As I previously stated on the France Fourm, the trains in Europe baffle me. I've searched the Trenitalia website and clicked around various other websites, but I cannot figure this out.
We (family 5--2 adults, 2 students, 1 child) are traveling from Chamonix, France to Venice. Then a few days later from Venice to Rome with a stop in Florence along the way. We have a rental car reserved and plan to return it when we arrive in Rome.
I'm trying to find out what it would cost for us to take the train from Chamonix to Venice. I have a feeling from what I've seen that it would not be practical (too much time and money) and a car will be a better choice for us on that leg. We don't mind driving. The only reason to take the train would be to save money.
Also, I'm thinking of dropping the car in Florence instead of Rome and taking the train for the last leg in order to avoid driving into Rome. When I check the Trenitalia website, I can find the train schedule for the day we need , but I can't tell what the tickets would cost. In the buy column, it says "no", but I don't really want to buy the tickets anyways, I just want to know what they cost.
We would have the chance to buy the tickets in person while we are visiting Venice, but do we need to buy ahead of time in order to get the best rate? The Venice to Rome trip is August 6. Yes, I know, we are not "slow travelers". This may be the only time we can get to Europe and we are trying to see as much as we can with our three teenagers. If I ever go again, I will be a slow traveler, I promise.
I suspect it may be too early for you to buy tickets for August ( I think--but am not sure, that the limit is 60 days out). To get an idea of the cost, though, you can try checking tickets for a closer date. I don't think the price will vary materially between now and August. If you decide on going by train, you can buy the tickets in a few weeks.
And don't apologize for not being a slow traveler. Truth be told, I suspect the great majority of the slow travelers here slowed down only after a few faster trips. Take the survey trip, enjoy it, and then decide where to slow down and spend more time on the next trip.
My quick search indicates that a train from Chamonix would require an indirect route through Switzerland. You could start with the bus to Aosta showing at www.savda.it ; fare doesn't show; the first trip in summer would leave at 9 and arrive at 11 a.m. Then a train with two changes (under the current schedule) would leave at 12.36 and arrive Venice at 18.57 for a standard fare of €35.20 per person. With that many people, maybe the car is the better deal, but if it's picked up in France and returned in Italy, you might have big extra charges.
