Italy-Germany train help please!

[northstar]

Surprisingly, the english of the counter staff at Munich is really poor.

Surprisingly, I had the same experience at Station Zoo in Berlin. None of the counterstaff could speak English, und so musste ich mein schlechtes deutsch benutzen, eine Fahrkarte zu kaufen. I figured the lack of English speaking staff was because I was travelling off season. Conversely, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hamburg each had English speaking counterstaff for those who requested it.

Hi Northstar,
I'll be taking the train on this route just for the fun of it. To enjoy the scenery, take a little peek at Innsbruck during a 1h stop, and go through the Alps. Flying would be cheaper for sure, but I thought this would be fun.

I totally agree that that taking the train for the fun of it is worthwhile. Even though I flew from Cologne to Berlin for much less than the cost of a train ticket, I still took the train from Berlin back to Frankfurt in order to experience some views of the countryside. At a price of 95 euros, the train cost almost twice as much as the discount airline, but it was worth it for this one leg of my travels.

Enjoy the trip overseas.

 

[adma]

As far as "for the fun of it" goes, I loved using a Eurailpass as a juiced-up Metropass, i.e. even using it for one-stop ventures from suburban hostels into the core, that sort of thing...

 

[AKS]

you might want to try ryanair.com Their tickets seem pretty cheap unless you have a lot of luggage on you.

 

[ganjavih]

Thanks everyone for the info. By the way, I quite like VIA1. It's my next choice if Porter isn't available.

 

[jn_12]

Are you hitting any other countries other than Italy and Germany? Just curious what your entire itinerary is, simply out of interest.

 

[ShonTron]

Getting a bit off topic, but I find the whole procedure for byuying tickets in Europe strange but interesting. Worse still is China, where there's no advanced booking, you have to buy tickets only a week in advance from a crowded ticket hall. VIA and Amtrak are pretty well advanced in comparison.

I love VIA 1. I've never minded being a bit late. And all the people you see travelling. The mayor of Brampton with her father going to Montreal for a weekend. Senator Hugh Segal. MPs and David Suzuki. I kept getting coupons (and still have some) for discounted VIA 1 travel, and I just enjoy it. While I rarely tire of gazing out the window, it's a good environment for using a laptop. And I often end up getting the lesson on how to open the door in an emergency. And the drink service is a huge plus, especially when they do another round when they're (often) late. If they're over an hour late though on the corridor, LottoVIA kicks in - a 50% credit off the econo fare. I always hate it when the train is 40-55 minutes late.

VIA really should have more assigned seating - the waiting in long lines to guarantee a decent seat is ridiculous.

 

[Hydrogen]

I kept getting coupons (and still have some) for discounted VIA 1 travel, and I just enjoy it. While I rarely tire of gazing out the window, it's a good environment for using a laptop. And I often end up getting the lesson on how to open the door in an emergency. And the drink service is a huge plus, especially when they do another round when they're (often) late. If they're over an hour late though on the corridor, LottoVIA kicks in - a 50% credit off the econo fare. I always hate it when the train is 40-55 minutes late.

VIA really should have more assigned seating - the waiting in long lines to guarantee a decent seat is ridiculous.

I don't know who thought up the coupon policy at VIA, but I love it, too. Taking travel time out of the equation, VIA1 is probably the most comfortable form of mass transportation on the corridor run. I like Porter because it's faster, but if I have the time I'll take VIA.

There's a point where looking out at the passing landscape becomes downright meditative.

 

[ShonTron]

Even at night. Passing by little towns when you only see the lights, you wonder what goes on in each house. I love riding the train at night, at least VIA has dimmed lights so there's not too much glare. I can't stand being on a GO train at night as the harsh interior lights and the new tinted windows turn the windows into mirrors.

 

[waterloowarrior]

In Italy (Trenitalia) you can book trains online and just print the ticket at home for regional trains

Even better, they offer 'ticketless' booking for most intercity domestic trains - you just bring your conformation code and give it to ticket guy on board

I had good results booking with DB online and printing out the ticket.

VIA's system is quite convenient... book online, bring your card or confirmation, print the ticket minutes before you get on the train.

 

[ganjavih]

Are you hitting any other countries other than Italy and Germany? Just curious what your entire itinerary is, simply out of interest.

So I'll be hitting the Czech Republic (no rail travel), Italy, Austria, and Germany. Austria is really just a 1h stopover in Innsbruck... so I wonder if that would count as a country.

Anyway, I wonder if I should get a Eurail pass now as I've added Venice-Rome to the rail plans.

So individually, I would have:

Venice-Rome: 80.80 Euros 1st class / 56.10 Euros 2nd class
Rome-Brenner: 94.30 Euros 1st class / 65.90 Euros 2nd class
Brenner-Innsbruck: 25 Euros 1st class / 15 Euros 2nd class
Innsbruck-Munich: 55.60 Euros 1st class / 33.80 Euros 2nd class

Is a Eurail pass worth it? What about an Italy pass? I think individual tickets are still better.

 

[jn_12]

ya unless you're a youth (under 26) it's not worth getting the eurail pass. It's US$435 for a 2nd class eurail pass for 5 days of travel in those three countries. Adding up your numbers, individual tickets look like the way to go.


That sounds like a great trip by the way. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[adma]

Would there be cheaper local/national Eurail equivalents (i.e. weekly passes, etc) available to foreigners? In 2009, I'd find it surprising if there were not--though I can understand, maybe a little cynically, about them not being *shilled* by travel agencies to foreigners. (Wondering about bus passes, too.)

It's been ages since I've persused an, er, Let's Go type volume, and I'm in no mood to check out similar pass-minded sites now...

 

[ShonTron]

So I'll be hitting the Czech Republic (no rail travel), Italy, Austria, and Germany. Austria is really just a 1h stopover in Innsbruck... so I wonder if that would count as a country.

Count it if you leave the station. I now claim that I've been to Georgia (the US state) after leaving ATL on an unexpected lengthy stopover and riding MARTA downtown and giving myself a half hour to walk around (many say I've seen Atlanta and all it offers anyway). However, I will not claim I've been to Beijing, even though I've been through the airport. It means getting out of the airport, or off the train and doing a (even brief) visit. I have the Breeze card to prove it.

I've been to Saskatchewan, but slept through most of it on a VIA train.

 

[ganjavih]

Heh, I was thinking more in terms of the kind of pass I would need, not whether I could boast that I've been to Austria.

 

[interchange42]

Ganj, I think you'll find that it is still cheaper to just get individual tickets with so few rides planned.

In Czechia, if you can work Karlovy Vary and Cesky Krumlov into your schedule, you will not regret either of them...

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