Trenitalia bookings

[GailS]

I'm trying to get ready to watch ticket prices for a trip this summer with my husband and niece. We will be taking the train from Venice to Rome. We are trying to make the trip a special experience for our niece so prefer to book first class tickets rather than second class (I've taken both before and understand the small difference between the two). In looking at the current trenitalia.com site in English I don't see where to specify first class tickets, only Economy, Super Economy, and Base fares. The class option was obvious a year ago when I last booked tickets. I'm still a few week out from the 120 day limit but was trying to be ready to watch for fares. Anyone (Andrew?) have an idea how to specify first class tickets on the current site?

 

[BryanS]

If you are looking at a frecciarossa train the classes are Executive, Business, Premium and Standard. In the ticketing section once you pick a train, at the top under JOURNEY - FARE CHOICE you pick the "service level". This will then change the base fare to the level you want.

Have you also considered Italotreno.it? I have taken it a few times from Rome to Salerno and found the service superior to Trenitalia. (Lots of younger employees instead of the older state employees on Trenitalia)

 

[Andrew]

Yes, on a Frecciarossa you see those options. On a Frecciargento, you click on the box with the lowest fare, and see the fares in columns with 1st and 2nd class.

ETA: I see that a box opens to the right with just the lowest fare, but a table also opens under the schedule of the train you selected, with columns showing the different classes.

 

[GailS]

So it looks like Premium service is a first class car just based on the description. The train we would want is FRECCIAROSSA 9419 (I seem to end up on this train every year going from Venice to either Florence or Rome). I haven't strongly considered Italotreno, mostly because it is habit to take this particular Trenitalia train. I'll look into it since there always seems to be one in the Venice S. L. station when we board the 9419. Anyone else with opinions? What is the luggage storage like between the two? One reason for opting for fist class is to have a higher likelihood of having no issues with having our bags near by - I expect each of us to have a medium sized wheeled bag + backpack.

 

[Andrew]

The descriptions that I find indicate that Premium seats are the same size as Standard, 4 across (essentially Frecciarossa 2nd class) but leather rather than cloth. Business is more like First class, wider seats 3 across.

 

[GailS]

Thanks Andrew! Looks like I'll be looking for Business.... Maybe they will have Sabato Italiano fares again (2 tickets for the price of 1) - we somehow always end up with this leg of our trip on a Saturday.

 

[Larry H]

We are "economy" travelers, but with the 2-for-1 promotion on off-season Saturdays it was only 5 euros more for first class on a Frecciarossa from Milano to Venezia, so we went for it. Our extra 5 euros bought a "free" drink and Italian language newspaper (of limited value for us speaking little Italian), but the idea of traveling first class, if only this once, was fun.

 

[GAC]

For some reason, I've found some confusion on travel webites concerning the exact nature of "premium" class on the Trenitalia Frecciarossa trains. This is nothing more than "standard" class (or second class on the other Frecce trains) with leather seats, a complimentary Italian-language newspaper on morning departures, and the welcome drink/snack!!!! The very small extra charge pays for these products. It's a gimmick, and indeed, there is ordinarily only one "premium" railcar on the convoy. "Business" class is entirely a different matter, like first class on the other Frecce trains. The extra change for business/first class is often characterized by travelers as a waste of money, although just about everyone recognizes the slight upgrade in seating arrangements, and "special occasions" often justify the extra expense. Additionally, as Larry notes above, sometimes the extra cost is minimal, depending on the ticket type and when purchased.

Three takeaway recommendations:

1. Always check schedules and fares for Italo Treno on routes shared with Trenitalia. Italo often has lower fares;

2. Always check the promotions pages for both Trenitalia and Italo Treno, as new, seasonal and temporary promotions pop up from time to time;

3. On certain routes which also offer Trenitalia Frecciabianca and/or Intercity trains (e.g. Rome to Naples or Salerno), check fares and schedules for these trains, as you may save money compared to the faster trains; and

4. On certain routes which also offer Trenitalia unreserved regionale trains (e.g. Milan to Verona; Verona to Venice; Venice to Bologna; Florence to Rome; Rome to Naples), check fares and schedules for these slow trains, as you may save lots of money compared to the fare for a fast train when the ticket is purchased at the last moment.