Should I book the following trains in advance?

[Plym]

Hi all,

I've now booked all my accomodation through Hostelworld, so its just travel I have left to book.
I was thinking of just getting the tickets there and then in the cities but don't want to be stuck if I can't get a train. Do I need to pre-book any of the following?

Thanks in advance.

23rd July - Florence to Rome
28th July - Rome to Venice
31st July - Venice to Vienna
3rd August - Vienna to Budapest
6th Agusut - Budapest to Krakow
10th August - Krakow to Prague
14th August - Prague to Berlin

All help appreciated!!!

[Plym]

Is everyone on holiday?

[WillTravel]

23rd July - Florence to Rome
If you can get a discount fare on trenitalia.com and if the credit card process works for you, then book ahead. Otherwise, you can just buy the regular fare when you get to Italy. You may want to buy this a day or two in advance because this is a popular route.

28th July - Rome to Venice
Same as above. Note that in Italy you can buy all the tickets you need at once at the station.

31st July - Venice to Vienna
Is this meant to be an overnight train? If so, definitely book ahead if you can.


3rd August - Vienna to Budapest
I don't think there's a discount for buying in advance, but I could be wrong.

6th Agusut - Budapest to Krakow
I don't think there's a discount for buying in advance, but I could be wrong.

10th August - Krakow to Prague
I don't think there's a discount for buying in advance, but I could be wrong.

14th August - Prague to Berlin
Check www.bahn.de and see what the regular fare is, and if there are discount fares available.

[Eagle]

Plym,

Although I haven't travelled in July and August, I never pre-book rail tickets so would probably just buy P-P tickets for each trip when you arrive there. One thing to keep in mind is that if there's a local holiday occurring on one of your travel days, I'd want tickets reserved as soon as possible. What I often do is take a few minutes and buy tickets for my outgoing journey when I arrive in each city (makes sense as I'm at the station anyway). I'm assuming you're not travelling with a Rail pass?

A few comments on each of the trips you mentioned (based on what I would do under the same circumstances):

- Florence to Rome: there are numerous trains each day on that route. I'd prefer to use the EuroStar Italia for the quickest trip possible, but of course that costs more. Even if you end up with a second class ticket on one of the Regional trains, it will get you there (just not as quickly).

- Rome to Venice: I'd buy the ticket with reservation) when you arrive at Roma Termini. Again, I'd prefer the high speed train but you'll have to decide what your budget will allow.

- Venice to Vienna: Buy at Venezia Santa Lucia when you arrive.

- Vienna to Budapest: Buy when you arrive in Vienna.

- Budapest to Krakow: Buy when you arrive in Budapest.

- Krakow to Prague: Buy when you arrive in Krakow.

- Prague to Berlin: Buy when you arrive in Prague.

While it may be possible to buy some of these in advance over the net, you'll probably pay more. If you're planning on taking any night trains, try to choose ones with minimal changes (if there are numerous changes, you won't get much sleep!).

That's the method I'd use. Be sure to submit a "Just Back Report" when you get home and let us know how it all worked out.

Happy travels!

[WillTravel]

I should add that I'd only buy these in advance if there's a discount. But quite often there is, if you buy it from the national rail sites (like trenitalia.com or bahn.de in these cases). But definitely don't buy in advance from Rail Europe, unless there's some very unique circumstance.