Reader's Mail: Should I Buy Train Tickets In Advance?

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Reader's Mail: Should I Buy Train Tickets In Advance?

7:22 AM |

Dana Kaplan, Stresa Sights |

With the season in full swing now, and many readers asking about taking trains from Stresa, it's a good time to review some of the basics.

A reader asks:

Q: Is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time on the internet or can I buy them at the train station on the day of travel? Also I notice several categories on the internet. What category should I purchase either on line or at the station?

A: It is not necessary to buy train tickets online, in fact, we recommend not doing that. You can easily buy them at the Stresa train station the day you travel, or, stop by the station some other day in advance and buy a ticket. A train ticket becomes validated on the day you use it by stamping it in the yellow box (in photo at right) along the wall near the tracks at the station. You can review more train information in this post:

http://stresasights.blogspot.com/2009/04/stresa-train-station.html

As for categories, ask at the Stresa ticket window for an IC or an EC train. Those are the 'Express' trains. What you DO NOT WANT is an R train. That is the Regional train, which will slowly make every local stop and take twice as long. Another advantage of purchasing your tickets directly at the window is that you will be able to ask the attendant to be certain you have the correct ticket for you.

Here's more information about taking the train from Stresa to Milan: http://stresasights.blogspot.com/2008/12/going-to-milano-from-stresa.html

And here's some handy information about luggage storage at the Stresa train station:

http://stresasights.blogspot.com/2011/03/fyi-temporary-luggage-storage.html