Booking Train to Rome Online

[jfs9900]

I booked the IC train from Civitavecchia to Rome @ http://www.trenitalia.com; has anyone pre booked before?

It seems like I just take the confirmation page on the train and I do not have to wait in any lines at the terminal or validate the ticket - they will just ask me for the PNR information and see that I have a reservation. Is this correct?

 

[Happy99]

I can't answer your question but I did want to point out that this ticket does not give you access to the metro or buses in Rome. You would have to purchase separate tickets if you plan on using public transportation once in the city

 

[Kaleigh]

You will give the confirmation number to the ticket office, and they will print a ticket up for you. You do still have to validate it. If I may, how much did you pay because there is a ticket which costs 9 euros each that gets you there and back and includes all your travel in Rome including metro and buses. This is a place where you really don't need to prepurchase tickets.

 

[Anal Annie]

Did you have to select a TIME for your train tix? I decided I wasn't going to pre-purchase anything like train tickets in case I needed to select a train based on the time (like you do with a flight). That way I won't stress if we don't make the train that I HOPE to make. Just hoping the lines won't be too long when we get there.

 

[Kaleigh]

The lines shouldn't be that long. If you do prepurchase (which I recommend against), you do book a time, but since it is a regional train, you can take any train that follows the same route within 2 months of purchase. (Basically, you can get on an earlier or later train, no issue) We have never experienced long, slow moving lines in Civitavecchia. And they do have automated machines as well which take credit cards. Get the BIRG ticket for 9 euros, and don't buy from the people right outside the port. Wait until you get to the station. Oh, and don't forget to validate your ticket!

 

[jfs9900]

I pre-booked the train for a few reasons:

• I wanted to make sure I could get an IC train; about 30 minitues shorter than the regioanl train
• It appears that by booking online I can use the ticketless travel and just get on the train, skipping any lines
• I added the flex ticket, increased cost of 25% (3 euors per ticket) so that we can change the train if needed.
• The departure time from Civitavecchia is one that I would assume that it could sell out with all the people from the cruise ships.

The departure from is at 9:17AM so this should be plenty of time to get from the ship to the train terminal - correct?

Also there are two trains I am considering on the return trip:
Depart Rome @ 3:46pm Arrive in Civitavecchia @ 4:35pm
-or-
Depart Rome @ 6:07pm Arrive in Civitavecchia @ 6:48pm

All-aboard is scheduled for 8:30 for a 9PM sailing, so would the later train be a safe bet with getting back on time?

As to the other posters who said I still had to get the train ticket at the station the e-mail stated that:

If you have chosen the ticketless option, we remaind you that it's necessary for you to print and keep this email as a confirmation so that you can show it to the personnel on board the train who will issue the ticket to you. If you have choosen the ticketless option with email payment receipt, the personnel will only check for your presence on board.
We invite you to print this email to communicate the pnr (booking code) to the train staff when asked and for any eventual bonus request.

So I think I just get on the train

Can anyone tell me where I would get a ticket for the metro and buses once in Rome, and the possible cost?

 

[tedhowe]

We were in italy for a trip earlier this spring and used the trenitalia website to reserve 3 different intercity trips (Venice-Florence, Florence-Rome and Rome-Napes).

The third one we did after we were already in country, and I did not even have to print out the reservation. The conductors on the Italian trains have some sort of PDA/Smartphone system they use to have the full manifest of the train at hand. They will just look at the email that you have (printed or just on your own phone/PDA that you show them) and confirm that you have the right confirmation number/matching name.

They can do this since the high speed/intercity trains are all reserved seating.

It works very well.

Enjoy the trip!

Ted

 

[helenreed]

Can anyone tell me which station it is in civitavecchia? There seem to be about 5 options

 

[FLCMpirate82]

I would make sure that you know exactly what station and trains you prepurchasing for. I just got back from the first Med sailing and had planned on prepurcahsing, but didn't just in case of any time changes. It turned out that the station closest to the port only has an express train that runs at 9:10 and then returns to the port at 4:40. If you are on a later train you will be farther from the port and may need to take a taxi back to the shuttle that will take you to the ship.

When we arrived we got off the shuttle, bought are tickets, walked to the closest station and were on our way within about 45 minutes of getting off the ship. We were exhausted having done Rome on our own and were happy to have the earlier train to get back to the ship and rest.

It can be good to prepurchase, but just make sure you know exactly what they are selling you. Also find out if the train drops you at Termini (near the Spanish Steps) or St. Peter's (near the Vatican) so you can plan your day accordingly.

 

[designertravels]

I would make sure that you know exactly what station and trains you prepurchasing for. I just got back from the first Med sailing and had planned on prepurcahsing, but didn't just in case of any time changes. It turned out that the station closest to the port only has an express train that runs at 9:10 and then returns to the port at 4:40. If you are on a later train you will be farther from the port and may need to take a taxi back to the shuttle that will take you to the ship.

When we arrived we got off the shuttle, bought are tickets, walked to the closest station and were on our way within about 45 minutes of getting off the ship. We were exhausted having done Rome on our own and were happy to have the earlier train to get back to the ship and rest.

It can be good to prepurchase, but just make sure you know exactly what they are selling you. Also find out if the train drops you at Termini (near the Spanish Steps) or St. Peter's (near the Vatican) so you can plan your day accordingly.

Hi, thank you for the info. From the shuttle, is it obvious where to buy your tickets and get on the train? Were you ready to get off the ship about 8am? Did the returning train depart at 4:40?
Thank you so much for the details. Jill

 

[Kaleigh]

I apologize for any confusion regarding the ticketless option. The tickets I prepurchased for my Italy trip did require me to print them up at a kiosk using the PNR code when I arrived.
As far as I knew, there is only one train station in Civitavecchia. The directions to it are as follows:
Leave the terminal after getting off the free shuttle.
Cross the street.
Take a right and walk for about 10 minutes. The station will be on your left.
I have done this twice and have always had no issue whatsoever finding a seat on the train. I have been to the station early enough to be on the train that left around 7:30. We were touring the Colosseum by 9.
In Rome, the all day metro/bus pass is 4 euros, if you do not have the BIRG ticket. Individual trips are 1 euro each and are good for 75 minutes, which means you could take multiple forms of transit to arrive at your destination as long as it only takes you 75 minutes to get there.
I have been on the 4:40 train from San Pietro station. It takes about an hour to get back and can be very crowded. Usually you can get a seat about halfway through the journey.
Even arriving in Civitavecchia at 6:30, you should have no issue getting on the boat in time as the walk is only about 10-15 minutes and there has always been a shuttle waiting at the terminal in my experience.
Good luck, and have a blast!

 

[FLCMpirate82]

Hi, thank you for the info. From the shuttle, is it obvious where to buy your tickets and get on the train? Were you ready to get off the ship about 8am? Did the returning train depart at 4:40?
Thank you so much for the details. Jill

Yes, it's very easy to see the desk to buy tickets, plus there are about a hundred people there trying to sell you purses and watches.

We were ready to get off at 8, but my grandparents were waiting for us at the other gangway, so we had to find them and wound up getting off at about 8:20. I think we still made the first, possibly second shuttle bus though and had plenty of time for the ride out of the port and then the 10 minute walk to the train station. The returning train departed at 4:40 and we were back on the ship and made our early dinner by about 6:15 after changing clothes.

Hope you have an amazing time! Make sure to throw a coin in Trevi Fountain, it was the highlight of our day!