Continuing the theme of rail travel, already partially discussed in the first part of this article, Italian Railways: what you should know about when going on a trip, today we will tell you where to look for train schedules in Italy and how to buy tickets for them. We will also touch on some features related to composting train tickets on the Apennines.
At every major railway station there are white and yellow / orange displays.
Train timetable in Italy
For departing trains, you should focus on the yellow / orange scoreboard. It indicates the route, the main intermediate stations, as well as the departure and arrival times. Be sure to pay attention to additional fields, and also keep in mind that train timetable in Italy weekends and holidays are usually less intense.
When starting a train, you should be guided by a yellow or orange board
Another way that is more suitable for those who want to navigate according to the train schedule in advance is to check it on the Omio website, where there is a timetable between the most popular stations among tourists.
The main advantage of the service, in addition to the Russian language, is that you can see the schedule of all the main Italian railway operators here. And since they have different ticket prices, you can save significantly.
We buy train tickets in Italy
There are many ways to purchase train tickets in Italy both at the station itself and long before the trip:
• At the box office at the train station. To do this, you will need to indicate to the cashier the direction and time of departure of the train, the number of tickets and their class (primo or secondo).
• At ticket vending machines, if available at the station. They are easy enough to use, and they can help to avoid long lines at the checkout.
You can buy train tickets in Italy at vending machines
• Through a travel agency, if one provides train ticket sales services. Often, an additional commission will be included in the price of a ticket purchased in this way.
• It is very easy to purchase through the specialized Omio website e-ticket to fast trains, which is sent by e-mail. The process of buying a ticket is simple and intuitive, especially since the service also works in Russian. Choose a route, date, time, number of passengers and pay by card. This is probably the easiest and most convenient option for online purchases and in advance.
If you travel by high-speed trains (Freccia), remember that reservation of seats on them is obligatory. There are also regular intercity trains, in which it is necessary to reserve a place.
Tickets for fast trains purchased through Omio are issued with already reserved seats on the train. About rare exceptions, when this is not the case, the service notifies travelers by email.
And another important point: the dynamics of the price of tickets for fast trains in Italy is very similar to the airline: the closer the departure date, the more expensive the ticket. The peak value reaches directly on the day of departure of the train. For this reason, it makes sense to buy tickets in advance - via the Internet.
| Check schedule and availability of tickets ››› |
At the Italian railway station
When the ticket has been bought and is already in hand, everything is ready to punch it (if necessary) and take its place on the train. On italian train station it’s easy enough to navigate, and logically it is much like an airport. In order not to go astray and not wander into the wilds, remember that "Departure" in Italian is "Partenze", and "Arrival" is "Arrivi".
Italian train station easy to navigate
Near the trains, as a rule, the platform number is indicated ("binario" - it.). As an unwritten rule, it is considered correct to already be on the platform at least 15 minutes before the train leaves.
Ticket composting
If you have a ticket for a train of local importance - Regionale - or any other ticket without indicating the date, time and place, then right before boarding you need to punch it. To do this, you need to find the device on the platform in the form of a box of green, white or yellow and insert a ticket into it with one end. The machine prints the time and date of composting on the ticket and makes it suitable for travel.
Be careful, you will have to pay the exact same penalty for an unapproved ticket, as if there was no ticket at all. Once again, please note that if you have a ticket for a high-speed train or an electronic ticket purchased through Omio with the date, time and place on the train, then composting is optional.
After sending the train, try not to hide your ticket far away - you will still need to present it to the conductor.
Well, that’s probably all. Have a good trip.
