When we were in Rome in November, I also had to work to get to the validation machine on the bus which was just in front of the barrier protecting the bus driver for Covid reasons. We stayed at an Airbnb near Termini and used the Mercato Centrale quite a few times to try different pasta dishes for 8 to 10 euros. Highly recommended.
In Italy, there seems to be an increase in the use of app for bus trips. I’ve used it even in Cagliari. It’s much easier than trying to find coins or small notes at a tabacchi/ticket machine when you can pay by 💳 on the apps. And you just scan a QR code to validate.
Rome is a very big city so you won't regret of buying that ticket, and then you will also have fewer thoughts on your mind while you are in one of the most chaotic cities in Europe
Se posso permettermi di dare un consiglio, la prossima volta che vi trovate bloccati e non potete convalidare il biglietto provate a chiedere alle persone che avete di fronte di convalidare il biglietto per voi.
I did this trip in May 2022. I miss Rome and Florence so much. When I was in Rome in the summer of 2019 I got on the wrong train - I was heading to Florence but the train I got on was heading to Venice. I had to pay an extra 100 euro since the train was making a stop in Florence. It was an adventure but who cares I was in Italy LOL.
oh my, im planning to go to italy and details like this give me anxiety. just learned now that tickets should be validated. thank you for vlogging this
In 1984 when I was a student in Germany, I travelled to Greece. I got delayed in Bologna due to a wildcat strike. I met some nice kids in a church yard. But the best pasta I had ever had up to that Point in my life was at the train station cafeteria in Bologna. It was sooooo goood. So now in Roma, I bet it is out of this world.
I feel your pain! Many years ago I forgot to validate my and parent's tickets from FCO to Termini. I only escaped a 350 euro fine because I was traveling with my "aging" parents and the conductor thought that was very fine of me! Love Termini and traveling around Italy in a train is one of my very favorite things. Thanks so much and looking forward to Toscano!!
You can pass the tickets towards the machine via the other passengers....just learn the Italian words to ask them. They’ll pass them back, I’ve done it before.
Love how you explain the "little details" that are consequently the BIG details. It's so so very helpful . It calms my nerves about train travel in Italy ☺️
You could also have validated your ticket by writing the date you boarded the bus directly on your ticket with an ink pen! Then tell the inspector that you couldn't punch your card because of the crowd in the bus.
Oh I miss travelling in Italy. I too didn´t validate my bus tickets several times, realize now I was very lucky. Actually one time I didn´t have a ticket, because I found nowhere to buy it. The next day I bought several tickets... that I now have with me home, didn´t use all.😅 I was amazed by the decent prices. In Sweden buses and trains are much more expensive.
I love and hate Italy. I was fascinated by the stunning scenery and rich history, but I was overwhelmed by the high cost. I think trainpal's discount coupon saved me.
Omg guys, don’t think the punishment really fits the crime to be fair. Love Florence, beautiful city. We’ve just arrived home in Aus from 3 weeks in Sicily. Depressed already. 😆 it’s like -5 here. Cannot believe you got to the MotoGP in Mugello like my favourite all time track. So jealous. 😄
In Italy tickets needs to be validated. Just a suggestion, a ticket can also be validated by writing, with a non erasable pen, Date & Time on it. This can be useful when the validating machine is out of service.
Similar thing happened to my family on the train to the Cinque Terre. €285 we "negotiated" our fine down to and at the time the Aussie dollar conversion was 2.5:1. Crazy! All because we didn't validate the purchased ticket!! Glad you saw the funny side. Lol
The fines are high so people are less likely to buy a ticket, never validate it and keep using it all over again without purchasing one for every new trip
I applaud your attitude. Yes, the fine is huge, but this is how it works over here in Europe. Without fines nobody would pay for the trip. It hurts once but I'm sure you will never not validate again. I know it happened to me too :) All the best on your travels, excellent channel! I can't wait my own trip to Italy in a few weeks. First time in August, which is not perfect, but the football season starts, so...
I could agree with you about Italian criminals who don’t pay for a ticket but in this case the unfortunate people are honest tourists who got caught out by a flawed system. In the end it’s not the Italian criminals who get caught but tourists. They had a ticket, they went out of their way to buy the ticket, they got on the bus EXPECTING TO CANCEL the ticket. How come they get slapped a HUGE HUGE fine like that? Some people have to work days to make 100 euros.
Happened to me way way back when i was just new here and can’t speak Italian, i was just to shy to ask people and I’m not sure how I’d say it in Italian to validate my ticket for me, that time it was 60€! You’d always find nice people who are willing to exchange seats for couples to be seated together!!! Wow, that festival in Firenze or was it in Siena! It’s just spectacular!
Great information and thank you! Do you find that it is safe to leave your luggage near you assigned seat and go to the snack car? We will be traveling as a couple to Italy this fall and love learning these details.
My husband and I are going to Italy in April and have 5 days/4 nights in Florence. I looked up the mercato centrale, and it turns out the hotel we're staying at is only a block away! So I will definitely go there for breakfast on my more busy days.
Salve! Complimenti per i vostri bei video sui viaggi in Italia! Avete fatto bene a ricordare per i futuri turisti che i biglietti per i pullman/autobus in Italia vanno convalidati all'entrata degli autobus, se non li convalidi potresti usare i biglietti anche per altri viaggi in autobus. Quindi biglietti non convalidati = non avere i biglietti.
In Italy, they are strict with this stuff. In the USA, they are a bit more relaxed or uncaring towards what goes on in buses. Liked your train footage ... great stuff! We love Italy.
@@johnsantilli7096 What do you mean? We are in Italy now. Italian trains are very well run. In terms of trains in the USA, it is underfunded and chaotic with trains.
@@tlacorp.3813 what I mean is that years ago if you got on a bus , there was a Bus Conductor who sold you a ticket. It was more efficient and you could not make a mistake. Today inviting people to buy a ticket and vidimise it is a kind of complication . If you come from any other country this is not done , so someone coming here for the first time is more likely to do it wrong. What’s wrong with having a bus conductor? It would also give jobs in a country that already has problems with employment. On Trains you should not be able to go onto a platform without going throu a turn table so foreign people can’t make a mistake and get fines 6 months wages.
@@johnsantilli7096 Good point, but it works. If you come to Italy, follow the Italian way. Simple. Trains are good in Italy because they are run well and efficiently and well funded mostly except the very south of Italy
@@tlacorp.3813 “follow the Italian way”. My friend came from Warsaw Poland and she got off the plane in Milano, (First time in her life she came to Italy) then a train to Bergamo. She bought a ticket Milan to Bergamo. She does not speak or know anything about Italy or the culture of Italian and did not know that she had to vidimiate her ticket. She got a hefty fine by an over zealous officer of Trenitalia. Now, how on earth could she follow the ITALIAN Way? She knows NOTHING about Italy. In fact this particular man is famous for giving fines to “innocent “ tourists. He is the kind of person who I would like to see in Prison.
Travel hint from a very experienced travel guy, whenever possible, get a hotel close to the train station You can then zip to wherever you like with ease !
I agree that staying near the station is great for the traveling but much better staying in the REAL center of Rome. Maybe transferring to the station on your last night. Keep a look out because half the world gets up to spend money and the other half to take it from you. The station area is a bit doggy.
@@asellandrofacchio7263 Getting back to the point A In Rome their many very nice affordable Hotels near the appaling train station . The same with Florence and Venice . I think it depends on the city to be honest .
@@kenboydart yeah that's true but in Italy the area surrounding train stations in big cities is generally a bit dangerous (nothing compared to American cities of course) and dirty because of pickpockets (mostly gipsies), crazy violent immigrants and clochards, so what I'm saying is just get hotels a bit further from stations and not in the immediate vicinity (I'm a roman lol). Also the worst train station area I've ever seen was the one in Ancona in the Marche region.
Allowing passengers to get on via the rear doors but not having a working validation machine there just seems like a nice little racket they've got going. I've never seen a metro bus system that requires validation not have at least two machines, at the front and rear.
Once I forgot to validate our tickets and a controller got on. He fined me 40€ and I pointed out there were two if us. He replied , I'm not THAT nasty, it's obvious you just forgot!!!
Thanks for this informative video! I. Your travels around Italy, specifically Rome and Florence- could you confirm that there are elevators and ramps to assist with easily boarding the train stations with luggage. Any tips for first time train travelers? Thank you!
Such a shame that the police in Rome exploit the naive' innocence of the tourists. That really is pathetic when it must be clear to them that you only just purchased the bus tickets. Most people have no problem with proper enforcement but this is entirely disproportionate. No wonder some people feel ripped off by Rome.
In Italy, tickets must be validated at all times, not just in Rome but in every Italian city. The police issue fines to both tourists and locals if they discover that the ticket is not validated - tourists are not targeted. If a tourist is unaware of this rule, it simply means they are ignorant of a fundamental aspect of traveling in Italy.
I live in AZ, where we have a light rail system where you purchase a ticket and then need to validate it with the date/time you board. (Via machines as well) They are also monitored by guards who might fine you for having an unvalidated ticket. (The same is true for busses out here) This is a super common global thing when it comes to public transit. The vid poster even admitted they should have been more mindful. Lesson learned, but it's up to each individual to confirm how to properly ride various forms of transportation. (Even tickets for high-speed trains require validation)
Jeez my cousin planning to have her wedding in rural Tuscany nearest city is Pisa in May next year. No direct flight from SFO to PSA. This is a logistics challenge which either I take mass transit or rent a car which will eat up my time plus I've never been to Europe at all. Sorry to her but I rather go to Wrestlemania in Philadelphia in April instead btw I planned that before her wedding plans.
I actually thought, one gets to pay half the fine if you pay within 5 days of receiving the fine, anyways, I must say you have such a good attitude towards the fine😍. I remained sad all day the day my brother received a fine in rome cos we had them too and didn't validate it. But luckily we paid half 💪🏽🤣. Never again, we will always remember to validate!!
Do you need to validate your train ticket from Rome to Florence also?? I’m thinking if the train was late must be different time with the one wrote in the tickets.
Do uou recommend we buy traim tickets online or on the terminal itself? Asking in the context of were flying in then taking a train. If the flight is delayed, we might mias the train. So was thinking just buy the ticket at the terminal
Hey QQ about the train ride out to Florence. I am going to be making this trip in Sept and was curious about purchasing the train ticket on the Trenitalia site. How do you know which seat is the facing the way the train is moving? Thanks
You didn’t validate the ticket ,for sure you forgot ,or in rush ,don’t seems so packed like normal the bus,so i agree with that ticket,happened also to me or other italians that can’t arrive to validate the ticket or forgot to do it
I have not been in Italy for a long time (albeit I am italian) but I believe you are supposed (it is indicated) to hop into the bus from the entrance close to the validation machine, which they have evidently not done. So, what about they blame themselves instead of the system?
People tend to get on from the back (don't know if related to COVID), where the machine is not. Sometimes, it's the bus driver that insists you get on from the back
Thanks for sharing, very helpful. I just subscribed 🙏 May I ask if I visit Rome, Florence & Venice : should I buy advanced (2 weeks advanced) train tickets?
We’re so happy you found it helpful! 🤗 Yes if you know your schedule it is definitely better to buy your train tickets in advance because the price increase the closer the day gets, similar to the price of plane tickets!
@@TheGlobalExpats Thank you so much for your advice 🙏 One more question : We are a family of 3, can I save the 3 online tickets in my iPhone and I do 3 tap on the ticket entry? Many thanks.
@@elmadi7391 no problem! 🤗 and yes you can buy all 3 together, then they will email you the tickets, and if you have the train app, it will also be saved there if you created an account. We always have our tickets digitally on our phones, so when the train conductor comes around they just scan our tickets off the phone! 🇮🇹 We made another train video covering the buying of tickets, so if you would like to see that here is the link! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0KSKiVjng8o.html
@@TheGlobalExpats wowww, thank you so much for your speedy reply with link to your another video of buying ticket on the apps or at the machine itself. I just watch it & marked it “Like”. So clear and so helpful, your channel is a Godsend 🙏….. many thanks ✈️💕
Th for this great sharing! I really recommend that people travel by train within uk and eu,, under the almost same price, the train seats are more comfortable and it will NOT have any extra charge on ur luggage. And most important, there are many discount on train tickets. If anyone needed, i can share the app that I recently used, and it helps me save 35% on every journey.
You need both. 99% of shops and restaurants will accept your card (not american express though) but if you need to spend less than €10 I would suggest using cash. Our card fees are still stupidly high 🙄
Meh, can't believe that happened to you all. Thank you SO much for the reminder to us all ! I'm wondering why it matters to the bus or train company SO much! You bought the ticket. Hmmm. Does any one know why this is an issue? Honestly wondering. Thanks!
I had a similar situation in Amsterdam. I refused to accept the fine and demanded to see the manager. After a long argument on the train I eventually won. I think the train inspector did not expect to encounter an angry Australian who was willing to stand up for what is right.
You were very unlucky... In Italy there's a joke : on a bus, a passenger validates his ticket... click. The bus driver "What the hell is that noise???"
