Train Questions

I looked at the Trenitalia website. I am confused by the different choices.

Frecciarossa 1000

Frecciabianca

Regionale

Intercity

The first one is about twice the price as the second; the travel time is not that much of a difference.

I am looking at using the train from Rome city center to Naples Port. Then on the return from Naples Cruise Port to FCO.

Is Napoli Centrale the correct station to get to the port?

Regionale trains are the slowest trains -- they make the most stops. Very cheap but not for long trips.

Inter-City trains -- a step up from Regionale trains. They make fewer stops but still connect regional cities. If you're not going too far, the IC trains can be a good choice. (e.g., Rome to Orvieto).

The Frecce family of trains are Italy's high-speed express trains. There are several different lines and types. Read more about theme here: https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm#Frecciabianca_

(Which, by the way, is a great resource for any train travel....)

Given your schedule, I think you want to use the Frecce trains. Trenitalia.com is the official website -- do not buy tickets elsewhere. If you book your tickets well in advance you can get better deals on the price. BUT the tickets are not exchangeable or refundable, so if you miss a train (due to a flight delay, for example), you have to buy new tickets.

Napoli Centrale is the main station in Naples and yes it's the one you want.

The Frecce 1000 are the newest cars and I guess that's supposed to justify a higher price. The regular Frecce trains are just fine.

They do use demand based pricing, you'll note that the early morning trains that appeal to business people going for a day trip are generally more expensive than those later in the morning or early afternoon when you don't have as much business travel.

What is the difference between Convoy A and Convoy B on the Freece trains?

What is the difference between Convoy A and Convoy B on the Freece trains?

This isn't something I'm familiar with. Can you give us some more context? At what stage in the booking process are you seeing this? What type of Frecce train are you trying to book?

This isn't something I'm familiar with. Can you give us some more context? At what stage in the booking process are you seeing this? What type of Frecce train are you trying to book?

This is on the Frecciarossa 1000. I went ahead and booked the tickets because I did not want to lose out on the upgrade from Standard to Premium in Super Economy. The price was 150e for 6 adults and 3 children. I believe that's a reasonable, if not a pretty good price from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale.

The convoy question comes up when I select "CHOOSE THE SEATS". this checkbox is right below the box of the different seat classes.

This is on the Frecciarossa 1000. I went ahead and booked the tickets because I did not want to lose out on the upgrade from Standard to Premium in Super Economy. The price was 150e for 6 adults and 3 children. I believe that's a reasonable, if not a pretty good price from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale.

 

The convoy question comes up when I select "CHOOSE THE SEATS". this checkbox is right below the box of the different seat classes.

Glad you were able to get it booked, at any rate. Enjoy your travels! :)

This is on the Frecciarossa 1000. I went ahead and booked the tickets because I did not want to lose out on the upgrade from Standard to Premium in Super Economy. The price was 150e for 6 adults and 3 children. I believe that's a reasonable, if not a pretty good price from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale.

 

The convoy question comes up when I select "CHOOSE THE SEATS". this checkbox is right below the box of the different seat classes.

I tried in both English and Italian on the Frecce1000 Rome to Naples to try to see that "convoy" - I didn't get it. Hmmmm. And I always select "Choose the seats" when I am buying on Trenitalia. Oh well, you got your tickets and your seats and that's all that matters!

We are planning to take the train from Assisi to Florence and then from Florence to Verona (then cab to Bardolino). I have to admit I am clueless. Is the difference between the Super Econonmy, Economy and Base only that you can change tickets with Base? What is the difference between first class and second class? From Assisi, we have found a Regionale Veloce, and from Florence, a Frecciargento. We have 4 adults with luggage. What do we do with our luggage? Do we have to get something stamped if we buy from trenitalia? We did the fast train Rome to Naples on our first visit and didn't stamp anything and kept our luggage with us but not sure about these trains We are still contemplating a private driver but they are quite expensive. Any helpful tips for the train or suggestions on private drivers in that part of the country would be appreciated.

The easiest way to remember the stamp thing is that if you have an assigned seat, you don't need to stamp. If you don't have an assigned seat you must stamp your ticket.

Therefore, in your scenario you'll need to stamp the ticket for the regional trip from Assisi to Florence, but not for the Frecce trip from Florence to Verona.

On the regional train there's no specific place for luggage so you wind up keeping it close to you. Smaller bags can go on the racks above the seats.

On the Frecce trains there is a specific place for large bags at the end of each car.

Regarding the difference in classes, first class offers slightly larger seats (three across vs. four) and a free cup of coffee and a cookie. Not worth the money in my opinion.

You can see the physical differences in the 1st vs. 2nd class cars detailed here: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms-file/allegati/trenitalia_2014/treni/Frecciargento_schedatecnica_tcom2014.pdf

Thank you for that infomration! It makes much more sense now!

We have travelled extensively on Trenitalia over the years. Everything from first class, roomettes on overnight trains, to milk runs.

We would not bother with first class. SImply not worth it. Despite the nomenclature, it pays to take a good look at the schedules, especially the departure/arrival/elapsed. We have experienced a few trips from Naples-Termini when the slower train was only slightly slower by about 10 or 15 minutes yet the fare was 30 percent lower. Same with a few other journeys.

Trains are generally on time. Often times you need walk down stairs,through an underpass under the tracks, and up the stairs to your track (binero). Our experience is that there sometimes is an elevator however they are often out of service. Be prepared to carry your own bags!

On some of the trains, I will pay for Business/First Class. Those times - I book way in advance where the price I pay will end up being what is paid for Economy down the line. I travel solo, so I really do like to be able to choose the single seat so I guarantee I don't have someone next to me. Yep, I savor that espresso that is served to me at my seat ;) My comfort level is enhanced by paying a couple EUs extra.

On some of the trains, I will pay for Business/First Class. Those times - I book way in advance where the price I pay will end up being what is paid for Economy down the line. I travel solo, so I really do like to be able to choose the single seat so I guarantee I don't have someone next to me. Yep, I savor that espresso that is served to me at my seat ;) My comfort level is enhanced by paying a couple EUs extra.

Agree! The day I booked, we got free upgrades - no way I will say no thanks to free upgrades.

We have travelled extensively on Trenitalia over the years. Everything from first class, roomettes on overnight trains, to milk runs.

 

We would not bother with first class. SImply not worth it. Despite the nomenclature, it pays to take a good look at the schedules, especially the departure/arrival/elapsed. We have experienced a few trips from Naples-Termini when the slower train was only slightly slower by about 10 or 15 minutes yet the fare was 30 percent lower. Same with a few other journeys.

 

Trains are generally on time. Often times you need walk down stairs,through an underpass under the tracks, and up the stairs to your track (binero). Our experience is that there sometimes is an elevator however they are often out of service. Be prepared to carry your own bags!

I do that - compare the travel time vs price. In our case, the faster train was less expensive AND free upgrades. My question was what is the diff between convoy A and convoy B. But that is moot for me at this time because I bought our tickets already.

I do that - compare the travel time vs price. In our case, the faster train was less expensive AND free upgrades. My question was what is the diff between convoy A and convoy B. But that is moot for me at this time because I bought our tickets already.

I wish I knew what it was, also. I looked and looked, both English and Italian versions, and I never saw it when I went through a couple of faux bookings. If you ever find out, come back and let us know!!

Just an additional note about stamping tickets. We purchased our Frecce tickets on line (Napoli Centrale to Roma Termini) (one week ago). We printed out the "tickets"/confirmation at home and brought it with us on the train. No need to have anything stamped prior to boarding. We went straight to the train. About 15 minutes into the ride, a person came by and scanned the barcode. No problems.

Also, regarding luggage, even though it may not look like it, the overhead storage will accept large luggage (not just "carry-on" size).

We will be traveling from Venice to Rome prior to taking a cruise out of Civitavecchia. We booked a flight on Alitalia, but because of the bankruptcy issues, we are hesitant to rely on a flight that may be cancelled, so we just purchased tickets on the Frecciargento from Venice Mestre to Rome Termini. My husband has some mobility issues due to bad knees, and I'm concerned about the possibility of having to manage our luggage up and down a number of stairs. Does someone know if either of these train stations have elevators? I've tried to research it on line, and I'm not having any luck. Thanks.

You won't need an elevator at Termini but you might at Mestre. If you look at the pictures on the station website (here, under "tour virtuale":http://www.veneziamestre.it/it/) you'll see that there are handicapped signs but no elevators, which I understand to mean that they will help a wheelchair passenger to their train.

There is more information on this, in English, here: http://www.rfi.it/rfi-en/For-persons-with-disability/Services-assistance-in-stations

I would call ahead of time to confirm if assistance is needed and to set it up, you can't just show up and get it.

IIRC there was an elevator at Mestre Station when we were there in spring 2016.

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Euro cruiser and trophy_23, thank so much for your responses. They are very helpful!