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The Colosseum, Rome.  You can walk there from Rome's Stazione Termini in about 25 minutes.

There's no better way to see the great cities of Italy than by train.  Driving in Italian cities is a nightmare;  flights waste a lot of time at airports and you won't see anything of Italy at 30,000 feet.  You'll find trains faster, more convenient and more relaxing.  Trains link just about every Italian town and city of any significance, city centre to city centre.  A new high-speed network is taking shape:  Rome to Florence takes just 1 hour 35 minutes at up to 175 mph, Florence to Venice 2 hours 40 minutes, Rome to Venice 3 hours 45 minutes, Rome to Naples 1 hour 10 minutes, Rome to Milan 2 hours 59 minutes.  Faster than flying!  Journeys to and from Sicily can be made overnight on a time-effective sleeper train.

On this page...

How to check Italian train schedules & fares

How to buy train tickets for Italy - at the station, or buy online...

What are Italian trains like? - Eurostar Italia, InterCity, regional, overnight trains

Travel tips - Do the trains on time, ticket validation, luggage, taking a bike, catering, places not served by train, language problems

How to use the Italian Railways website, www.trenitalia.com

Hotels & accommodation in Italy

On other pages...

Getting from the UK to Italy by train - take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, then a direct sleeper train to Rome, Florence or Venice.  Easy!

General European train travel information - luggage, bikes, pets, maps, timetables and advice.

The Thello sleeper train from Paris to Venice - Paris to Milan, Verona or Venice by direct overnight train...

Sponsored links...

	There's no check-in, and no hassle. You simply walk straight from the city centre onto the station concourse, look at the indicator board to find your train and hop on, any time up until departure.  Here, passengers board a sleek, high-speed Eurostar Italia AV train in Naples Centrale...
	The main concourse at Florence's classic SMN station.  The station is walking distance from the famous Duomo or even the Ponte Vecchio...

It's easy to check train times and fares for any journey in Italy, using the Italian Railways (Trenitalia) website, www.trenitalia.com (English button at the top)

• The new high-speed network links Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan, Turin & Venice, with trains hourly or better.

• Rome-Florence takes 1 hour 35 minutes, Rome-Milan 2 hours 59, Rome-Venice 3 hours 45, Rome-Naples 1 hour 10, Florence-Naples 3 hours.  Faster than flying.

• To understand the different types of train, see the What are Italian trains like? section.

• You can buy 'Mini' fares giving up to a 60% discount off the normal 'base' fare if you pre-book a high-speed Italian train before departure on a 'limited changes, no refunds' basis.  To understand the choice of fares, and the rather poor translation of sleeper types, see the how to use trenitalia.com section.

• Map of the Italian railway network

• Schematic rail map (not all routes shown) with real-time train info.

Buying tickets at the station, the easy way...

It's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel or perhaps the day before, even if you don't speak Italian.  Simply go to one of the pale blue and yellow 'fast ticket' machines installed at all main stations, see the photo below.  These have a touch screen with an English language facility.  Click the UK flag for English, then click 'buy tickets'.  The machines will sell both local and long-distance tickets, including any necessary seat reservations, for departure that day or the next day or any date you like within the next 90 days.  They take Visa and MasterCard credit cards without a problem, whether your credit card has chip and PIN or not.  For local journeys such as Florence-Pisa or Florence-Siena, you just buy a ticket and hop on, no reservation necessary.  For long-distance trains it's now always necessary to have a seat reservation, but there's almost always seats available and you can buy a ticket (which will come with a seat reservation printed on it) immediately before the train departs from the fast ticket machines or the ticket office.

However, in 2009 Trenitalia increased their normal 'base' fare and introduced advance-purchase discounts.  Booking opens 90 days in advance, and you can get a 'Mini' fare giving a discount of up to 60% off the normal 'base' fare on most routes if you book ahead on a no-refunds, limited-changes-to-travel-plans basis.  So bear that in mind when anyone tells you you can easily buy at the station on the day at no extra cost, as you can now save money by pre-booking! 

Remember to validate a local or regional ticket by putting them into the small yellow machines at the entrance to every platform - there's a fine if you don't.  Eurostar Italia, Eurostar City & InterCity tickets don't need to be validated in this way as they are for a specific date and train anyway.

Buy Italian train tickets online...

Option 1, at Trenitalia.com:  The cheapest way to buy Italian train tickets is online direct from Italian Railways at www.trenitalia.com (English button top right).  The advantage of using this system is that it has all trains, all routes and all the cheapest prices, and has a hassle-free 'ticketless' system where you book online and simply quote your booking reference on board the train.  www.trenitalia.com used to have problems accepting non-Italian credit cards, but a new payment system introduced in November 2010 seems to have almost totally solved this. It doesn't explain the fare choices very well, and is poorly translated in places especially when booking sleepers, so see the step-by-step guide below before using it.  Bookings open 90 days before departure.

Option 2, from an agency in your own country:  If using trenitalia.com proves troublesome, you can buy Italian train tickets the easy way, though it will cost a bit more as they will add a small booking fee:

• If you live in the UK, you can buy Italian train tickets for main routes using www.raileurope.co.uk.  This is the easiest system to use, with no booking fee, though it doesn't feature all trains and all routes, just the main cities.  Tickets are sent free of charge to any UK address.  However, they cannot sell the discounted 'Mini' fares only full-price fares.

• If you live in the USA or Canada, you can buy train tickets for Italy online at www.raileurope.com or www.raileurope.ca.  Tickets can be sent to any American address.  They cannot sell the discounted 'Mini' fares only full-price fares.

• If you live in Australia or New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong or anywhere else in Asia, in Africa or South America, you can easily buy Italian train tickets online at International Rail Australia, which offers all Italian routes, trains & fares including the cheap 'Mini' fares (which it calls 'Saver fares'), as it links directly to Trenitalia's booking system.  Ticket delivery is usually free of charge as it's 'ticketless', you simply print out your electronic booking reference and can then board the train.  Note that www.raileurope.com.au (Australia) & www.raileurope-world.com (New Zealand, Africa, Asia, S. America) can also sell Italian train tickets, but they cannot sell the cheap 'Mini' fares only full price with fees added.

Railpasses for Italy...

• By all means check out the InterRail pass (for European residents) or Eurail passes (for non-Europeans) at the seat61 rail shop.  However, railpasses are now the gold-plated expensive option.  They have lost their convenience factor, as passholders must make a reservation and pay a 10 euro reservation fee for virtually every fast train they take.  This must be factored into the cost.

• Let's consider the mathematics:  A typical Eurail pass works out at maybe 55 euros per day for first class travel, that's 65 euros once you add the 10 euros fast train reservation fee.  A point-to-point ticket from Rome to Florence is only 63 euros 1st class full-price bought on the day at the station with reservation included, and perhaps only 40 euros if you pre-book a 'Mini' fare.  2nd class is only 44 euros full-price at the station, and perhaps only 19 euros with a pre-booked 'Mini' fare.  So you really need to be doing the equivalent of Rome-Venice or Rome-Milan every single day for a pass to make financial sense.  If you're only going to do Rome-Florence or Florence-Venice on a typical day, point to point tickets will be cheaper, even on a like-for-like first class fully-flexible basis.  If you're happy pre-booking a cheap no-refunds 'Mini' fare, or are happy going 2nd class (and why shouldn't you be..?), you can save a lot of money over an expensive railpass.  One might say that the situation has reversed in the last 10 years.  It's now the point-to-point passenger who buys cheaply online and breezes onto the train quoting their reference number on board, while the railpass holder has to queue up at the ticket office to make a reservation and pay a surcharge for just about every train.

• How to make train reservations in Italy if you have a railpass:  If you have a railpass, the easiest way to make a seat reservation is using the self-service machines installed at all main stations, see the photo here so you know what to look for.  Eurostar Italia and Eurostar City trains (also branded Frecciarossa, Frecciargento & Frecciabianca) cost 10 euros for passholders, and reservation is compulsory.  Seat reservation is no longer compulsory for passholders on InterCity trains, it's now optional but a good idea, for 3 euros per seat.  The machines have a touch screen: Click the UK flag for English language, then 'buy tickets' and select 'Global pass' when the choice of fare is offered.  The machines can sell passholder reservations for any mainline train within Italy including sleepers, and for many direct international trains starting in Italy.  You can pay in cash (notes or coins) or by MasterCard or Visa credit card.  If your credit card hasn't got Chip and PIN, this isn't a problem.

Eurostar Italia trains (ES AV or ES*) Frecciarossa & Frecciargento...

Trenitalia's top-of-the-range trains are the Eurostar Italia 'Frecciarossa' 175mph high-speed trains and Eurostar Italia 'Frecciargento' 125mph tilting trains, shown in timetables as 'Eurostar Italia AV' or 'ES*' or 'ES AV' (AV =  'alta velocità' = 'high speed').  Higher fares are charged for these trains, and tickets always include a seat reservation - in other words, you can't just turn up and hop on, you need to buy a ticket with a seat reservation for a specific train before boarding, but you can do this right up until departure.  Eurostar Italia tickets are only valid on the specific date and train you've booked.  Eurostar Italia 'Frecciarossa' (red arrow) services are operated by 175mph high speed ETR500 trains like the one shown below.  Eurostar Italia 'Frecciargento' (silver arrow) services are operated by 125mph ETR450/460/485/600 'pendolino' tilting trains.  All Eurostar Italia services are air-conditioned with refreshments, and most have a waiter-service restaurant car, a pleasure to use, with the set 3-course menu costing around 32 euros, a half bottle of wine 9 euros, credit cards accepted.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles (2-pin, 220v).  A supplement must be paid by railpass holders (10-15 euros per trip), which given the fares are cheap anyway (for example, 25 euros Venice-Milan, 39 euros Rome-Florence) doesn't make railpasses very good value in Italy.

NEW!  Four classes of service?  Several Frecciarossa trains have now been refurbished with not two but four classes of accommodation, Standard, Premium, Business and Executive.  Premium & Business include snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, Executive includes hot or cold meals and drinks.  Only one daily departure on the Milan-Rome-Naples route currently has these four new classes, but they may be extended in due course.  Premium, Business & Executive passengers can use the bar-restaurant car, Standard passengers can no longer do so on these new trains.  The photos below show the original two-class Frecciarossa still used on most services.

A Eurostar Italia 'Frecciarossa' ETR500 train capable of 250 km/h (155 mph) on the new Italian high-speed network...		First class seating.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles.  A complimentary drink of coffee, juice or sparkling prosecco is served at your seat...

Second class on a Eurostar Italia AV ETR500 'Frecciarossa' train.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles.		On the Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples route there's a restaurant car.  A 3-course lunch costs 32 euros, a half bottle of wine 9 euros, credit cards accepted.

Eurostar City trains (ES City, Frecciabianca)...

One step down from Eurostar Italia, 'Eurostar City' Frecciabianca services use locomotive-hauled coaches which have been refurbished to Eurostar Italia standards and run at up to 125 mph.  They are air-conditioned and have a refreshment trolley, but no restaurant or bar car.  Seat reservation is compulsory, tickets bought at the station or online will automatically include a seat reservation, but railpass holders must pay a supplement of 10 euros which includes the reservation.

A Frecciabianca at Milan Centrale...  Frecciabianca trains link Milan with Verona & Venice every hour or so, at up to 125 mph.		2nd class seating, most seats with a power socket for laptops & mobiles.  There's a small bar car, and a refreshment trolley comes down the train...

This is 1st class, more spacious and less crowded.  All seats have power sockets for laptops or mobiles, and there's a complimentary coffee from the trolley...		A Frecciabianca to Venice, about to leave Milan.  A strange train - two modern power cars sandwich former intercity carriages...

InterCity (IC)...

Next in the pecking order are the InterCity trains, fast trains hauled by locomotives at up to 100-125mph.  Except for railpass holders, InterCity trains are 'seat reservation obligatory', so you must make a reservation before boarding, you can't just hop on.  Tickets sold at stations or online automatically include the reservation.  However, a concession introduced for railpass holders in 2010 is that passholders don't need to reserve places on InterCity trains, they can just get on and travel without any supplement or reservation.  Passholders can make an optional seat reservation if they like, for a 3 euro fee.

An Italian InterCity train...		2nd class 6-seat compartments on an InterCity train.  Some cars have open-plan seating.		1st class seating on an InterCity train.  Some cars have 6-seater compartments.

Espresso, Regionale & local trains (E, R)...

No seat reservation is necessary (or, in many cases, possible), you just buy a ticket and hop on.  Remember to validate your ticket at the platform entrance before boarding.  There's no supplement for railpass holders, you can just hop on and show your pass.

Overnight trains...

An overnight sleeper train is often the best way to travel long distances, for example from Rome to Sicily, or from Venice or Milan to Naples.  It's an experience in itself that's effectively faster than flying, and saves a hotel bill too.  Italian overnight trains have several types of couchette & sleeper.  Some also have seats or reclining seats, but a couchette or sleeper is recommended, as you can lie flat and sleep in a safely-locked compartment.

• 6-berth couchettes:  6 basic flat padded bunks, arranged as upper, middle & lower on each side of the compartment.  Rug, sheet & pillow provided for each passenger.  Compartments are mixed sex, as you don't normally fully undress.

• 4-berth 'Comfort' couchettes:  Modern air-conditioned cars with eight or nine 4-berth compartments, each with two upper & two lower bunks.  Rug, sheet & pillow provided for each passenger.  An attendant travels with each pair of cars.  A good economical choice, see the photos below.  Compartments are mixed sex, but women travelling alone can book berths in ladies-only compartments.

• 1, 2 & 3 berth standard sleepers:  Traditional sleeping cars with twelve comfortable carpeted compartments each of which can be used with 1, 2 or 3 beds folded out as '1st class Single', 1st class Double' and '2nd class Tourist T3'.  See the photos below.  Each room has a washbasin, and offers fully-made-up beds, convertible to a private sitting room with sofa & coffee table for evening or morning use.  Compartments are single-sex unless a group of you book all the berths in a compartment.  Each car has its own sleeper attendant who can serve drinks, snacks and a light breakfast.  A sleeper is the civilised, recommended option!  On trenitalia.com, these traditional sleepers are described (confusingly!) as 'First class single seat compartment', 'First class double seat compartment' and 'Tourist 3 bed cabin' respectively.

• 1 & 2 berth 'T2S' smaller sleepers:  Sleeping cars with seventeen very narrow compartments each of which can be used with 1 or 2 berths folded out as '1st class Special' or '2nd class Tourist T2'.  Each room has a washbasin, and offers fully-made-up beds, convertible to a very small private sitting room with seats & coffee table for evening or morning use.  Compartments are single-sex unless a group of you book all the berths in a compartment.  Each car has its own sleeper attendant who can serve drinks, snacks and a light breakfast.  A bit cheaper than the standard sleeper, but the compartments are much more compact, to the point of being cramped.  On trenitalia.com, these sleepers are described as 'First class special seat compartment' and 'Tourist 2 bed cabin' respectively.  Recommended if you're trying to save money, or the standard sleepers are sold out.

• 1 & 2 berth deluxe 'Excelsior' sleepers: On a few routes, for example Milan-Naples, you'll also find a deluxe 'Excelsior' sleeping-car with ten 1- or 2-bed compartments each with private shower & toilet.  The sleeping-car also has one 'suite matrimoniale' with double bed, toilet & shower.  Rooms convert to a private sitting room with sofa & coffee table for evening or morning use.  Each car has its own sleeper attendant who can serve drinks, snacks and a light breakfast.  Only whole compartments are sold, for single or double occupancy, you cant book just one berth in a 2-berth sleeper in these cars.  See the photos below.  Recommended if you have the money!

• You can find virtual tours of these couchettes & sleepers at www.trenitalia.com.  Click 'Trains', then look for 'night trains', then look for the blue box on the right.

Standard 1, 2 or 3 berth sleeper...

Standard Italian sleeper on overnight train.  It has 12 compartments, each of which can be used as 1st class Single, 1st class Double or 2nd class 3-berth.

Standard sleeper in evening/ morning mode, with beds folded away.

1st class double.  If the third berth was folded out, it would be 2nd class 3-berth.

4-berth 'Comfort' couchettes...

A 'Comfort' couchette car.  A good, economical choice.		Above:  A 4-berth 'Comfort' couchette compartment in night-time and daytime modes.

'Excelsior' deluxe sleeper...

A deluxe Excelsior sleeper, 1 or 2 berth compartment with private shower & toilet, shown here in both daytime & night time modes.  Only available on a few routes!

	Restaurant cars:  A table for two in the restaurant car of a high-speed Eurostar Italia express linking  Venice, Florence, Rome & Naples, and yes, the flowers on the tables are real!  So much more civilised than a flight...
	Self-service ticket machines are found on all main Italian stations.  They have a touch screen, click the UK flag for English.  They can sell tickets for both local trains and Eurostar Italia/Eurostar City/InterCity trains, plus some international trains, and can sell seat reservations for railpass holders.  They take both cash & credit cards.  Easier & faster then going to the ticket office!
	Ticket validation machines:  If you have a ticket for a local or regional train, make sure you validate it by putting it into one of these machines at the entrance to the platform before boarding.  There's a fine if you don't.  Train-specific mainline tickets (for example, for Eurostar Italia, Eurostar City & InterCity) do not need to be validated, as they are only valid on a specific date and train in any case.

• Are the trains running on time?  You can check real-time arrivals and departures at any Trenitalia station or the running of any train by train number at www.viaggiatreno.it.  Most regional trains run more or less on time, and so do most Eurostar Italia long distance trains, with perhaps a 10 or 20 minute delay here and there.  However, make allowances for a typical 30 to 60 minute delay when catching the great sleeper trains to and from Sicily, for example.

• Ticket validation:  All Italian regional and local train tickets must be validated immediately before you board your train, by putting them into the small yellow machines at the entrance to every platform.  There's a fine if you don't.  See the photo below right, so you know what machine to look for.  This is to prevent people using an 'open' local ticket valid for 2 months from being used fraudulently for more than one journey.  You do not need to validate Eurostar Italia, Eurostar City or InterCity tickets as these are only valid on a specific date and train in any case.

• Language problems:  First-time visitors often think this will be a problem, but it hardly ever is.  At stations, signs are usually in English as well as Italian, or easy-to-understand pictograms are used.  On high-speed trains, announcements are usually repeated in English.  The one thing that does help is knowing the Italian version of place names:  Rome = Roma, Florence = Firenze, Venice = Venezia, Naples = Napoli, Milan = Milano, Turin = Torino, Genoa = Genova.  The ticket machines at every main station have a touch-screen with an English language facility.

• Food & drink on Italian trains:  Most long-distance trains have a bar or even (on Eurostar Italia trains) a restaurant car.  Eating a meal on the move in a waiter-service restaurant is an experience, and not hugely expensive, either.  However, feel free to bring your own food and drink (even a bottle of wine, if you like) onto the train, there's no rules against that on the rails!

• Luggage:  There are no baggage fees or weight limits, and you don't check your bags in, you simply take them with you onto the train, placing them on the racks at the end of each car, or above your head.

• Left luggage:  All main Italian stations including Rome Stazione Termini, Florence SMN, Venice Santa Lucia, Milan Centrale, Naples Centrale, Verona, Turin Porta Nuova have left-luggage facilities, either lockers or a staffed facility.  Information on prices & opening times.

• Bicycles:  You can take a bike with you on suburban, Regional & InterRegional trains, if you buy a bike ticket costing about 4 euros.  On long distance trains including Eurostar Italia, Eurostar City & InterCity, you need to place your bike in a zip-up bike bag, front wheel & pedals removed and handlebars turned, see the bikes by train page.

• Dogs & pets:  Go to www.trenitalia.com, look for 'FAQ' at the very top, then look for 'animal transport'.  You can take dogs on many trains, but the rules vary by type of train.  On Eurostar Italia trains, only guide dogs and very small dogs in containers are carried.  On regional, InterRegional, InterCity & Eurostar City trains, small dogs go free, larger dogs go travel for a 5 euros fee.

• First class lounges at Italian stations:  Unfortunately, only holders of Trenitalia's special 'Club Eurostar' frequent traveller card can use the 'Club Eurostar' lounges at stations.

• The Leaning Tower of Pisa:  Many people do this as a day trip from Florence, using the frequent local trains.  Pisa Centrale station is 2km from the Tower, a 30 minute walk, but if you take a train to Pisa S. Rossore station, that's only a 5-10 minutes walk to the Tower.  Some trains from Florence go direct to Pisa S. Rossore, 1 stop beyond Pisa Centrale, others require a change at Pisa centrale.  Check train times using www.trenitalia.com.

Which station in which city?

• Which station in Rome?  The main station in Rome is the Stazione Termini, walking distance from all the sights.  Roma Ostiense and Roma Tiburtina are on the outskirts of the city, you'll need a taxi or local train into the city centre.  The Vatican has its own suburban station, Roma San Pietro, but it’s easy to reach St Peter’s from the Stazione Termini by bus or taxi.

• Which station in Venice?  The main station in Venice is Venezia Santa Lucia, in the city of Venice itself on the banks of the Grand Canal and walking distance from the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square.  Venezia Mestre is on the mainland in an industrial area, a long way from Venice.

• Which station in Florence? The main station in Florence is Firenze Santa Maria Novella, normally abbreviated to 'SMN', in the city centre easy walking distance from all the sights.  A few trains, use Campo Marte station outside the city centre, linked to SMN by frequent local trains.

• Which station in Milan?  Milano Centrale is the main station, a huge terminus in the city centre, served by most mainline and international trains.  Malpensa airport trains arrive at Milan Cordona, a small local terminus also located in the city centre.  Milan's Lambrate and Porto Garibaldi stations are much less central, and Milan Rogoredo is nowhere near the city centre..

• Which station in Turin?  Torino Porta Nuova is the main station, a big terminus.  However, trains to Paris leave from the other station, Torino Porta Susa, and some trains to Rome, Milan or Venice call at Porta Susa after leaving Port Nuova.  Both stations are in Turin's historic city centre, walking distance from all the sights.

Direct trains to Sicily...

• There are direct InterCity trains from Rome & Naples to Sicily (Palermo, Catania, Siracuse) & direct overnight sleeper trains to Sicily from Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence & Turin.  All of these trains are shunted onto a ferry at Villa san Giovanni for the 40 minute crossing of the Straits of Messina to Sicily.  It's one of the few places in Europe where trains still go onto a ship, and it's an experience in itself.  Once the train is secured in the ship's hold, steps are placed next to the train doors, and you can remain on board the train, or get off and walk upstairs to the deck to take some sea air, returning to the train as the ship docks on the far side.  Highly recommended!  You can book all of these trains to Sicily as shown here.

Places not served by the main rail network...

• Sorrento, Pompeii:  The railway from Naples to Pompeii & Sorrento isn't run by Trenitalia, it's the Circumvesuviana Railway, see www.vesuviana.it.  The Circumvesuviana Railway runs every 30 minutes throughout the day.  No reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  From Naples to Pompeii the fare is 2.30 euros one-way, 4.50 euros day return, journey time around 40 minutes.  From Naples to Sorrento, the fare is around 3.20 euros one-way, 6.40 euros day return, journey time 55-65 minutes.

• Capri:  The island of Capri is just off Sorrento.  There are various ferries and catamarans for the short hop from Sorrento to Capri, crossing time about 25 minutes.  Alternatively, there are ferries or catamarans direct from Naples (journey 40 minutes).

• Amalfi, Positano, Praiano:  There's no railway to these towns on the famous Amalfi Coast, but buses run from Sorrento & salerno.  Buses between Salerno & Amalfi run hourly or better between 06:00 & 22:30 on Mondays-Saturdays, slightly less frequently on Sundays, journey time 1 hour 15 minutes, fare about 1.80 euros one-way, you simply buy a ticket on the bus.  The buses are operated by SITA, so see www.sitabus.it to confirm exact bus times.  At the time of writing, the English version of www.sitabus.it doesn't work, so leave it in Italian and under 'Scegli la Regione' select 'Campania' (the name of this region).  On the next page, select 'Orari linee Campania'.  On the next page, look for Quadro 14 & 15 and click for a .pdf format timetable.  To check fares, you'll need to use public transport site www.unicocampania.it, though it can take some time to work out how to use it!  For buses linking Sorrento with Positano, Praiano & Amalfi, see www.sitabus.it.  Sorrento-Amalfi takes 1 hour 30 minutes, buses run hourly or so, and the fare is around 2.40 euros.  The journey along the coast road is dramatic, the bus hugging the cliff and it rear end swinging out precariously at every hairpin bend!

• Ischia:  Ferries link Naples with Porto Ischia, see either www.caremar.it (sailings every hour or two, crossing time 45 minutes fast ferry or 90 mins conventional ferry) or www.alilauro.it.

• Elba:  Travel by train to Piombino Marittima.  Moby Lines (www.mobylines.com) sail every hour or so from Piombino to Portoferraio on Elba, crossing time 1 hour, foot passengers 7 euros one-way.

The Italian Railways website www.trenitalia.com is well worth getting to know.  It can sell:

• Domestic Italian train tickets for any train journey within Italy, including couchettes & sleepers on overnight trains, at cheap prices with no booking fee;

• International train tickets for most direct international trains starting in Italy heading for for Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Slovenia, including couchettes & sleepers on overnight trains, again with cheap tickets if you pre-book.  Remember that ticket collection is only possible in Italy!

Why use www.trenitalia.com, not an agency in your own country?

• Booking online at Trenitalia.com is the cheapest way to buy Italian train tickets because all the advance-purchase cheap deals available, with no booking fees & no mark-up.  Overseas agencies can usually only sell full fare tickets without discounts, often with a mark-up or booking fee & postage to pay.

• Trenitalia.com sells buy tickets for all Italian trains & routes, not just selected routes. 

• There's a hassle-free 'ticketless' option for many Italian trains, much easier than paying an agency to send tickets to you, or having to queue up at the ticket office.  You just breeze onto the train.

• Example:  Florence to Rome by Eurostar Italia cost 44 euros (£40 or $64) full-fare on www.trenitalia.com, or 31 euros (£28 or $45) if a special 'Promo -30%' advance purchase fare happens to be available on your train.  In the UK, www.raileurope.co.uk charge £41.50 for the same ticket plus a £2.25 postage fee.  In the USA, www.raileurope.com charges around $70+$18 postage = $88 for the same ticket.

Until November 2010, www.trenitalia.com struggled with overseas credit cards, but now accepts them!

• A new payment system was introduced in November 2010.  Until recently, Trenitalia.com was notorious for not accepting non-Italian credit cards.  Non-Italian Amex cards certainly didn't work, and still generally don't.  However, Trenitalia.com introduced a new payment processing system in November 2010 which seems to have finally solved the credit card acceptance problem, to a large extent at least.  Most emails I have received since then report success in using Trenitalia.  So give it a try, and do let me know if your card works!  I buy all my own tickets at trenitalia.com, both my UK-issued credit cards work.

• Check with your bank:  If your card doesn't work, it's sometimes because your bank (rather than Trenitalia) has blocked the transaction as possible fraud because it's spotted a 'foreign' transaction.  Call your bank and ask them to unblock Trenitalia.com for you.  In fact, it can be a good idea to call you bank before using Trenitalia.com.

• A second transaction may not work, even if your first transaction is successful:  Even if your car works for one transaction, Trenitalia often block cards for a second transaction made soon after the first (meaning a few hours or a day or two).  So book all your tickets as one transaction if you can to avoid this problem, or use another credit card for the second transaction, or wait a few weeks.  Trenitalia.com allows up to 4 journeys to be added to your shopping trolley and paid for as one transaction.

• You can contact Trenitalia's web team at areaclienti@trenitalia.it  to unfreeze frozen accounts and so forth.  They can handle emails in English.

• Please tell me if your card works or doesn't work (especially if you're US, Canadian, Australian or NZ)

• If Trenitalia.com really, really won't accept any of your credit cards, buy your Italian train tickets from the relevant Rail Europe website:  www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents), www.raileurope.com (for US residents), www.raileurope.ca (Canadian residents), www.raileurope.com.au (Australia), or www.raileurope-world.com (New Zealand, Asia, Africa or South America).  These sites will charge you the fully-flexible fare (they can't sell the Trenitalia 'Mini' discounts) plus usually a postage or booking fee.  Rail Europe may not have every Italian train or route programmed into its system, only the main ones.

How to use www.trenitalia.com...

• Step 1:  Go to www.trenitalia.com, and click 'English' top right.

• Step 2:  Enter your journey details in the journey planner and click 'SEND'.

• Step 3, train selection:  You'll now see train times and full-price fares.  The cheap 'Mini or 'Smart price' fares won't appear yet, be patient, they will appear on the next page.  Select a service and click 'continue'.

Common mistakes... 

(1) Trying to book more than 90 days ahead.  It'll either say 'No solution found', or, even more confusingly, show a few trains at odd times of day that have been dated beyond the 90 days.  Wait until booking opens!

(2) Trying to book a date after the mid-June and mid-December timetable changes, even though it's within 90 days.  They're always late loading the data for the new timetable period, so either 'no solutions found' appears or, even more confusingly, just a few trains appear at odd times of day because the data is incomplete.  Beyond timetable change dates, the 90 days often shrinks to 60 days or even less, so just wait and keep checking each day! 

If you don't see at least an hourly train service between (say) Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice then Trenitalia almost certainly haven't uploaded all the data yet, so just sit tight and wait.

(3) Fares for regional trains only appear within 7 days of travel.  Just pick a date in the next 7 days to see what the price is.  Local & regional train fares are fixed-price with unlimited availability, so the price you see for tomorrow will be the price you pay at the station in three months time (unless there's a price rise, of course).

What type of train should you choose? 

For domestic Italian daytime journeys, the best trains are the high-speed Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa & Frecciargento and Eurostar City Frecciobianca trains (look for the ES* or ES AV logos).  They are the most modern trains, all fully air-conditioned, using the new high-speed lines where available.  InterCity (IC) trains are the next best, also air-conditioned, but slower, using the conventional lines not the new high-speed lines.  Reservations are compulsory for all these trains, and cheaper fares are available if you pre-book.  Espresso, Diretto & Regional trains are much slower, seat reservation is not necessary or even possible for these trains.  Fares for regional & local trains will only appear on Trenitalia.com if you pick a date within the next 7 days, but that fare is a fixed price, it doesn't change, and is what you'll pay even on the date of travel at the station.

• Step 4, fare selection:  You'll now see any cheap fares which are available, such as 'Mini'.  You'll also see a drop down box marked 'More fares'.  If you have a railpass, select 'Global Pass' and make a 'reservation only' booking to go with your pass.  For international journeys, use the drop down box to select cheap offers such as Smart, or if that's sold out, Smart 2.

Which fare to choose?

'Base' or 'Standard' is the normal full-price fare.  It's the price you'd pay at the ticket ticket office on the day of travel, although a 5% discount on the base fare is available if you book online and use the ticketless option.  It's only valid on the specific train you've booked, but you can change your travel plans at least once with a 'Base' ticket, up to 1 hour after the departure of the train you're booked on (handy if you miss it!). 

'Mini' is a cheap advance-purchase fare which saves you money, if you're happy to book in advance on a 'no refunds, limited changes to travel plans' basis.  The Mini fare varies like an air fare, so book early to get the cheapest price.  Mini fares are only valid on the specific train you've booked.  You can make changes up to midnight on the day before travel, but not on the day itself.  If you miss your booked train, the ticket becomes worthless.  Note:  You won't see any 'Mini' fares if part of your journey is on a regional train, e.g. Pisa to Venice changing at Florence.  Split the journey, and you'll see Mini fares for the long-distance part, in this example the Florence to Venice part.

'Flessible' or 'Flexi' is really only for business travellers, allowing unlimited changes to travel plans, even after departure of your booked train.  It's 20% more expensive than the 'base' fare but more flexible and not really necessary for most people.  A 1st class Flessible ticket allows you to use the first class lounge. 

'Smart Price' (or Smart Price 2) is the fare to look for on most international journeys.  It's a cheap advance-purchase fare, non-refundable, no changes to travel plans.  You may also see 'MOOVE' or 'GO' fares, which are pretty much the same as 'Smart price' so you can also use these, and may have to if you want a 2-bed sleeper.

'Global Pass' is what you should select to make a 'reservation only' booking to go with a railpass.

Ignore the other discounted fares (including student & senior fares) which are normally only for people the Italian Railways 'Cartavaggio' railcards.

• If you see a note saying "Reservations must be made in Italy", all it means is that seat reservation is compulsory for that train for any part of the journey within Italy.  It's poorly translated into English, it does not mean you can only make reservations on this train when you get to Italy!

• "Seat near to...".  You can ignore this.  All it's asking is whether you want to book a seat near another specific seat that a friend of yours has already booked, for example if your granny is already booked on the same train is car 12, seat 56, you can ask for a seat near her.  If granny isn't on the train, just ignore this bit, leaving the coach and seat number boxes blank.

• "Seats Salottino Business". You can ignore this.  It's an option given under 'mandatory reservation' when booking 1st class on Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa trains, it means seats in an enclosed business meeting compartment with 4 leather seats.  Unless travelling on business in a small group, you won't want this.

• Booking sleepers & couchettes on overnight trains...

  When booking Italian sleepers, the translation to English is poor and can be confusing.  'Single seat compartment' & 'Double seat compartment' in fact mean single bed & 2-bed standard-size sleeper compartments.  '3-bed compartment' means a bed in a 3-bed standard-size sleeper compartment.  See the photos above.  There is another type of sleeper with very narrow compartments (17 compartments instead of 12 in the same length of sleeping-car), listed as 'Special seat compartment' for sole occupancy or '2 bed compartment' for 2-berth occupancy, at cheaper fares than the single or 2-bed rooms in the standard sleeper.  I recommend the larger standard-size sleeper, especially if you have lots of luggage or like your space, and don't mind the extra few euros.  On a handful of routes (for example Milan-Naples), there is a deluxe Excelsior sleeping-car with 1 & 2 bed compartments with private shower & toilet, it even has one 'matrimonial suite' with double bed, see the photos above.

• Registration:  You can now buy without registering.  Though it can be good to create an account, a simple enough process.  After you register they will email a password to you.  The email may arrive within minutes or may take a few hours, but it will come.  When you go to login using this password, you'll first need to change it to a new one.  If it says this new password failed, don't worry, click 'logout' then log in again using the new password and it should work fine.  It's a good idea to add 'trenitalia.com' to your spam filter white list.

• How are tickets delivered?  On most Italian domestic trains (but not international ones, except for the Thello sleeper trains to or from Paris) you can select the 'ticketless' option, which means you can simply get on the train and quote your booking reference to the conductor when he comes down the train.  Easy!  Alternatively, the 'self service' option means that tickets can easily be picked up from the self-service machines at all main Italian stations, you simply enter your name and booking reference and out come the tickets.  Or they can be picked up from the ticket office at any main Italian station.  The hassle-free 'ticketless' option is a great advantage of using Trenitalia.com instead of agencies in your home country who have to physically send out tickets.  Note:  You won't be offered the 'ticketless' option if any part of your journey is on a regional train, so in this case you can split the booking and book the long distance train separately.

• Remember that tickets cannot be collected at stations outside Italy or sent outside Italy, and the 'ticketless' option is only for Italian domestic trains, not international ones (except for the Trenitalia-run 'Thello' sleeper trains to or from Paris).  So even though trenitalia.com will happily sell you a ticket from Zurich to Milan, you can't pick up the tickets in Zurich (do I really have to spell it out?) because Zurich is not in Italy and not a Trenitalia-staffed station...  And no, they won't accept the booking printout as a ticket on the train!  So you will have wasted you money and will need to buy another ticket.  So don't use trenitalia.com for international journeys heading into Italy, unless it's a Thello sleeper train from Paris, or you'll be visiting Italy beforehand, or have an Italian address to which tickets can be sent.

• You can book up to 4 journeys as one transaction.  Even credit cards that work can fail to work if used for a second transaction, so book all your trips together (up to a maximum of 4 journeys), by adding each ticket to your basket and paying for them all together.

• Time limit:  You must complete your booking(s) within a rather annoying time limit, about 15 minutes, otherwise the reservations are dropped and you have to start again.  Especially annoying if you are trying to book 4 journeys!

• Don't worry if your seat numbers aren't consecutive!  The system does normally book all of the passengers on one booking in seats next to each other!  For example, seats 62 & 68 in a 2nd class car on a Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa are in fact side by side! And in a 2-bed sleeper, berths 21 & 25 are in the same compartment, with 22 & 26 in the compartment next door!  For seat numbering plans for Italian trains, see the train seating plans page.

• If you have difficulties you can also buy Italian railway tickets online from agencies based ...in the UK   ...in the USA  ...in Canada   ...in Australia  ...in NZ, Asia, Africa or South America.  Prices are higher than those charged by Trenitalia.com, but you will be dealing with an agency in your own country and tickets can be posted to you.

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings Cross stations in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's only a fraction of what you spend on the whole trip.  If you have a decent guidebook, you see so much more and know so much more about what you're looking at.  I think the Lonely Planets or Rough Guides are the best ones out there for the independent traveller.  My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", is due to be published in June 2008, and Amazon will let you pre-order now.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk

Or buy the Lonely Planets from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

 

Find Italian hotels & guesthouses on www.venere.com...

www.venere.com is perhaps the best website for hotels in Italy, as they're an Italian-based company and have places in even the smallest towns.  The price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you just pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.  Click these links:

Rome   Florence   Venice   Verona   Naples   Milan   Siena  Lucca   Bologna   Pisa   Sorrento   Genoa   Ancona   Other Italian towns & cities

Search for hotels with Hotels Combined...

Search by hotel name  Powered by Hotelscombined.com

◄◄◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel booking websites at once... www.hotelscombined.com is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and others) to find the cheapest hotel rates.  Set up in 2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

If you need something special...

www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon, romantic break or other special occasion.  www.mrandmrssmith.com lists hand-picked boutique hotels in Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Tuscany, Sicily, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast and several other locations in Italy.

Tripadvisor hotel reviews...

www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.  It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.

Backpacker hostels...

www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget the backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers has online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most Italian cities and elsewhere in Europe, at rock-bottom prices.

In Italy, cars and city centres don't mix, so for a city-based tour, stick with the train.  But if you want to get out of the cities and into the countryside, for example Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast, hiring a car can be a good idea.  For an inexpensive hire with a reputable operator, try Holiday Autos.

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