't see the non refundable stuff anywhere on there so I was wondering if I will be told this before I click to buy the ticket. Also, even though it may be non-refundable....is it changeable? Can we change the time or the date?

franxit

Nope, promotickets cannot be modified. That's how you travel from Milan to Rome for 9 euros one way.

ToGo

are there any promotions now?
How are the Trains?

Orcair

The trains are amazing. Modern, clean and efficient.

Perche

Some Italo trains depart from Tiburtina. It depends on the destination. From Florence, it does part from Tiburtina. For other destinations there are now departures from Roma Termini, which is fairly new.

For me, having to arrive or depart from Tiburtina when going to Florence is a deal breaker. You have to take the Metro or a cab to get to or from Rome city center. I just don't like having to end my train ride on the periphery of the city, then having to take local transportation to go the rest of the way.

The paucity of stops or the poor location of their stops has generally kept me from using Italotreno. For example if you want to go from Milan to Venice, which I did two weeks ago, you can't do it. If you want to go from Milan to Torino you can do it, but the only place Italotren stops in Torino is Porta Susa, which like Tiburtina, is a train station pretty far away from the city center that requires you to then take a local train to get to the center of Torino.

It seems as if they are improving, as they now at least provide some good connections like Venice to Naples, Venice to Bologna, but as of now, until they get better train station locations I still find them to be inconvenient for most trips.

PWMTrav

NTV has recently signed on to have LSG Sky Chefs do their catering on the Italo trains. I don't usually make it a point to eat on the train, but it'll be interesting to see what they do.

Agree with Perche, I'm not going to Tiburtina to depart for Florence. It's basically a 2 hour ride as it is from Termini, so I'm not tacking on 30 mins just to get to a different station from the center of Rome.

I wonder if anyone will ever run a rail line that goes from FCO to points north without having to go to Termini first on the Leonardo Express. From a tourist perspective, a line going FCO - Firenze S.M. Novella - Bologna Centrale - VCE - Venezia S.Lucia would be incredibly convenient.

Forrest Bump

Tiburtina station after the renovation in the 2011 is quiet and pleasant. Quite a difference compared to the crowd of Termini.
From Tiburtina the metro line B runs no stop (among others) to Colosseo and Fori Imperiali (€ 1,50).
For the Spagna stop, instead, a change to the A line at Termini is necessary.

This makes the choice between Termini/Tiburtina just related to personal interests and hotel area, since the difference in commuting time is minimal.
I would pick the least expensive train fare, which in my experience is always Italotreno. Add that wifi is reliable, the service excellent and the staff young, cordial and keen to help. A far cry from the unpleasant and grumpy Trenitalia employees of the old days.

KLouis

Well, according to an article I read in La Repubblica a few weeks ago, Trenitalia (i.e. FS) will start a test high-speed service from FCO going north early next year, and supposedly they'll have a solid service from summer 15 on. No details about routes/stations or frequencies were given.