Italian International trains

• Q. My credit card has been declined. What should I do next?

  A. If your credit card has been declined it’s important to first make sure that you have entered your credit card information correctly. Next, check to make sure that the funds required are available in your account as the transaction may have been declined by your card issuer for this reason.

  To protect our customers, we also employ a booking verification system to help us identify and block suspicious transactions. It is possible that certain characteristics associated with your booking or method of payment has triggered an alert with our booking verification system. If you continue to experience difficulty, please contact us via our Contact Us page for assistance. Alternatively, you can also try to use a different credit card.

• Q. Can I request preferences for assigning my seat, such as a forward facing seat, a window, or an aisle?

  A. You can make a request for seat locations on the train for some trains, the option will be presented to you when you select a specific train ticket fare. Seat selections cannot be guaranteed, but will be taken into consideration when the reservation is completed. If confirming a seat preference is essential, please contact us prior to booking using the Contact Us page.

• Q. Can I open the train windows?

  A. If you’re traveling on a slower train you may have the option to open a window, depending on the age and configuration of the car. However, most modern rail cars are air-conditioned and you won’t have the option of opening the windows.

  For safety reasons, high speed trains don’t offer the option of opening windows.

• Q. Can I get off the train and get back on later using my train ticket?

  A. In most cases, this is not possible. Train tickets that include a reservation are only valid for a single ride on the train for which the reservation was issued. While stepping off the train is possible if the train makes intermediary stops, you wouldn’t be allowed to resume your trip by boarding another train with the same ticket. Your train ticket is only valid on the train printed on it.

  Open train tickets may be the exception. They can allow you to hop off and back on another train on a given route to continue your itinerary, as long as that new train doesn’t require or offer reservations. Special conditions do apply for breaks on regional trains, so it’s a good idea to confirm locally.

  If you’re traveling with an open ticket and a reservation for your original train, you forfeit that reservation for the remaining part of your journey when you hop off. You may hop back on another train that doesn’t require a reservation, but you’d essentially be traveling with an open train ticket only and not have a reserved seat. Again, special conditions do apply for breaks on regional trains, so it is a good idea to confirm locally.

• Q. What is the difference between a flexi pass and a consecutive/continuous pass?

  A. A flexi pass is valid for a specific number of travel days to be used within the overall validity period of that rail pass. For example, 15 days of unlimited train travel to be used within a 2-month period. With this kind of rail pass, you can pick and choose any days (they don’t have to be consecutive) to travel within the rail pass’ validity period.

  Continuous (or consecutive) rail passes such as the Eurail Global Pass, are valid for unlimited train travel during the whole duration of the pass’ validity period. In other words, with a 15-day Eurail Global Pass, you can travel for 15 consecutive days by train. Even if you don’t take the train each and every day, those days will be considered used.

• Q. I selected a ticket but when I went to place my booking, the price changed. I went back to search for train tickets and saw the same price listed again in the results. Why did this happen?

  A. For most trains, the price quoted is based on “live” availability, however, for certain trains we cannot check fare availability at the time of quotation due to the technical limitations of the international rail distribution system. Therefore, we use a stored price to build your quote, based on previously confirmed fares for the trip you requested.

  In rare cases, we find out that the fare used for quoting your trip is no longer available upon confirming your reservation. At that time, we receive a new price from the system based on that very moment’s availability.

  Unfortunately, due to these same technical limitations, we are unable to update the stored price for a specific train, even if we find out at the time of confirmation that a fare is no longer available.

  Rest assured that we’re working actively to ensure that all prices quoted to you are based on live availability and limit the usage of stored prices for quotation purposes.

• Q. What food and drink options are on board?

  A. If the train you’re traveling on offers a bar-buffet car, you’re free to walk in, sit down and eat. Or as soon as the restaurant car opens, make a reservation for any time of day.
  On many long distance trains there may be an attendant with a snack cart who travels from car to car.

  Bar-buffet cars are a unique part of the train experience, where the quality of the food and wine can rival that of a gourmet restaurant. With the exception of Eurostar, special meal requests are not available. But typically, regular menu options are plentiful and usually cater to most taste buds or dietary restrictions.

  If you travel with a Premier Class ticket, food and drinks are included and served at your seat or in the bar-buffet car.

  On local trains there’s usually no catering. However, you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks on board. Please make sure to follow the local law when considering taking alcoholic drinks on board any train.

• Q. In the event of a strike, is my rail pass covered under the Rail Protection Plan™?

  A. In general no – the Rail Protection Plan™ doesn’t provide specific coverage for rail passes, city passes, or tours in the event a strike occurs during your travels.

  During a strike, there are usually trains that operate along all routes, as well as substitute buses. While you may not be able to take the exact train you were planning on using, there are usually trains or some other method of transportation that can get you to where you need to go.

  In case a severe strike occurs that significantly prevents you from using your pass as intended, you may contact our customer relations team. We will review your particular circumstances and may provide compensation, if appropriate.

• Q. Is there a fee to take luggage on a train?

  A. In general, there are no luggage fees when traveling by train, however, some rail carriers do restrict the amount of luggage a traveller is allowed to bring, and any additional luggage may be subject to local fees.

  On Eurostar, you’re permitted to carry two large bags and one small piece of hand luggage. If you have more than this, an additional fee may be required locally.

• Q. How do I use the bonuses that come with rail passes?

  A. Rail Pass travel bonuses must be redeemed locally.

  There are two types of bonuses. Free bonuses (such as a free airport transfer) require the use of a travel day on your pass. If all travel days have been used on your rail pass you will not be able to take advantage of any more free bonuses. Discount bonuses do not require you to use a travel day, but do require that your pass still be within its validity period. In other words, even if you’ve used up all your days on a pass, you can still claim discounted bonuses as long as the pass validity period has not expired.

  The exception to this rule is the Swiss Travel Pass. Although a discounted bonus doesn’t require you to use a travel day on your Swiss Travel Pass, the pass must still be valid and you must not have used up all your travel days.

Browse our FAQ

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 ...