Train from Milan to Rome and Florence to Milan
 

I'll be in Italy in late May. What's the easiest way to get a train from Milan (preferabally MXP airport) to Rome? I'm arriving around 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Can I/Should I buy a ticket ahead of time (i.e. over the web, from a U.S. travel agent, etc.)? How much does it cost? Are there different classes of service (i.e. different cars) that I should consider? Same question for getting from Florence to Milan for a 12:30 p.m. flight on a Sunday. Thanks for any advice.

Take the Malpensa-Centrale Airport Bus from curbside just outside after baggage claim. This takes you to Centrale Station, Milan. Do not take the Malpensa Express train, if takes you to a different train station in Milan (Garbaldi). From Milan Centrale Station, the high speed minimum stop Italian train (Pendilino or something like that) to Rome, stops in Florence, 1st and 2nd class. Seats are reserved unless you buy tickets at last minute, there are always a couple cars of open seating. From Florfence back to Milan, its the same train. On my last trip in January, I bought tickets last minute at station withour problem.

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Have passport, will travel...
LAX, LHR, CDG, et.al.

[This message has been edited by World20 (edited 03-31-2001).]

correct great tips by world20.

the trains run very frequently (... if not on strike ...). No real need for early reservations. Prices are so cheap that you don't have to worry either, even for first class (which I recommend).

Just FYI the Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato) website (which doesn't always work properly) is at http://62.110.170.238/welcome.html and (when it is working properly) can give you quotes in liras for the tickets you'll want. It seems you can even purchase them through the website and pick them up at the station if you do so a week in advance of when you want to travel.
Train tickets bought in the U.S. for Europe (with some very rare exceptions) have a substantial markup.
Yonatan

There are a bunch of different kinds of trains. ES, EC, IC,

I think the ES is the Eurostar, which is the premium train. First class and lunch are a treat.

Porters may be hard to come by.

The local, is pretty local.

jer

Also, if you are traveling with friends, ask about the "mini-group" rate. They only issue one ticket for the entire group and as I recall you save around 40% compared to buying the tickets individually. Not exactly sure of the mininum number required, but there we 5 of us and we qualified.

How does buying an Italian Railpass in the US compare, for price and convenience, to buying individual train tickets once in Italy?

MileKing-

In general, the trains in Italy are cheap compared to the rest of Western Europe, so I have offen found a train pass in Italy is not worth it. For example, I would buy a Europass for, say, 7 travel days, and use it in countries other than Italy. I could often get a ticket in Italy for less than the per day rate on the Europass. It has been two years since I have had a pass, so the passes may have changed since then. Hope this helps you.

Wow - very weird to read your itin - I did the EXACT same train ride last April. We purchased our rail tickets through a company in Illinois called DER Travel Services - 888-337-7350 or 847-430-0000 for the EuroStar. It was a total of +/-$250/each for a 1st class ticket. We rode Milan to Rome, Rome to Florence and Florence to Milan. It was a "FlexPass" for up to 5 trips. When we arrived at the station they asked for about $12 U.S. to process the ticket.

Hope that helps and have fun!

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Ken in Sacramento

I do this trip fairly frequently (though usually in segments - MXP/BLQ/FCO.

You will be taking the Eurostar from Milano to Roma - it's probably a 6 hour trip. Fare in 2nd is about 150,000 lira/$70. Maybe a bit more/less.

DO NOT buy your ticket in the US. It is a waste of money. Using the FS website is a good idea - the confirmation code can be entered at the kiosks very easily.

Carberry

The Rick Steves website has some great info on rail travel, and a link to the Italian State Railways website.
www.ricksteves.com

I'll be somewhere in Northern Italy around that time too. Have a great trip!

Love the EuroStar. Why can't Amtrak get their act together???

We are going to Venice in 2 weeks.
We booked a flight from Venice to Rome instead of the train.
Train - $70 - 5 1/2 hours.
Plane - $95 - 45 min.

I was surprised as to how cheap a 1 way plane ticket was.

Tomphot;
Good move IMHO. Not to mention the fact that the train ride from Rome to Venice is not a pretty one-- no scenery worth taking in. Although I thought I remembered it being less than 5 1/2 hours (ES train?)

The price comparison does not tell the whole story though because if you arrive by train you are "in" Venice, just walk through the doors, buy your 72 hr vap. pass and you are on your way in beautiful Venice.

Arriving at the airport however will involve either a water taxi (very expensive, but IMHO, very worth it) OR taking the far cheaper boat with many others that takes quite a bit longer (makes stops) and can be quite crowded.

I still opt for the plane, but all told, it is more expensive.