Italy Travel Answers

Have been advised here at VT to just *GRAB* the Mini prices as long as you know the *EXACT* train stations (with their extensions, eg., Fl.SMN is not the same as Fl.C.M, when you are booking to Florence). Also, to check-mark, 'All Solutions' so that even the regional trains (slightly slower but cheaper) show up.

Bergamomark ;-)

Base price is bog-standard price. Mini fares vary according to date/route/departure time and are anyway limited in availability (and are not, as far as I know, for the cheaper regional trains anyway) You won't find out if they are available until you start the booking process. You can, in theory, get them at stations but given their limited availability it seems likely that they'll be sold out if you leave it too late. This page explains in English: trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.j... As Anil says, grab them if you see them....and it seems you did! :-)

well mini prices as it is call is a form of discounted tickets such as prem's ,only online and check for non refundable non replacement tickets on them ,you need to be sure of your exact destination and times. this site explaines it all I think http://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm Cheers

No just online, Gwened...at least, not for Trenitalia Mini fares (I think bahn.de's discount fares are only available online). >The MINI offer can be booked up two days before departure on this website, at authorised travel agencies and through our call centre, also with ticketless option, at ticket desks and self-service ticket machines at train stations.

oh that is why I said "i think" the schemes are similar to prem's in France ;so anyway need to read the fine print, and be sure on dates ,etc.

O, I see. The Mini tickets are (like most discount tickets) for specific dates and departures. You can change them, but for an admin fee plus any extra for the fare. But at prices from 9 euro they are a steal if you find them. :-)

yes indeed if on good hours. Here from Brittany I find good prices but are on the TGV runs of 1AM lol!

I think the Italian ones are more like the bahn.de offers (i.e. on trains at sensible times) but they seem to be pretty limited in availability so can sell out quickly.

of course at those prices they will have takers;;;but not to steal the thread i just arrive from Versailles by car,heavens lol! Cheers ps i am in Brittany=Bretagne=Breizh

Thanks for starting a useful thread Holger! I have been wondering about the pros and cons of booking my Italian train travel in advance. I can see that I should consider it, if there are good savings to be made. It may be a silly question, but if I do, does anyone know if I will get some sort of downloadable / printable e-ticket as for a flight?

trenitalia "mark"

Thanks everbody for your helpful answers. @Sarah, yes we got a downladable and printable ticket. It didn't work at first but we then retrieved it online. So make sure to write down your reservation number or whatever number it was and your name which you entered in the online form, assuming that you used your own name. *winkygrin* HORSCHECK

Trenitalia pricing... Two types of trains: regional and "premium". Regional trains are priced per kilometer. Note that the region sets the price, so the price per kilometer will vary somewhat from region to region, but is always a bargain compared to most places in Europe. Note that that there are no discounts on regional trains available to non-residents of Italy. "Premium" trains are market-priced, not priced per kilometer. This is similar to airlines, who increase the base fares for popular and busy routes. However, this means that the Base fare is more profitable than the per kilometer fare of the regional trains (sometimes 4 times as much for the same distance), so this permits the railroad to offer restricted discount seats for the same reason that the airlines do - to bring the load up, and to sell seats that might not otherwise be sold. Remember that the railroad is competing against cars as well as discount airlines, whose fares are often cheaper than the base fare of a premium train. There are a number of discount programs for premium trains; however, a number of these programs are available only to Cartafreccia cardholders (their "frequent flyer" program). So far as I can tell, only people with an Italian mailing address can get the Cartafreccia...or else I would have one ;-). For example, "half-price Saturday" is for cardholders only, so no good for tourists. However, the most common discount program is the Mini fare, which is for everyone. Or, I should say, the "Mini fares", as there are multiple Mini fares for the same train. That's why the Mini fare program description says that you can save "up to 60% off"...because for a given train, there may be Mini fares of 9 euro, 19 euro, 29 euro, and so on. Of course, the 9 euro fare will sell out first, then the 19 euro, and so on. This is why you'll notice that the cheapest fare for the same train will be 9 euro many days out, but 19 euro closer in and so on. There is always a Base fare, what leics calls it "bog-standard"(?) (Gee, I wish she spoke English hahaha). There is almost always also a "Flexible" fare which is more than the Base fare, but it is suited for business travelers who change reservations a lot - not usually a problem for tourists, so there is no reason for the tourist to buy it. Otherwise, there is often a Mini fare, if there are any seats available. Note that the current Mini fare has been changed in the last year or so. You now must buy the Mini fare at least two days in advance of your trip (the simplest discounts used to be only one day in advance). Thus, to answer your question, to get a discount, the visitor must buy the ticket at least two days in advance, but, of course, at two days, there is no guarantee that there will be any discount seats left for a given train. You can see this for yourself when you use the Trenitalia website to do pricing on a train for 2 days out, 3 days out, 4 days out, 2 weeks out, 1 month out, and so on. But, as noted above, since regional trains have no discount program (for visitors) and since there are no reservations for regional trains, there is absolutely no reason to buy tickets for a regional train prior to going to the station... Make sense? Bill

@Sarah= 1. Got mine for 25/Jun/2012 for E 38 for 2 persons dep Roma Termini 10.20 am arr. Ferinze SM Novella 11.52 am in Second Class by Train Frecciargento 9416 Coaches: 6; Seats: 15A,15C. You get a .pdf file you can download and print. 2. I still marvel at the technological advancement made over the last 20-odd years!!

Thanks for the replies. Bill, that is really clear, and the mini system is very similar to the UK trains pricing, where certain discounts are only available for a limited number of seats and when they are sold the price goes up. Based on this advice I will certainly look to book in advance :-) Oh, and "bog-standard" is a very common English phrase!!