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2-bed sleeper on an Intercity Notte
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Sleeper trains in Italy
Trenitalia runs overnight trains with sleeping-cars & couchettes between northern and southern Italy. They're branded Intercity Notte, ICN.
On what routes do they run?
Trieste, Venice <> Rome
Turin, Milan, Genoa <> Naples
Milan, Bologna <> Bari, Taranto, Brindisi, Lecce
Turin <> Bari, Brindisi, Lecce
Rome & Naples <> Palermo, Catania, Siracuse, see
the Sicily page.
Milan & Bologna <> Palermo, Catania, Siracuse,
see the Sicily page.
1 & 2 bed sleepers with shower & toilet
Branded Excelsior until 2024, now being rebranded Superior, these only operate on the Milan-Catania/Siracuse and Rome-Catania/Siracuse routes, see the Sicily page.
1, 2 & 3 bed sleepers with washbasin
Branded Deluxe until 2024 but now being rebranded Relax, these are the usual sleeping-cars. A corridor runs along one side of the car off which open 12 compartments, each of which can be sold as 3-berth (triple or tripla), 2-berth (double or doppia) or single-berth (single or singolo). There are two toilets at one end of the corridor near the attendant's compartment.
Each sleeper compartment has a washbasin and 220V power outlet (Italian 2-pin rectangular type), and locks securely from the inside. The beds come fully made up with clean sheets, pillow, duvet. For the daytime part of the journey, the beds fold away and a 3-seat sofa folds out to make a private sitting room (the centre seat folds back down to form a table between the two outer seats if there are only two of you).
A fresh towel and simple amenities kit is provided with soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, wet-wipe. A small bottle of drinking water is provided. Luggage goes in your compartment with you, on the rack above the window, in the large recess above the door, or on the floor.
There is a connecting door between adjacent compartments which can be opened if the bolt on both sides is slid back. The door connects compartments with berth numbers that share the same first digit, for example 21, 23, 25 connects to 22, 24, 26.
In the morning the sleeper attendant serves you a light breakfast with coffee & juice. Bring your own food & drink for the evening, with perhaps a bottle of wine!
Since the pandemic, Trenitalia no longer allows solo travellers to book 1 bed in shared sleeper compartments. Only entire 1, 2 or 3 bed rooms (cabina intera) can be booked in the sleeper category. So if you're solo you'll have to pay for a single if you want to use a sleeper rather than a couchette.
Above, an Intercity Notte sleeping-car. Click the images below for larger photos.
4-berth couchettes
Branded Comfort, this is the economical choice, ideal for families or budget travellers. A corridor runs down one side of the car, off which open 9 securely-lockable compartments, each with 4 berths (2 upper, 2 lower). Each berth is provided with sheets, pillow & blanket, but unlike the sleepers you arrange these yourself. The upper bunks fold back against the wall and the lower berths become seating for evening and morning use.
There are toilets and washrooms at the end of the corridor. Luggage goes in the compartment with you, on the overhead racks, under the lower berths, in the large recess above the door or on the floor. An attendant travels with each pair of cars. There's no catering car, so take snacks and a bottle of wine with you.
In the morning, a light breakfast of coffee, orange juice and snack is included in the fare, served by the attendant.
In couchettes, berths are sold individually, so one person = one ticket = one bed. A solo traveller who books one ticket gets one berth in a shared couchette compartment. Usually these are mixed gender (Promiscuo), but women travelling alone can choose a ladies-only compartment (Donna). If you book 4 people you'll get a whole compartment (cabina intera) to yourselves. There's also a fare for 3 people to have sole occupancy of a 4-berth compartment (a more spacious option than a 3-bed sleeper, arguably a better choice if your journey involves a significant daytime element). See a trip report video.
Above, a Comfort couchette car on an Intercity Notte.
Basic seats
All Intercity Notte trains (except those to/from Sicily) have ordinary seats branded Basic. The seats are the same as the 2nd class seats used on daytime Intercity trains, 2+2 across the car width. The name says it all, using a seat on an overnight train is a false economy, always book a couchette or sleeper in a safely-locked compartment.
Travel tips
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Luggage
You can pretty much take any luggage you like, nobody cares how much it weighs or what size it is. You take it with you onto the train and put it on the luggage rack, there's plenty of luggage space in both classes. More about luggage on European trains.
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Power sockets & WiFi
There's no WiFi, but 3G/4G and occasionally 5G reception works through most of Italy. The sleeping-cars have a 220v outlet in the compartment, you'll need the Italian rectangular 2-pin plug or adaptor.
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Boarding your train
As with virtually all European trains, there's no check-in. Just stroll into the station, find your train and get on, any time before it leaves. The doors may be closed a minute before departure. Rome Termini station guide. Naples Centrale station guide. Milan Centrale station guide. Turin Porta Nuova station guide. Venice Santa Lucia station guide.
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Food & drink
Take a food & drink with you, there's no catering car on Intercity Notte trains, although on some you can buy food from a room service menu and a light breakfast is included in sleepers and couchettes. The station guides tell you where you can stock up before you board.
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Do they run on time?
These trains can indeed run on time, surprisingly - but they can also run late, sometimes an hour or two. Just bear this in mind when arranging connections.
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Interrail & Eurail passes
See the Interrail & Eurail reservations page for passholder reservation fees & how to make reservations.
How much does it cost?
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From €39.90 upwards in a 4-berth comfort couchette, €49.90 in a 3-bed sleeper, €59.90 in a 2-bed sleeper, €84.90 in a single-bed sleeper. Prices are per person per bed. These are the cheapest prices, fares vary like air fares according to demand and how far ahead you book.
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See the Train travel in Italy page for an explanation of Trenitalia's fares including Base, Economy & Super Economy.
How to buy tickets
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Option 1, buy tickets at www.italiarail.com in plain English, in €, £ or $.
They're a long-established agency which connects to Trenitalia's ticketing system. They will refund their €3.50 booking fee after you book if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tip: When the search results appear, look for FILTERS, un-tick High speed and tick Direct if you want one of the direct sleeper trains.
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Option 2, buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, also in plain English, in €, £ or $.
They advantage of www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com is that they also connect to the British, French, Spanish, Swiss, German, Austrian & Benelux ticketing systems, so you can buy tickets across Europe together in one place. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone. There's a small booking fee.
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Option 3, buy at www.trenitalia.com. However, even when switched to English, you'll need to use Italian-language place names and understand the different sleeper types in Italian. www.italiarail.com, www.raileurope.com & www.thetrainline.com are easier to use.
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Booking tips
Tip 1: Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but dates after the mid-December timetable change usually only open for booking in mid-October. For the cheapest prices, book as early as possible & avoid busy trains, days & dates.
Tip 2: Italian sleeper trains often open for booking late, after high-speed and daytime trains are already loaded and appearing. So if you're looking several months ahead and the train is missing, don't panic, just wait. These trains are aimed at Italians living their everyday life and booking tickets days or weeks ahead, not months.
Tip 3: You may see faster journeys with a change, because you can often save a few minutes by switching to a high-speed train for part of the journey. It's more cost, more hassle, you could miss the connection if the sleeper is late. My advice is to stick with the direct sleeper train.
Tip 4: When you book a couchette, one ticket = one bunk = one person. If you book one bunk in a 4-berth, you get one berth and the other 3 berths are sold to other passengers. If you book 4 berths in a 4-berth you get the whole compartment.
Tip 5: You are shown your seat or berth numbers before you confirm & pay. In couchettes, if the first digit is the same for all 4 passengers, for example 41, 42, 43, 44, then you're all in the same compartment, in this example compartment 4. In sleepers, if the first digit is the same and the second digits are all odd or all even, then you're together in the same compartment, for example 21, 23, 25 are together in one compartment, with 22, 24 & 26 together in the compartment next door. When sold as a double, the middle bed number isn't used, for example 21 & 25 are together in one 2-berth compartment and so are 32 & 36. See sleeper numbering plan.