Genoa Travel Forum

I need to book a ticket from Genova to Nice at the beginning of June. I have to be in Nice for 12.30 md and was hoping to get the 8.55 morning train, but there is nowhere for me to book this ticket. I have looked at both Trenitalia and SNCF sites (RailEurope was not at all helpful and said that there must be engineering works). The train shows on the timetables on the internet but it says that tickets for that particular train cannot be booked on the internet. Is there any other way of getting to Nice for 12.30md, please? Does anyone know a way round the train ticket booking problem (everyday it is showing as not bookable - although it was a couple of months ago!)

If you connect to this site:
http://orario.trenitalia.com/b2c/TimeTable?stazin=Genova&stazout=Nice%20Ville&datag=13&datam=6&dataa=2008&timsh=8&timsm=00&lang=it&nreq=5&channel=tcom&sort=0&npag=1&det=1&solotreno=0&noreservation=0&economy=0

and click on carello, you could buy a ticket.
If not possible, I would not mind, because in Europe you don't book railway tickets in advance. Exceptions, some fast trains like TGV in France.
You simply go to the counter, buy your ticket and take your train.
Sometimes you have no seat for a while, but the duration of your trip is only 2 hours.

Claude

Not all European trains are bookable online (especially so far ahead) and, to be honest, you don't need to worry about this.

Just get your ticket when you arrive in Genova.

I am constantly astonished by people wanting to buy train tickets in advance, to me trains (other than the TGV type, that require reservations) are like buses, you just turn up and buy your ticket on the day of travel, or if you want to save time on the day in question, the day before. RailEurope is an agency (I believe, based in the U.S.) and not a train operator so it has no direct knowledge of what is going on. If you must, you would normally buy the ticket from Trenitalia since you are starting your journey on Italian Railways but truly, no-one I know would bother! So you don't in fact "need to book a ticket", and neither do you need to buy a ticket right now - doing so will guarantee nothing more (and nothing less) than you can get on the spot.
Train timetables change (though rarely by much) around June so it is quite possible that online sales systems won't work for that period until the new timetables are in the system.
However, even if you do buy a ticket online (or in any other way), please don't make the mistake of assuming that you will have "booked" a train/seat! Unless this is a train that requires seat reservations (e.g. EuroStar Italia), all you will have is a ticket for travel from A to B, which is usable within one month. You have to stamp the ticket in a machine before getting on the train to validate it for the date in question, but even this does not limit you to a specific train on that date.

I am glad you are astonished, because I thought it was just me!

I regard trains like buses too. If I wanted a sleeper (or a cheap fare offer in the UK) I might buy online a couple of weeks or so in advance. But otherwise I'd just turn up at the station either when I wanted to travel or a couple of days beforehand if I thought a reservation-only train might be crowded.

P.S. Since you asked, there is an alternative, this is the coach service to Nice Airport (which continues to the centre of Nice), I believe there are other buses as well: http://www.dianasad.it/Autolinea.htm

Claude-Andre

I tried to book through the link you gave but, as before, my booking was stopped at the payment stage (I have booked other tickets in the past and I am signed up with both SNCF and Trenitalia) I was just hoping for some other ideas of how I might get to Nice by midday as I have to catch another train at 13:00. I do realise that not all train tickets in Italy are bookable but I just thought that someone might have another idea of how to definitely get there (hopefully on time!) so that I do not miss my connection. Thank you for your help and positive comments, it is greatly appreciated.

Victoria Dart,

Don't worry too much.
What you have to do is to look at the timetable of italian railways to know what train is the best according you needs.
Than you go to the train tickets office and by one - usually it doesn't mention the train you take but only the destination.
Even if the train is full (all seats occupated) you can get in.
In Europe it is absolutely not usual to book train seats in advance. Except in special trains - TGV in France - you cannot reserve a seat.

I would say: if you arrive at Genoa station half an hour before the departure, no problem. It's possible you cannot find a seat and to travel to the next station to find one, but....don't mind, if you are not late you'll find one immediately.

Have a nice trip and be relaxed.

If you want more informations, don't hesitate to write.

regards
Claude