 A Frecciarossa 1000 at Milan Centrale
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Italy's premier 300 km/h trains
Trenitalia is Italy's national train operator and their premier train category is Frecciarossa or red arrow. Some of these can reach 300 km/h (186 mph) on Italy's high-speed lines. Nobody flies between Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples any more: Milan to Rome takes as little as 2h55, Rome to Florence 1h23, Rome to Venice 3h45, with a cafe- bar & free WiFi.
Frecciarossa's 4 classes
explained
Frecciarossa's 4 types of
train
Should you choose Frecciarossa or Italo?
Where do Frecciarossas run?
Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno (Frecciarossa
500 & 1000)
Turin - Milan - Verona - Venice (Frecciarossa 500 & 700)
Venice - Bologna - Florence - Rome (Frecciarossa 500 & 1000, plus a few
600)
Milan - Rimini - Ancona - Bari - Brindisi - Lecce.
Paris - Turin - Milan, see
the Paris-Milan page.
Frecciarossa's 4 classes explained
The first Frecciarossas had only two classes, 1st & 2nd, but when NTV's competing 3-class Italo trains arrived on the scene in 2012, Trenitalia responded by revamping its Frecciarossa 500s with 4 classes. The Frecciarossa 1000s also have 4 classes, although the 600 & 700 have only 3. Which should you choose?
Standard (2nd class)
Seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width, grouped in bays of 4 around a table either side of the aisle. Free WiFi & power sockets at all seats. There's plenty of luggage space on overhead racks which take anything up to backpack-size, space between the seat backs, and racks for larger items at the end of each car. Standard class seats are cloth fabric on Frecciarossa 500, but on Frecciarossa 1000, 700 & 600 they are leather.
Premium (premium 2nd class)
Identical seat layout to standard class, with identical leg & elbow room. Seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width in bays of 4 around a table on either side of the aisle. Premium class seats are leather on all types of Frecciarossa. The fare includes a complimentary welcome drink of coffee or soft drink, and there's free WiFi and power sockets at all seats. There's plenty of luggage space on the overhead racks which will take anything up to backpack-size, there's space for bags between the seat backs and luggage racks for larger items at the end of each car. On the Paris-Milan route premium class seats are sold as standard class, without any free coffee or soft drinks.
The Man in Seat 61 says: "It depends on the prices you're offered, but the leather seats and 'welcome' drink make premium a nice upgrade from Standard."
Business (1st class)
Seats are arranged 2+1 across the car width, with significantly more elbow room than standard or premium, and the leather seats are roomier too. There are tables for 4 on one side of the aisle and tables for 2 on the other, the latter ideal for couples. The fare includes a complimentary welcome drink (coffee, soft drink or prosecco) and a small snack box, there are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. There's plenty of luggage space on overhead racks which will take anything up to backpack-size, there's space for bags between the seat backs and there are luggage racks for large suitcases at the end of each car.
The Man in Seat 61 says: "There's no need to travel Business class if you're on a budget, standard & premium classes are absolutely fine. But the wider seats, extra elbow room and the ability for couples to choose a table for two and solo travellers to choose a solo seat, make business class a worthwhile upgrade."
Business Silenzio: One business class car is designated as a 'quiet' car.
Business class Salottinos: A Frecciarossa 500 has two fully-enclosed 4-seat Salottinos, Italian for little rooms. Seats can be booked in these if you are a small group travelling together, ideal for private meetings on the move. Frecciarossa 1000, 700 & 600 don't have salottinos.
Executive (premium 1st class)
Executive class consists of just 8 (Frecciarossa 500) or 10 (Frecciarossa 1000) luxurious leather reclining seats at one end of the train with their own dedicated steward. There's no Executive class on Frecciarossa 600 or Frecciarossa 700. There are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. The fare includes a complimentary cold tray meal (or snack, on shorter runs) and alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks. The seats rotate, so can be set to face either direction. Executive class also features a 6-seat meeting room. Executive class passengers can use the Frecciaclub first class lounges at all major Italian stations, with free WiFi and complimentary snacks & drinks.
The Man in Seat 61 says: "Executive class is priced for executives. But if you feel like a treat (or your company is paying!), executive class is highly recommended, you won't want to get off. In Business class you sample their prosecco, in Executive they leave you the bottle.."
The 4 types of Frecciarossa
Frecciarossa services are operated by 4 different types of train, Frecciarossa 1000, Frecciarossa 500, Frecciarossa 600 & Frecciarossa 700.
Which type will your train be?
Run an enquiry at www.trenitalia.com and find your train in the search results.
If it says Frecciarossa 1000 against your train, it's a Frecciarossa 1000.
If your train is plain Frecciarossa, click to see prices. If executive class is listed, it's a Frecciarossa 500.
If there's no executive class, just standard, premium & business, it's either a Frecciarossa 600 or Frecciarossa 700.
Make a dummy standard class booking and ask to select seats. If 8 cars are shown, it's Frecciarossa 700. If only 7 cars, it's a Frecciarossa 600.
Frecciarossa 1000
This is Trenitalia's flagship train, introduced in 2015 and operating at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) with all 4 classes. They operate the most important services on the Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples and Venice - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples routes, they also operate between Paris, Lyon, Turin & Milan. They have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. With an interior styled by Pininfarina, they have faster acceleration than the Frecciarossa 500 and a higher top speed at 360 km/h (223 mph) although they're limited to 300 km/h (186 mph) in service. Officially classified ETR400, even though newer than the ETR500. See Frecciarossa 1000 seat map. Watch the Frecciarossa 1000 video. Virtual tour.
Tip: You can select your seat from a seat map when booking at www.italiarail.com, www.trenitalia.com or www.thetrainline.com.
Frecciarossa 500
Trenitalia's original high-speed train and still the workhorse of the fleet, now nudged to second rank by the Frecciarossa 1000. It runs at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) and also has 4 classes. It operates the majority of services on the main Turin-Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples route, also Venice-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples and Milan-Ancona-Bari-Brindisi. See Frecciarossa 500 seat map.
Frecciarossa 600
Formerly branded Frecciargento, some of these trains have been refurbished with 3 classes and rebranded Frecciarossa. They run at up to 250 km/h (155 mph). There's no Executive class on these trains. There's a cafe-bar in car 3, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. See Frecciarossa 600 seat map.
A Frecciarossa 600 at Milan Centrale.
Frecciarossa 700
Look at that cute puppy-dog nose! These ETR700 trains were built in Italy for the ill-fated Fyra services between Amsterdam & Brussels. Returned to Italy in disgrace, they've been repurposed for Frecciarossa services and are mainly used on the Turin - Milan - Verona - Venice route. The direct Rome-Trieste Frecciarossa is also a Frecciarossa 700. They seem much happier in their home country, even running at up to 250 km/h (155 mph). They have 3 classes (no Executive class), a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
A Frecciarossa 700.
Travel tips
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Which class to choose?
Standard is absolutely fine, no need to pay more unless you want to.
Premium seats are identical to standard, but with a small welcome drink of coffee or prosecco. You'll have to judge if the extra cost makes that worth it!
Business class gives you more leg and elbow room plus a small welcome drink of coffee or prosecco. Seats in business class are arranged 2+1 across the car width, versus to 2+2 in standard & premium, so on one side of the aisle there are solo seats and face-to-face tables for two. These are the nicest options for solo travellers and couples. See Frecciarossa seat maps.
Executive class is expensive but a real treat, indeed Executive class on a Frecciarossa 1000 is perhaps the ultimate European high-speed train experience. But it's it's aimed at corporate travel, you need deep pockets!
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Forward-facing seats
www.italiarail.com, www.thetrainline.com & www.trenitalia.com allow you to pick a seat from a seat map on Frecciarossas. But they won't show you which direction seats face as the booking system doesn't know which way round the trainset will enter service.
In any case, a Frecciarossa from Turin to Naples changes direction 3 times during its journey, as Milan Centrale, Florence SMN and Rome Termini are all dead-end termini. Seats that face forwards leaving Turin will face backwards on departure from Milan, then face forwards again leaving Florence, then backwards again leaving Rome. Got it? Good!
For families, face-to-face seats around a table for 4 is the best option, these are available in standard, premium or business class.
For couples travelling in business class, a face-to-face table-for-2 is easily the best option, where you both get a window seat that's also an aisle seat (the best of both worlds) with a full window between you.
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Types of fare
See the Train travel in Italy page for an explanation of Frecciarossa fares including Base, Economy, Super Economy & Speciale Frecce.
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Interrail & Eurail passes
See the Interrail & Eurail reservations page for passholder reservation fees & how to make reservations.
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Luggage
You take your bags with you onto the train. Nobody measures them, weighs them or argues with you about them. You can take pretty much whatever you like (within reason) as long as you can carry it. You put it on any suitable luggage rack.
The overhead racks above your seat take anything up to backpack-size. Bags can also go between the seat backs. If you insist on bringing a big suitcase, this can go on the racks at the end of each car, see the photos below.
It's always best to keep your bags where you can see them, although they'll be perfectly safe. Theft of bags from trains is as rare as theft of airline baggage. More about luggage on European trains. Luggage storage at stations.
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Food & drink
You can buy food and drink from the cafe-bar. Or you can bring your own picnic and even a bottle of wine if you like.
Business class includes a 'welcome' drink of coffee, juice or prosecco, and a snack. For example a morning snack box contained a small filled roll, an orange juice and a packet of nuts.
Executive class includes a light meal on longer journeys, a snack on shorter journeys, and complimentary alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks.
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Power sockets & WiFi
All Frecciarossas have power sockets and free WiFi. The standard Trenitalia power outlet is of the 2-pin rectangular type shown in the photo below. Some more modern Frecciarossa types also have sockets that take the standard European round 2-pin plug and may also have USB ports, but you can only be sure of plugging in on an Italian train if you have the Italian rectangular 2-pin type shown below. If you don't have a phone charger or adaptor of this type, you can buy one at station newsagents.
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Boarding your train
There's no check-in, you just board any time before the doors close and it leaves. Doors may close a minute or two before departure time.
There are two ways to find your car and seat. One is to wait until the train arrives and run up & down like a headless chicken. The better way is to look at the main departures board, this usually has a scrolling panel which says either Executive e Business in Coda (at the rear) or Executive e Business in Testa (at the front), see the photo below. You now know which way round the train is, and obviously standard class will be at the other end from Executive. Once on the platform, look for the indicator screens suspended from the ceiling, these tell you where each car will stop along the platform, see the photo below.
Should you choose Frecciarossa or Italo?
On the Turin-Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples route, Venice-Florence-Rome-Naples route and Turin-Milan-Verona-Venice route you can choose between Trenitalia's Frecciarossas and NTV's competing Italo trains. Both are excellent, you won't be disappointed whichever you choose. But here's my personal take.
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Comfort
NTV's Italo is carpeted throughout and has high-quality Poltrona Frau leather seats in all classes. Legroom is excellent.
Trenitalia's 4-class Frecciarossas have hospital-style synthetic flooring in most classes, which as a Brit I have always found less than luxurious. The Frecciarossa has leather seats in Premium, Business & Executive, but only cloth seats in Standard class on the Frecciarossa 500.
However, for me the Frecciarossa wins on seat layout. In Standard & Premium classes seating consists mainly of bays of 4 around a table (ideal for families or groups of friends) and in Business class it consists of tables-for-two (ideal for couples) and tables for four, and all these bays correctly line up with the windows for a great view of the scenery.
Italo's seating is almost all unidirectional which makes it feel more like a bus or plane, and as a result it feels a little more cramped. There are a limited number of tables-for-four in Smart and tables-for-two and for four in Prima which you can select when you book, but they don't line up with the windows which affects your view.
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Catering
Italo only has vending machines for coffee & snacks in Smart class and just a trolley with drinks & snacks in Prima, there's no cafe-bar and no hot food. If you like dining on the rails, you may prefer a Frecciarossa as these all have a cafe-bar where you can buy coffee, tea, snacks and light meals. Executive class on the Frecciarossa includes a simple good quality cold tray meal.
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Frequency
Trenitalia operates a slightly more frequent service, but these days there's not a lot in it. Italo usually runs hourly on the main Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples route, not quite as frequent as Trenitalia. However, both trains operate an all-reserved system, so once you've bought a ticket on a specific train frequency is irrelevant as you can only travel on the train you've booked.
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Child age limits are different: Do you have a 2 or 3 year old or a 14 year old?
Do you have a 3 year old? Children under 4 go free on Trenitalia's Frecciarossa (without their own seat), but only children under 3 go free on Italo. Under 14s go at the child rate on Italo, under 15s on Trenitalia - although with the cheapest fares there's no difference between adult and child prices anyway.
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Connections
If connecting with a Trenitalia Frecciarossa to or from Paris, stick with Trenitalia. You then have more rights if there's a delay and missed connection, you'll have no rights if you take an Italo to connect into or out of a Trenitalia Frecciarossa.
Frecciarossa 1000 video
A journey from Milan to Rome in Business Class (1st class) on the new Frecciarossa. Also see the virtual tour.