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Italy by Train

Trains - Tickets - Tours
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A Travel Guide For Train Travel In Italy.

Here you will find information for Italy about trains, routes, tours, connections, where to buy train tickets, and more.

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Useful Information

Population: 60.5 million

Currency: Euro

Language: Italian

Capital: Rome

Country Code: +39

Time Zone: Central Eastern Standard Time

Train Companies

Most of the country’s trains are operated by TrenItalia; however, the smaller, private train operators around Italy are

 

  • Italo Treno
  • Trenord

Train Tickets

Buy your train tickets for Italy online on the Trenitalia official homepage.

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Buy your train tickets online at OMIO and compare trains, buses & flights.

Rail Passes

Interrail / Eurail Pass

Do you want to travel throughout Europe flexibly and comfortably? Then the Interrail Pass is perfect for you. With the Interrail Pass, you can visit 40,000 destinations in 33 countries in Europe. You can travel for up to 3 months by train.

TrAIN tYPES

Domestic Trains In Italy

Trenord Regionale (R) serves Lombardia, the northern region near Switzerland.

  • 1st and 2nd Classes offered
  • Reservations not required

InterCity (IC) links major cities such as Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice with few stops.

  • 1st and 2nd Classes offered, some services only 2nd Class is offered
  • 1st Class: Rows of three seats (2+1), or 6-seat compartments
  • 2nd Class: Rows of four seats (2+2), or 6-seat compartments
  • No reservations required but recommended during high season
  • Trains are equipped with power sockets and air-conditioning.

The Leonardo Express is an express train between Rome and its international airport: Fiumicino / Leonardo Da Vinci.

  • 1st Class tickets only*

*if using a 2nd Class rail pass, an additional ticket must be purchased.

Domestic High-Speed Trains In Italy

Frecciarossa (FR) links major Italian cities throughout the country

  • Offering four Classes:
    • Executive: Rows of two seats (1+1), wide leather armchairs, 180-degree rotation, with footrests and ability to electronically recline. Refreshments, snacks, and a menu are included. A meeting room is also available.
    • Business: Rows of three seats (2+1), reclinable wide leather chairs, Silence Area is available, a welcome drink, and a snack is included.
    • Premium: Rows of four seats (2+2), leather seats, a welcome drink, and a snack is included.
    • Standard: Rows of four seats (2+2), and leather seats
  • Reservations required
  • Trains are equipped with power sockets, air-conditioning, and often equipped with a dining car offering a range of food and drinks.

Frecciargento (FA) links larger cities in the northeast and south to Rome.

  • 1st Class: Rows of three reclinable seats (2+1), offering more legroom, a welcome drink, snacks and newspapers included.
  • 2nd Class: Rows of four seats (2+2)
  • Reservations required
  • Trains are equipped with power sockets, air-conditioning, and often equipped with a dining car offering a range of food and drinks.

Frecciabianca (FB) links Milan and Turin to northeast Italy

  • 1st Class: Rows of three seats (2+1), offering more legroom, a welcome drink, snacks and newspapers included.
  • 2nd Class: Rows of four seats (2+2)
  • Reservations required
  • Trains are equipped with power sockets, air-conditioning, and often equipped with a dining car offering a range of food and drinks.

Thello Day Train links Milan to Marseille and Nice.

  • 1st and 2nd Classes offered
  • Trains are equipped with power sockets, air-conditioning, and often equipped with a dining car offering a range of food and drinks.

See Night Trains for more info about international trains.

Domestic Night Trains

InterCity Notte (ICN)

Routes:

    • Milan – Genova – Pisa – Livorno – Salerno – Catania, Sicily**
    • Milan – Palermo
    • Turin – Salerno
    • Rome – Syracuse
    • Rome – Trieste
    • Rome – Lecce
  • Reservations are included in ticket price
  • There are a variety of sleeping options dependent on the ICN route you are taking, the following are the basic setups for most of these routes
  • Sleeping Carriage:
    • A standard cabin includes your own bed, bed linens, washbasin, and power sockets.
    • A more luxurious cabin may also be available on your route inclusive of a toilet and a shower.
  • Couchette Carriage:
    • 4 berth and 6 berth couchette, as well as private compartments, are offered
    • Bathrooms are located in the coach carriage
  • Sitting Carriage:
    • 2nd Class offered, no 1st Class
    • Bathrooms are located in the coach carriage
    • Food cart offering a selected variety of drinks and food pass through the carriages.

** route is special and the train is transported with a boat around the straight of Messina to access the island off of Italy, Sicily.

International trains and night trains

ÖBB Nightjet (EN)

Routes:

    • Milan – Verona – Vienna
    • Milan – Verona – Munich
    • Livorno – Pisa – Florence – Bologna – Vienna
    • Venice – Udine – Salzburg – Vienna
    • Venice – Udine – Salzburg – Munich
    • Rome – Florence – Salzburg – Munich
    • Rome – Florence – Bologna – Vienna
  • Reservations are included in the ticket price
  • Sleeping Carriage:
    • The standard cabin includes your own bed, washbasin, and breakfast in the morning
    • The deluxe cabin includes your own bed, shower, toilet, washbasin, and breakfast in the morning
  • Couchette Carriage:
    • 4 berth and 6 berth couchette, as well as private compartments, are offered
    • Bathrooms are located in the coach carriage
    • Breakfast is included in the ticket price
  • Sitting Carriage:
    • 2nd Class offered, no 1st Class
    • Bathrooms are located in the coach carriage
    • Food cart offering a selected variety of drinks and food pass through the carriages

Thello Night Train

Route

  • Venice – Verona – Milan – Paris
    • Reservations are included in the ticket price
    • Sleeping Carriage:
      • Options between compartments of 1-3 beds
      • A standard cabin includes your own bed, washbasin, complimentary toiletry kit, and breakfast in the morning
    • Couchette Carriage:
  • 4 berth and 6 berth couchette, as well as private compartments, are offered
  • Bathrooms are located in the coach carriage
  • All Thello trains have a restaurant car.

Bernina Express: Lugano – Chur, Switzerland via Tirano, Italy
Centovalli Railway: Domodossola – Locarno, Switzerland
Trenino Verde: Sardinien
Treno Natura: Toskana

Routes

Frequently Travelled Routes In Italy

National

 
From > To
Duration (h)
Changes Transport
Venice to Florence 2:13 Direct Train
Venice to Rome 3:59 Direct Train
Rome to Florence 1:36 Direct Train
Rome to Naples 1:12 Direct Train
Florence to Pisa 1:00 Direct Train
Milan to Rome 3:10 Direct Train
Milan to Genoa 1:34 Direct Train

International

 
From > To
Duration (h)
Changes Transport
Milan to Paris, France 7:14 Direct Train (TGV)
Milan to Zurich, Switzerland 3:44 1 Train (RE & EC)
Milan to Vienna, Austria 11:19 2 Train
Venice to Innsbruck, Austria 5:01 Direct Train
Venice to Jesenice, Slovenia 5:01 1 Train
Venice to Munich, Germany 6:39 Direct Train
Genoa to Nice, France 3 – 4:00 1-3 Train
Bari to Durrës, Albania 9:00 Direct Ferry
Bari to Dubrovnik, Croatia 11:00 Direct Ferry
Venice to Rovinj, Croatia 3:45 Direct Ferry

 

Italy travel routes

From Sea to Sea: Italy to Sweden

From Sea to Sea: Italy to Sweden

Ancient History in Italy, Albania, & Greece

Ancient History in Italy, Albania, & Greece

Wonderful Cities In Italy

Wonderful Cities In Italy

Main Train Stations

  • Roma Termini (Rome)
  • Roma Tiburtina (Rome)
  • Firenze Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
  • Venezia Santa Lucia (Venice)
  • Venezia Mestre (Venice)
  • Milano Centrale (Milan)
  • Bologna Centrale
  • Torino Porta Nuova (Turin)
  • Napoli Centrale (Naples)

Train Tours in Italy

Good to know

Best Time To Travel To Italy

We recommend traveling anytime between April – June, and September – October because of it being the shoulder seasons, you will see fewer tourists and the weather is still great. During summertime, popular destinations see an increase in tourists as well as prices, especially a beautiful place such as Italy. In the wintertime, the country can still be explored but keep in mind several places, towns, and attractions will be closed such as the popular destinations of Cinque Terre and Almafi coast as they are only open during the shoulder and busy season. Enjoy the lower prices in the winter or hit the slopes of the Dolomites. 

Notable events, festivals, and times of year in Italy include the Venice Carnevalle, Festa della Sensa, Easter Week, truffle season (November), Florence’s Taste food fair, Festival delle Sagre, the Ravello Festival, and so much more. Enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Italy from stunning coastlines, islands, lakes, sprawling vineyards, and age-old cities. There is plenty to do, see, and eat here in Italy, we promise you won’t be disappointed!

  • High Season: June – August
  • Low Season: November – March

 

Accommodation In Italy

Booking

The best place to find cheap hotels for is to book by www.booking.com. There you will find a large selection of cheap hotels, hostels, and apartments. > BOOK HERE

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Hostelworld

If you are looking for a low budget accommodation, then go on www.hostelworld.com. They have the best choice of cheap hostels for backpackers and low budget travelers. > BOOK HERE

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Guidebooks For Italy

Travel with a guidebook ease your journey to find best sights and things to do. Buy it on Amazon.

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