There's no better way to see the cities of Italy than by train, trains link almost every town & city of any size, centre to centre.  Driving & parking in Italian cities is not recommended.  The high-speed trains are now faster, more convenient & more relaxing than flying (between 2008 & 2018, the airlines' share of the Milan-Rome market dropped from 50% to just 14%!).

Rome to Florence takes just 1h32 at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) & costs from €19.90, Rome to Venice 3h45 from €29.90, Rome to Naples 1h12 from €19.90, Rome to Milan 2h55 from €29.90.

No check-in, no need for transfers to/from out-of-town airports, no baggage fees or weight limits.  There are even trains to Sicily!

About train travel within Italy

  How to check train schedules & fares

  Maps of the Italian rail network

  How to buy tickets

  Railpasses for Italy - Interrail & Eurail

  Railpasses for Italy - Trenitalia Pass

  What are Italian trains like?

  Frecciarossa, Frecciargento & Frecciabianca,

  InterCity, sleeper trains & Italo

  Regional & Regional Express trains (R, RV)

  Travel tips: ticket validation, food, lounges...

  Luggage on Italian trains

  Which station to use in which city?

  Luggage storage at stations in Italy

  How to use the Italian Railways website

  How to use self-service ticket machines

  Holidays, vacations & tours in Italy by train

  Hotels in Italy convenient for arrival by train

How to reach specific places

  How to reach Sicily

  How to reach Herculaneum & Sorrento

  How to arrange a day trip to Pompeii

  How to reach Capri, Ischia & the Amalfi coast

  How to reach Lake Como

  How to reach Lake Garda

  How to reach San Marino

  How to reach Sardinia & trains in Sardinia

  Airport links: Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Pisa

Station guides

  Milan Centrale station guide

  Turin Porta Susa & Porta Nuova stations guide

  Verona Porta Nuova station guide

  Venice Santa Lucia station guide

  Florence SMN station guide

  Rome Termini station guide

  Naples Centrale station guide

City maps showing stations

  Map of Milan   Map of Venice   Map of Florence

  Map of Rome   Map of Naples   Map of Turin

International trains to & from Italy

  Train travel from the UK to Italy

  Trains to Italy from other European cities

  Trains from Rome to other European cities

  Trains from Florence to other European cities

  Trains from Venice to other European cities

  Trains from Milan to other European cities

  Trains from Naples to other European cities

Other useful information...

  Useful country information - currency, dial code...

  Hotels in Italy

  How to use a Eurail pass - for overseas visitors

  How to use an Interrail pass - for European residents

  An introduction to European train travel

  Nice, Cannes & Monaco to Italy by train

  TGV high-speed trains from Paris to Italy

  Travel insurance, mobile data, VPN & other tips

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Useful country information

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How to check train schedules & fares

	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 arrive in Rome on a sleek, high-speed Frecciarossa train...
	The main concourse at Florence's classic SMN station.  The station is walking distance from the famous Duomo or even the Ponte Vecchio...

• Check train times & fares within Italy using any of the websites shown here.

• Some major cities have more than one main station, see which station to use in which city.  If you're not sure, most websites allow you to select the plain city name, or any station.

• Most Italian trains are run by state-owned national operator Trenitalia, but privately-owned high-speed Italo trains compete with Trenitalia on the high-speed lines linking Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples & Salerno.  If you use Trenitalia.com or Italiarail.com you'll only see Trenitalia's trains, but if you use Thetrainline.com or Raileurope.com you'll see both operators' trains and can compare prices.  This is worth remembering!  More information about Italo.  Which is better, Trenitalia or Italo?

• Some tourist destinations have no station but can be reached by bus, such as San Marino, Positano, Praiano & Amalfi.  To reach the islands of Ischia, Capri & Sardinia you'll need a ferry.  See how to reach major tourist destinations not on the rail network.

• A few tourist destinations are served by a local railway run by a transit authority and cannot be found using websites that only show Trenitalia trains.  For example, Sorrento, Pompei and Herculaneum are linked to Naples by the Circumvesuviana Railway run by EAV, see the information here.

Maps of the Italian rail network

• Map of the Italian railway network

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

• For other European train maps see the advice here.

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Do you need to buy in advance?

• Regional trains, no.

  For example, Pisa to Florence, Florence to Lucca or Siena, Milan to Como or Tirano, Venice to Trieste.

  There's no need to buy in advance and no cost advantage in doing so as the price is fixed, buying online or in an app just saves time at the ticket office.  There are no assigned seats, you sit where you like.  In most cases tickets are sold in unlimited numbers so the train can't sell out, although regional trains on a few routes now have limited numbers.  More about regional (R) & regional express (RV) trains and how they are ticketed.

• Long-distance trains, yes.

  For example, Venice to Florence or Rome, Rome to Naples or Turin, Milan to Venice.

  All seats on Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca & InterCity trains are reserved, so they can in theory sell out.  However, as there are so many trains each with hundreds of seats there are almost always places available on most trains even just before departure. So you can buy at the station on the day if you want. The issue is price.  Trenitalia ditched the old fare-per-kilometre approach to pricing in 2009 and adopted airline-style dynamic pricing for advance-purchase fares whilst increasing the fully-flexible Base price.  So on the day of travel you'd pay the Base fare, Rome-Florence €55, Rome-Venice €99, but if you book in advance you can buy a cheap Economy or Super-Economy fare from as little as €19.90 Rome-Florence or €29.90 Rome-Venice, assuming you're OK with limited or no refunds or changes to travel plans.  It's your call!

When does booking open?

• Booking should open up to 4 months ahead, but it varies.

  It can shrink to as little as 30 days for dates immediately after Europe-wide timetable changes on the 2nd Saturday in June and the second Saturday in December.

• If some trains are shown, but others are missing...

  Trenitalia loads trains in blocks, usually high-speed trains first and regional, InterCity & sleeper trains later.  I've seen high-speed trains loaded, but not regional trains.  I've seen regional trains loaded, but not high-speed trains.  Intercity trains to Sicily and ICN sleeper trains usually get loaded last, after other trains.  The Milan-Sicily night train usually gets loaded last of all!

  So if you don't see all the trains you expect to see, don't assume that the missing trains have all been mysteriously cancelled, assume they haven't been loaded yet.  Wait!

Types of fare

• Base fare

  This is the fully-flexible fare for Trenitalia's high-speed Frecce & intercity trains, it's what you'd pay at the station on the day.  Refundable, only valid on the train booked but can be changed before departure or at the station up to an hour after departure.  The Base fare was originally one fixed price for a given journey, but since 2017 the Base fare for Frecciarossa & Frecciargento trains can vary slightly by day of the week or the popularity of each particular train.

• Economy & Super-Economy

  These are advance-purchase fares for Trenitalia's high-speed Frecce & intercity trains, only valid on the train booked, limited refunds & changes, limited availability, these are the fares you want for cheap travel if you are certain what time train you want.  The price varies like air fares, cheaper in advance and on less popular dates, more expensive close to departure and on busy days or times of day.

• Speciale Frecce

  An ultra-cheap advance purchase fare for Trenitalia's high-speed Frecce & intercity trains, must be bought at least 14 days ahead.  No refunds, no changes, use it or lose it.  But it's cheap!

• Insieme

  A small group fare for 3-5 people.  Limited availability, price varies.  No refunds, no changes, use it or lose it.

• Senior & FrecciaYoung

  These can only be bought if you have Trenitalia's Cartafreccia railcard which you probably haven't, so ignore these.  When you select them it immediately asks for your Cartafreccia card number, so you can't buy them by mistake!

• Ordinaria

  This is the normal fare for regional trains.  It's fixed-price, you can buy a ticket at that price even on the day.  As of 2023, tickets are only good for the specific regional train you've selected, but you can change the date or time of departure free of charge up to the day before departure, and you can change the time of departure on the day of travel.  Ordinaria tickets are available in unlimited numbers on most regional trains, although there are now some regional trains where the ticket numbers sold are limited, see more information about how regional (R) & regional express (RV) trains are ticketed.

• Smart & Smart2

  These are cheap advance-purchase fares for international journeys.  No refunds or changes, specific train only, limited availability, must be bought at least a week before departure.

• Child fares & child age limits

  Trenitalia changed its child age limits in 2012.  On all trains, children under 4 go free with no ticket required, just bring them along.  On regional trains, the old age limit still applies, children under 12 travel at the child rate.  But now, on national trains children under 15 can travel at the child rate.  National trains means Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, InterCity, InterCity Notte (ICN) sleeper trains.  See the train travel with children page.

How to buy tickets online

• Option 1, buy at Italiarail.com

  You can buy Trenitalia tickets at www.italiarail.com in €, £, $, Ca$ or Au$ - to book in US$ click here.

  ItaliaRail are a well-established US-based agency who link directly to Trenitalia's ticketing system.  They don't sell tickets for Italo.

  Italiarail books the same trains as Trenitalia's own website, but in plain English with no quirky translations.  You can use familiar English place-names such as Venice or Florence.

  Italiarail shows a whole day's trains in the search results and can book up to 20 people at a time.  Trenitalia's own website only shows a couple of hours-worth of trains at a time and can only book up to 5 people at a time.

  For en extra €2 you can choose an exact seat from a seat map on Trenitalia high-speed & intercity trains, to make sure you all sit together.

  Italiarail can be cheaper than Trenitalia for 2 or more people travelling together as it is capable of combining (for example) the last remaining €19.90 ticket with a ticket at the next price level up, say €29.90.  Trenitalia.com cannot mix & match price levels within the same booking, so will offer 2 x €29.90 even if there is one €19.90 fare left.  For family groups the cost saving can be significant.

  High-speed & intercity trains are ticketless, you simply print your booking reference or show it on your phone.  For regional trains you print your own ticket or in some cases collect it from the self-service machines at a Trenitalia station.

  Tip:  Italiarail charge a €3.50 booking fee, but they'll refund this to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com quoting your booking reference.

• Option 2, buy at Thetrainline.com

  Thetrainline also connects to Trenitalia's system to sell tickets in plain English at the same prices as Trenitalia, in €, £, $, Ca$ or Au$, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee.

  For an extra €2, you can choose your seats from a seat map on Trenitalia high-speed & intercity trains.

  Thetrainline.com has two key advantages:

  First, it sells tickets for Italo as well as Trenitalia, so you can compare times & prices for both operators.

  Second, it also links to the French, Spanish, Swiss, German, Austrian & Benelux national ticketing systems so you can book train tickets across much of western Europe together all in one place.

  High-speed & intercity trains are ticketless, you simply print your booking reference or show it on your phone.  For regional trains you print your own ticket or in some cases collect them from the self-service machines at a Trenitalia station.  Who are Thetrainline.com?

• Option 3, buy at Raileurope.com

  You can also buy Trenitalia & Italo tickets at www.raileurope.com, also in plain English with prices in €, £ or $, small booking fee.  It also connects to the French, German, Austrian, Spanish, British ticketing systems (but not the Swiss) so can sell train tickets for much of western Europe all in one place.  Again, high-speed & intercity trains are ticketless so you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone, for regional trains you usually print your own ticket or collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main Trenitalia station.  Who are Raileurope.com?

• Option 4, buy at Trenitalia.com:  You can of course buy Italian train tickets direct from Italian Railways at www.trenitalia.com, English button at the top, only in €, no booking fee.  It's pretty easy to use but you'll need to use Italian-language place names and it has a few quirky translations & processes especially when booking sleepers or international trains so see the step-by-step guide below.

  High-speed & intercity trains are ticketless, you print your booking reference or show it on your phone, other tickets can be printed or collected at any main Italian station from the self-service machines.  It also offers seat selection for €2 on high-speed & intercity trains.  For 2 or more people travelling together, you may find Italiarail cheaper, see option 1 above.  Obviously, they don't sell tickets for their competitor Italo!

Buying tickets at the station

• 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 Fast ticket machines installed at all main stations, these have a touch screen with an English language facility, see an illustrated step-by-step guide to using these ticket machines.

  The machines will sell both regional and long-distance tickets, including seat reservations for long-distance trains, for any date you like within the next 90 days.  They take Visa and MasterCard credit cards, but your card needs to have a PIN code.

• Trains seldom sell out, so finding tickets even on the day of travel isn't a problem unless you hit a major holiday period.  If one train is full, the next will have seats.  The issue is the price you pay, as long-distance tickets are much cheaper booked in advance, just like flights.  There are Super-Economy & Economy fares from just €9.90, €19.90 or €29.90 on most routes if you book ahead and commit to a specific train on a no-refunds, limited-or-no-changes-to-travel-plans basis.

Buying international tickets

• www.italiarail.com, www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com & www.trenitalia.com all sell international tickets from Italy, but I recommend using either www.italiarail.com (in €, £ or $) or www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com as they're easier to use than Trenitalia.com - Raileurope.com & Trainline charge a small booking fee, Italiarail charges a €3.50 fee but they'll refund this if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com.

  Here are some important tips:  You can book journeys between Italy & Austria in either direction with print-your-own tickets at www.thetrainline.com (easiest), which links to the Austrian Railways ticketing system, or at Austrian Railways' own site www.oebb.at (a little more fiddly).

  (1) Italiarail & Trenitalia will only book direct trains.  So Milan-Brig is no problem as that is direct.  But if you want (say) Milan to Zermatt, this involves a change in Brig so you need to split the journey, buy a cheap advance-purchase ticket to Brig online, then buy a local ticket Brig-Zermatt at the station when you get to Brig.  Similarly, Venice to Lucerne on the direct Milan-Lucerne train is no problem, but it can't book all the other departures with a change within Switzerland at Arth Goldau - but Swiss Railways www.sbb.ch can.

  (2) Check ticket delivery carefully before booking a journey that starts outside Italy...  Bookings are ticketless for journeys between Switzerland or France and Italy, so these can all be safely booked on www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com for journeys in either direction.  But tickets to or from Austria or Germany aren't ticketless and can't be printed at home, tickets need to be collected, and they can only be collected from the Trenitalia self-service machines or Trenitalia-staffed ticket offices at Italian stations.  They cannot be collected in Austria!  So only use those sites to book journeys FROM Italy TO Austria.

  (3) It won't book the Milan/Turin-Paris TGVs as these are run by French Railways with no Trenitalia involvement, you must book these in either direction at www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com or www.sncf-connect.com.  www.raileurope.com is ideal as it connects to both French and Italian systems it can book journeys involving both a Paris-Turin/Milan TGV and a domestic Italian sector, for example Paris-Florence or Paris-Venice.

  (4)  You won't find cheap fares for the direct daytime trains to Innsbruck & Munich as these are run entirely by the Germans & Austrians, so book these in either direction at int.bahn.de, www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at with any connections within Italy booked at www.thetrainline.com or www.italiarail.com (though sometimes bahn.de will show prices for a through journey including a Trenitalia sector, for example Munich to Florence with a change at Verona).  However, sleeper trains from Rome, Florence & Venice to Innsbruck, Munich, Salzburg & Vienna can easily be booked at www.trenitalia.com, with ticket collection at any main Italian station.

  (5)  It won't book tickets to or from Nice as a change at Ventimiglia is necessary.  The solution is simply to book a ticket using www.italiarail.com between anywhere in Italy & Ventimiglia on the French border, where the Italian trains start/terminate, with cheap fares from €9.90 if you pre-book.  Then simply buy an open ticket for €8 for the local train between Nice & Ventimiglia at the station, no reservation necessary for these.  Or use www.thetrainline.com which can book both tickets, see the Nice-Italy by train page for more information.

  More specific help & information on how to book international train journeys departing from: Rome  Naples  Florence  Venice  Milan

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Railpasses for Italy

Interrail & Eurail passes

• You can buy an Interrail pass (if you live in Europe including the UK) or a Eurail pass (if you live outside Europe) giving unlimited travel on all Trenitalia trains all over Italy.  An Interrail/Eurail global pass covers most of Europe including Italy, a cheaper one-country pass just covers Italy.  Interrail & Eurail passes cover all Trenitalia trains, high-speed, intercity, sleeper trains and regional.  They don't cover Italo trains, or some small railways such as the Circumvesuviana Railway Naples-Sorrento.

• The first thing you learn is that Interrail & Eurail passholders must pay €13 for a reservation to travel on all Frecciarossa, Frecciargento & Frecciabianca trains, in addition to the cost of the pass.  The cost for Intercity trains is €3.  This must be factored into the cost of a pass when comparing with the cost of point-to-point tickets.  All point-to-point prices include the necessary reservation.

• You must then realise that there are two types of point-to-point fare:  Cheap advance-purchase fares and the more expensive fully-flexible Base fare.

  If all your dates and journeys are set in stone a month or two ahead, it's usually cheaper to buy advance-purchase Super-Economy or Economy fares than to use a pass.  For example Venice to Florence starts at €19.90, Venice to Rome starts at €29.90, seat reservation included.  A typical Interrail or Eurail pass works out at €55 per day for a pass + €13 reservation fee = €68.

  Just remember that advance-purchase fares vary like air fares, rising as departure date approaches, higher for busy or popular days or dates.  So you won't know for sure whether a pass does or doesn't save money until you go online and see what point-to-point prices you get for your specific journeys on your specific dates of travel.

  Then remember that these cheap advance-purchase fares commit you to a specific train with limited or no changes to travel plans or refunds allowed.  A pass gives you the flexibility to go anywhere you like whenever you like for a fixed price, so you should really compare the pass with the fully-flexible Base fare you'd pay at the station on the day.

  Even so, if you only plan to make relatively short hops such as Venice-Florence one day, Florence-Rome next day, Rome-Naples the next, the Base fare is often still cheaper than the per-day cost of a pass.  You basically need to be doing longer trips such as Venice-Rome or Milan-Naples every day, or multiple trips per day such as Rome to Florence and back again, to make a pass pay.  However, passes get cheaper if you are under 28 and children get free passes, so it's still worth doing the maths.  Youth passes can indeed make financial sense for a typical tour of Italy.

• How to make reservations with a Eurail or Interrail pass

  You can make seat reservations online as explained on my Interrail & Eurail reservations page, Italy section.  You can also make them at stations (staffed counters only, not the self-service machines).  Passholder reservations cannot be made at Trenitalia.com.

• Read more about Interrail & see prices here.  Read more about Eurail passes & see prices here.  See more about exactly what these passes cover here.

The Trenitalia Pass

• Trenitalia also sell their own railpass called the Trenitalia Pass.  It can be bought by anyone resident outside Italy.

• How is it different from a Eurail or Interrail pass?

  Unlike Interrail & Eurail, it only covers Trenitalia high-speed, Intercity & Intercity Notte sleeper trains.  It doesn't cover regional trains. 

  Unlike Interrail & Eurail it doesn't give you unlimited travel, you buy a specific number of journeys (3, 4, 7 or 10 trips) to be made within a set period of days, where a journey = one ride on one train.  If you went Rome to Florence in the morning and back in the evening, that's 2 trips on a Trenitalia Pass, but would be covered by just one day on an Interrail or Eurail pass.

  However, unlike Interrail & Eurail there are no extra fees to pay for reservations, it's all included.

• Is a Trenitalia Pass cheaper than a Eurail or Interrail pass?

  A Trenitalia Pass for a given number of trips is significantly cheaper than a global Interrail or Eurail pass covering the same number of days.

  A Trenitalia pass is about the same price as a one-country Interrail or Eurail pass for Italy covering the same number of days, but as you don't need to pay €10 for every reservation, the Trenitalia pass works out cheaper.

  That's assuming you only want to use one train per day, as (for example) you only get 4 train rides with a 4-journey Trenitalia Pass, not 4 days unlimited train rides as with a 4-day Interrail/Eurail.  If you're going to use multiple trains per day, an Interrail/Eurail pass is a better deal.

• Is a Trenitalia Pass cheaper than point to point tickets?

  A Trenitalia Pass saves money over the fully-flexible Base fare even for a series of short hops such as Rome-Florence, Florence-Venice, Venice-Milan, especially if you are under 28 so qualify for the youth pass.  But if you can book a few months in advance and don't need any flexibility, a no-refunds no-changes advance-purchase Super-Economy fare can still be cheaper than using a Trenitalia Pass, so check prices before buying a pass.

• Trenitalia passes are available in 4 sizes:

  3 journeys within 7 consecutive days;

  4 journeys within 7 consecutive days;

  7 journeys within 15 consecutive days;

  10 journeys within 30 consecutive days.

• Trenitalia passes come in 3 classes:

  Easy - good for 2nd class, standard class on Frecciarossa, seats or couchettes on Intercity Notte trains.

  Comfort - good for 1st class, business class on Frecciarossa, seats, couchettes or double or triple sleepers on Intercity Notte trains trains.

  Executive - good for 1st class, executive class on Frecciarossa, single, double or triple sleepers on Intercity Notte trains (but not excelsior)

• Trenitalia passes come in 3 passenger types:

  Adult - up to 2 children aged 4 but under 12 can be added to an adult pass for free (infants under 4s go free anyway)

  Youth - anyone under 28 on day of purchase.

  Senior - anyone over 60 on day of purchase.

• For more details and all the small print, see www.trenitalia.com and look for Trenitalia Pass.

• To buy a pass, go to the www.trenitalia.com home page and switch it to English top right.  Then click Others/Best Price just below the journey planner.  Then select Subscription & Carnet.  Then select Trenitalia Pass.  Then select Purchase.

  Tip:  I strongly recommend registering for an account at Trenitalia.com before buying a pass. Log into your account before buying.

• How does the pass work?

  You don't need to specify travel dates when you buy a Trenitalia Pass, you can buy one and activate it any time in the next 11 months.

  After buying the pass, you are emailed your pass number.  The pass is entirely electronic.

  Warning: DO NOT ACTIVATE YOUR PASS UNTIL YOU WANT TO START USING IT!!

  Activating the pass triggers the start of the 7, 15 or 30 day pass validity period.  You can then start booking trains.

  You cannot book trains before you activate, but activation automatically starts the 7, 15 or 30 day pass period.  Once you activate, activation cannot be cancelled, the start date cannot be changed, your pass becomes non-refundable and Trenitalia will not help.

  Many people have mistakenly activated their pass months before they travelled to Italy, thinking they could choose a pass validity start date later in the process, but activation triggered the pass start date and they burned through their 7/15/30 pass days before they even got to Italy and wasted their money.  So DO NOT ACTIVATE your Trenitalia pass until you are actually in Italy and ready to travel!

  How to activate, if you've registered for a Trenitalia account

  When you're ready to activate the pass, log in to your Trenitalia account.  Go to the Customer Area, choose the Activate tab.  You can then go to the booking page where you can book your seats.  You must activate the pass within 11 months of buying it, and the first day of travel must also be within 11 months of buying it.  Feedback appreciated.

  How to activate, if you've bought a pass without registering

  Go to the www.trenitalia.com home page and switch it to English.  Then click Others/Best Price just below the journey planner.  Then select Subscription & Carnet.  Then select Trenitalia Pass.  Then select Activate.  Fill in name, pass number, and click Confirm.  You must activate the pass within 11 months of buying it.

  You can only book trains after activating the pass

  But activating the pass starts the 7/15/30 day validity period.  Has that sunk in?  So you cannot book all your trains 2 months in advance as you can with Eurail or Interrail, or with normal tickets.  To book trains with a Trenitalia pass, you first need to activate it, and activating it automatically triggers the 7, 15 or 30 day validity period.  You should only activate a Trenitalia pass when you get to Italy and are ready to travel, so you'll be booking trains for today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, not months ahead.  That's not a big deal as there are always places, and if one train is full there will be others before or after with seats, but no, with a Trenitalia pass you cannot book all your trains months or weeks in advance, only days ahead at most, after the pass is activated and the 7/15/30 day validity period has started.  Got that?  Good!

  To book trains online using a Trenitalia Pass

  Seat reservations are still needed on each train, but they are free and can be made online at Trenitalia.com or at stations.  Go to the www.trenitalia.com home page and switch it to English.  Then click Others/Best Price just below the journey planner.  Then select Subscription & Carnet.  Then select Trenitalia Pass.  Then select Book.

  Reservations have the same change conditions as a Base fare.  So you can cancel or change a reservation any time up to 60 minutes after the departure of the train.  If you don't do that, 60 minutes after departure that journey is considered 'used up' even if you missed the train.

  When travelling, the pass can be shown on your phone or printed out.

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Tours of Italy by train

• Railbookers are a train travel specialist who can put together a tour of Italy for you as a package, including rail travel, hotels & transfers.  On their website you'll find a range of suggested tours which can be varied or customised to your own requirements.  And as you're booking a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens to one part of the itinerary such as a strike or delay.  They have offices in the UK, USA & Australia.

    In the UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

    In the USA call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com.

    In Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com.

    In Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

    In New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

• Tailor Made Rail can arrange tours of Italy by train based on your own requirements, they welcome complex itineraries.  As it's a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip, for example, a national strike.  They're TTA-protected - like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel.

  Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking.  From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461.  Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.  Their website is www.tailormaderail.com/destinations/italy.

Expert individual trip planning & advice

• DiscoverByRail.com offers expert help in planning trains in Italy & around Europe, with suggestions for routes, trains, hotels to your own specification.  They charge a small fee, around £35 per trip.

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Frecciarossas (red arrows):  See the Frecciarossa page

Trenitalia's top high-speed trains are the Frecciarossas (red arrows), mostly operated either by the original 300 km/h (186 mph) ETR500 trains shown below or the latest Frecciarossa 1000 trains introduced from 2015.  Some are now operated by 250 km/h ETR700 & ETR600 trains.

Frecciarossa trains have 4 classes of accommodation, Standard, Premium, Business & Executive (although services operated by ETR600 & ETR700 trains don't have Executive class), there's a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seas & free WiFi, see the Frecciarossa page for more information.

As with all Trenitalia's long-distance trains, tickets always include a seat reservation and tickets are only valid on the specific date & train you've booked.

Principal Frecciarossa routes:  Turin-Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples-Salerno (Frecciarossas 500 & 1000).  Venice-Florence-Rome-Naples (Frecciarossas 500 & 1000) and most departures Turin-Milan-Verona-Venice.  See seat numbering plans.

Frecciargento (silver arrow):  See the Frecciargento page

Next down the pecking order are Trenitalia's 250km/h (155mph) Frecciargento tilting trains, although these are getting quite rare as most Frecciargento services have been rebranded as Frecciarossa.  Frecciargento services are operated by pendolino tilting trains of either the ETR 450/460/485/600 type.  They are air-conditioned with a refreshment trolley and cafe-bar.  All seats have power sockets (2-pin, 220v).  The trains reach 250 km/h on the high-speed lines and use their tilt to cut journey times through curves when running on classic lines.

As with all Trenitalia's long-distance trains, tickets always include a seat reservation and tickets are only valid on the specific date & train you've booked.

Principal Frecciargento routes:  The Venice-Bologna-Florence-Rome route is run with a mixture of Frecciargentos (ETR 600 type), Frecciarossa 500s & Frecciarossa 1000s.  Verona-Bologna-Florence-Rome;  Rome-Bari, plus a few Genoa-La Spezia-Pisa-Rome trains.  See seat numbering plans.

Frecciabianca (white arrows)

One step down from Frecciarossa and Frecciargento, most Frecciabianca (FB) services use locomotive-hauled ex-InterCity coaches which have been refurbished to modern standards and run at up to 200 km/h, either hauled by a locomotive or sandwiched between first-generation ETR500 power cars.  They are air-conditioned and have a refreshment trolley, some have a bar counter, but no restaurant car.  Watch the official Trenitalia Frecciabianca video.

As with all Trenitalia's long-distance trains, tickets always include a seat reservation and tickets are only valid on the specific date & train you've booked.

Like Frecciargentos, Frecciabianca services are also getting rare, with some routes reclassified to Intercity and others to Frecciarossa.  Some Frecciabianca trains, notably on the Rome-Pisa-La Spezia-Genoa route are operated by older ETR460 tilting trains bumped from Frecciargento service, rather than the refurbished InterCity carriages shown below.

Principal Frecciabianca route:  Milan-Genoa-La Spezia-Pisa-Rome.

InterCity trains (IC)

Next in the pecking order are the InterCity trains, fast trains hauled by locomotives at up to 160 km/h (100 mph), sometimes 200 km/h (125 mph).  Most InterCity cars are open-plan with a centre aisle, a few are classic side-corridor-and-compartment cars with 6-seat compartments, though you don't always get both sorts in both classes on a given train.  As with all Trenitalia's long-distance trains, tickets always include a seat reservation and tickets are only valid on the specific date & train you've booked.  Some Intercity trains have a cafe counter, some just vending machines selling drinks and snacks.  You're free to bring your own food & drink, even a bottle of wine if you like.

Principal InterCity routes:  Rome-Naples-Sicily;  Rome-Pisa-Cinque Terre-Genoa-Milan;  Milan-Genoa-Ventimiglia (for Nice).

Regionale & Regionale Veloce (R, RV)

Regional trains come in many different shapes & sizes, they operate all over Italy including Florence-Pisa, Florence-Siena, Florence-Lucca, Venice-Trieste, Rome-Civitavecchia.  On regional trains there are no assigned seats, you sit where you like.  Luggage goes on the racks or simply on the floor.  There's no catering, so bring your own food & drink.

There's little point in booking regional trains in advance as there's just one cheap fixed Ordinaria fare that can be bought on the day at that price.  Buy a ticket from the ticket office or self-service machines or buy online or in the Trenitalia app.  Interrail or Eurail passholders can just hop on, nothing more to do or pay.

Ticketing arrangements

The old system of having to stamp your ticket in a validator machine is gone, as is the system of tickets being good for any train in a 4-hour time slot.

From 5 August 2023, tickets for regional trains bought online or in an app are only good for a specific train.

You can change the date & time of your train free of charge using the Trenitalia app or website, as many times as you like, up to 23:59 the day before departure. It's also refundable up to that time.  On the day of travel, you can change the time of your train as many times as you like, free of charge.

Before boarding the train you must 'check in' online using the app or the website link provided, this validates the ticket for use on that train, your ticket is then considered used and no further changes can be made.

Remember you'll need internet access on your phone for this, if you can't rely on that, buy at the station at least 5 minutes before departure.

Can regional trains sell out?

Tickets are usually available in unlimited numbers so regional trains can't sell out, for example Milan-Tirano, Florence-Siena or Florence-Pisa.  However, Trenitalia now have some regional routes such as Venice-Trieste where the number of tickets sold for each train is limited so they can in theory sell out and occasionally do - even though specific seats aren't assigned.  This devious practice started during the pandemic and has continued on a few routes.  To check, find the train on www.trenitalia.com and click the 'i' symbol for details.  If it says non-prenotabile, you're fine, tickets are unlimited and can't sell out.  If it says prenotabile ticket numbers are limited, so bear that in mind.

Italo high-speed trains:  See the Italo page

Private operator NTV (Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori), started operating its Italo high-speed trains on the Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples route in April 2012, and on the Venice-Florence-Rome service in October 2012, competing the State-owned Trenitalia.  See www.italotreno.it for times, fares & online tickets.  Italo trains have four classes, all with free WiFi and Poltrona Frau leather seats:

• Smart = 2nd class, the cheapest option, with leather reclining seats arranged 2+2 across the width of the car.  Free WiFi, power sockets, small table.  Vending machines for snacks & coffee.

• Comfort = Premium 2nd class, it has exactly the same more spacious1st class seats as Prima arranged 2+1 across the car width, but without the 1st class on-board service.  Free WiFi, power sockets, small table.  Vending machines for snacks & coffee.

• Prima = 1st class, with leather reclining seats arranged 2+1 across the width of the car.  Complimentary alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, free WiFi, power sockets, small table.  At extra cost, you can pre-book lunch or dinner or order it on board, served at your seat.

• Club = Premium 1st class, leather reclining armchairs with 9" touch-screen entertainment system in an exclusive area at the end of each train.  Hostess service, free WiFi, power sockets.  At extra cost, you can pre-book lunch or dinner or order it on board, served at your seat.

• See the Seat61 Italo information page for more information, an illustrated guide and the Italo video guide.

InterCity Notte overnight trains

An Intercity Notte (ICN) overnight train is often the best way to travel long distances, for example from Milan or 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, but a couchette or sleeper is recommended, as you can lie flat and sleep in a safely-locked compartment.  Yes, they are perfectly safe!

• Excelsior: 1 & 2 berth sleepers with shower & toilet

  A handful of trains include a T3S sleeping-car with 4 Excelsior sleeper compartments with en suite toilet & shower.  This includes one of the two Rome-Catania-Siracuse overnight trains and the Milan-Catania-Siracuse train, but these are about the only routes these cars operate.  A T3S sleeping car also has 6 standard Deluxe 1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper compartments.  See layout of a T3S sleeping-car.

• Deluxe:  1, 2 & 3 berth sleepers

  These traditional sleeping cars have 12 compartments each of which can be used with 1, 2 or 3 beds folded out as 1st class Single (Singolo), 1st class Double (Doppio) and 2nd class Tourist T3 (Compartimento 3 Letti), 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.  Each car has its own sleeper attendant who can serve drinks, snacks and maybe even a hot dish such as lasagne from a simple room service menu.  There are two toilets at one end of the corridor.  A small amenities kits is provided with toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, wet-wipe, cotton buds and cotton pads.  A light breakfast with tea or coffee is included in the fare.  A sleeper is the civilised, recommended option.

  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.

• Comfort:  4-berth couchettes

  These are modern air-conditioned couchette cars with eight or nine 4-berth compartments, each with two upper & two lower bunks.  Rug, sheet & pillow are provided for each passenger.  An attendant travels with each pair of cars.  Comfort couchettes are a good economical choice, especially for families, see the photos below.  Couchette compartments are mixed sex (on www.trenitalia.com, select Cuccette C4 Comfort - Promiscuo if booking 1, 2 or 3 tickets), but women travelling alone can book berths in a ladies-only compartment (on www.trenitalia.com, select Cuccette C4 Comfort - Donna).  If four of you want a whole 4-berth together, select Cuccette C4 Comfort - Compart. intero, where intero means whole.  You'll find it easier to book at www.italiarail.com.

Excelsior:  1 & 2 bed sleepers

Deluxe: 1, 2 or 3 berth sleeper

Comfort: 4-berth couchettes

Back to top

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Multi-lingual self-service ticket machines are found at all main Italian stations.  Click the UK flag on the touch screen for English.  They can sell tickets for both regional & mainline trains, plus some international trains, and can sell seat reservations for railpass holders (look for a 'Global Pass' ticket).  They take cash & credit cards.  Easier than going to the ticket office! How to use these machines

Medium-sized suitcases & backpacks fit between the seat backs on a Frecciarossa.  There are also racks above your seat, and at the car ends.

• Do you need to buy your tickets in advance?  See the how to buy tickets section.

• Should you go 1st or 2nd class?

  2nd class (called standard class on Frecciarossa trains) is absolutely fine.  It's very comfortable and there's plenty of luggage space, so there is absolutely no need to pay for 1st class (called business class on Frecciarossa trains) if you are on a tight budget.  Be reassured that there are very few peasants & chickens in 2nd class on European trains these days, really...  See the train photos above.

  On the other hand, 1st (or business) class is obviously nicer, with wider, plusher seats and a quieter environment with more laptops tapping and fewer families with noisy kids.  And with all the fast trains dynamically priced, it often costs very little more to go 1st class if you book ahead. 

  1st class seats are generally arranged 2+1 across the car width rather than 2+2, so you get solo seats (ideal for single travellers) and face-to-face tables for two on the 'one-abreast' side of the aisle, ideal for couples as you then face each other and both get a window seat that is also an aisle seat, the best of both worlds. 

  On Frecciarossa & Frecciargento trains you also get a complimentary glass of prosecco and a small packet of pretzels or peanuts in 1st class - but don't assume anything else is included, it's basically just the more spacious seating you get with a 1st class ticket.

• Luggage arrangements - see the luggage section.

• Ticket validation

  Putting hard-copy tickets into a validator machine on the platform is now a thing of the past.  Trenitalia's high-speed and intercity trains are ticketless, so there's nothing to validate.

  Regional tickets bought at the ticket office are now only good for a specific departure, in effect pre-validated.

  As from August 2023, regional tickets bought online are only good for a specific departure, you can change this as many times as you like, but before boarding your chosen train you must 'validate' the ticket by checking-in online, see more about how regional tickets now work.

• Language problems

  First-time visitors often think this will be a problem, but it hardly ever is.  At stations, finding your platform & train using the various departure screens is no different from finding your gate & plane at an airport.  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. 

  At ticket offices clerks have a pretty shrewd idea you want a train ticket not a packet of washing powder, in fact clerks in popular tourist cities will be used to dealing with Brits, Americans & Australians and will usually know the relevant words in English about one-ways & round trips, first or second class...  The ticket machines at every main station have a touch-screen with an English language facility.

  The one thing that does help is knowing Italian place names:  Rome = Roma, Florence = Firenze, Venice = Venezia, Naples = Napoli, Milan = Milano, Turin = Torino, Genoa = Genova.

• Food & drink on trains in Italy

  Most long-distance trains have a bar or even (on some but not all Frecciarossa 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!

• Bicycles

  You can take a bike with you on suburban, Regional & InterRegional trains if you buy a bike ticket costing about €4.  On long distance trains including Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca & 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 and search under Services for Transport of pets.  You can take pets on many trains, but the rules vary slightly by type of train.  Very small dogs, cats & other pets in containers no bigger than 70cm x 30cm x 50cm are carried free on almost all trains & classes.  Larger dogs on a lead & muzzled are allowed on almost all trains but must have a ticket bought for them at 50% of the adult 2nd class fare (whatever class the owner is using) and they are not permitted in Executive or Premium classes on Frecciarossa trains, or in catering cars.  You can take a dog in sleepers or couchettes only if your party occupies the whole compartment.  Guide dogs are always free.

• First class lounges at Italian stations

  Executive class passengers & holders of Trenitalia's special Club Eurostar frequent traveller card can use the Club Eurostar lounges at Trenitalia's main city stations.

  For Club class passengers on Italo, there is a Club lounge in Milan Centrale & Rome Termini - Prima class passengers can also use the lounge for €10 paid at the entrance.

• A train planner app for your phone

  Railplanner is a free offline train timetable app that you can download onto your phone to check train times, station departures & train calling points on the move without the need to be on WiFi or to use mobile data.  It's blisteringly quick and covers not just Italy but most of Europe.  It highlights the reservation-required high-speed & InterCity trains in red and the no-reservation-required regional trains in green.  It's created with Eurail & Interrail passholders in mind, but is useful for anyone. Download for iPhone or Android at www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/rail-planner-app - please let me know if the link stops working.

• 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 high-speed 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 sleeper trains to and from Sicily, for example.

Choosing your seat

• Trenitalia.com, Italiarail.com & Thetrainline.com allow you to choose your exact seats from a numbered seating plan on Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca and InterCity trains within Italy. 

• It's pretty self-explanatory, but as I'm often asked, yes, the grey bars are tables, and no, you can't tell which way seats face.  Iindeed, most Naples-Rome-Venice and Naples-Rome-Milan trains change direction at both Rome Termini and Florence SMN station, both of which are dead-end terminus stations.

• For a couple travelling first class I recommend a face-to-face table for two.

  

Luggage on trains in Italy

• Luggage is no problem on Italian trains, and it makes no real difference whether you go 1st or 2nd class, there's always room for bags.  You don't check your bags in and there is no baggage car.  You simply take whatever you like into the train with you, and stick your bags on the racks above your head or on the big luggage racks at the end of each car or in the space between the seat backs, wherever.  On regional trains, it just goes on the floor next to you if there aren't any racks.  More information about luggage on European trains.

• There are no baggage fees or weight limits to worry about, for most practical purposes if you can carry it you can bring it.  It's so simple, it hardly needs explaining, yet overseas visitors (especially Americans, it seems) chase their tails trying to find detailed information as they think there must be complex regulations as with air travel.  Don't over-think it, as luggage really doesn't need worrying about, other than not travelling with more than you really need.  Anything up to backpack-sized fits on the racks above your head, only larger items such as bulky suitcases need to go on the racks at the end of the car, or between seat backs. 

• Security is not a real problem, your bags full of clothing are no more likely to be stolen than airline checked baggage.  There's no need to chain your bag to the rack - this gets asked, believe it or not - any more than you'd chain you bags to a plane's luggage bin.  Although like most people I like to use a rack which I can see from my seat, and indeed I always keep cameras, passports and so forth in my daypack with me at my seat.  But I'd have thought that was obvious?

• Porters are generally a thing of the past in Europe along with butlers, valets and ladies' maids.  However, Milan Centrale, Milan Porta Garibaldi, Venice Santa Lucia, Rome Termini, Florence SMN, Turin Porta Nuova are all termini with level access to all trains.  You can just pull your bag on its wheels from street or taxi rank across the station concourse right up to the train door, lift it two steps up into the train, and wheel it to a convenient rack or space between the seats next to your seat.  If you are elderly or heavily pregnant, another passenger will almost always help you get your bags the two short steps into the train.

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

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 (around €10) 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 Venice 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, always book to Venice Santa Lucia unless you have a hotel in Mestre.  See the Venice Santa Lucia station information page.

• 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 or Rifredi stations outside the city centre, linked to SMN by frequent local trains, but avoid booking to these stations, always look for a train direct to Florence SMN.

• Which station in Milan?  Milano Centrale is the main station, a huge and magnificent terminus in the city centre, served by most mainline and international trains.  Milan Porta Garibaldi is also central, used by the French Railways TGVs to Paris and by some Trenitalia trains, it's a 25 minute walk, 10 minute train ride or 8 minute €8 taxi ride from Centrale.  Some Malpensa airport trains arrive at Milan Cadorna, a small local terminus also located in the city centre, although other Malpensa airport trains run to Milan Porta Garibaldi and Milan Centrale.  Milan's Lambrate station is much less central, and Milan Rogoredo is 5 km from the city centre.  See the Milan Centrale information page.

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

• The Leaning Tower of Pisa:  Map of Pisa showing tower & railway stations.  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 or www.italiarail.com.

• In Siena, the station is at the foot of the hill and used to be a steep trek up to the old town.  However, there's now a series of modern escalators and moving walkways that ferry you almost painlessly to the top of the hill, from where it's just a minute or two's walk to the Porta Camollia at the entrance to the old town.  From the Porta Camollia it's a pleasant 15 minute stroll to the famous Piazza del Campo.

	Sicily Express!  The sleeper train from Milan to Palermo is shunted off the ferry at Messina.  Yes, the trains to Sicily really are direct, they are put on a ferry to cross the straits from Villa San Giovanni to Messina. Photo courtesy of David Smith.  Watch the video here...
	A Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento train on the Circumvesuviana Railway, every 30 minutes for just a few euros...

How to travel to Sicily

• The train is a wonderful way to reach Sicily, an experience in itself...

• There are two daytime InterCity trains from Rome & Naples direct to Palermo, Catania, Siracuse and time-effective overnight sleeper trains from Milan, Rome & Naples direct to Palermo, Catania & Siracuse.  See the timetable & information on the Trains to Sicily page.

• If you use the daytime trains, bring a picnic and bottle of wine (it's allowed on trains, and on these trains there's no catering car) and enjoy the ride, much of it along the Italian coast just a stone's throw from the sea towards the toe of Italy. 

• If you use the overnight trains, make sure you book a 4-berth Comfort couchette or a private 1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper as explained here.

• All 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 ferry, and it's a unique experience in itself - watch the video here.   Once the train is secured in the ship's hold, steps are placed next to the train doors, and you can either 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 - although as of 2017 they may require you to get off and use the ferry accommodation decks.  Highly recommended!  You can book all of these trains to Sicily as shown here.

• Or reach Sicily by overnight ferry from Naples:  You can sail from Naples to Palermo by comfortable overnight ferry, with a  or shared cabin with en suite shower & toilet, and there are restaurants and bars for an enjoyable evening on board.  Ferries typically sail every day at around 20:00 and arrive around 06:30 in both directions.  See www.tirrenia.it & www.snav.it for times, dates, fares & online booking.

How to reach Herculaneum, Pompeii & Sorrento

• Naples to Herculaneum, Pompeii & Sorrento by Circumvesuviana train

  The railway from Naples to Herculaneum, Pompeii & Sorrento isn't run by Trenitalia, it's the privately-run Circumvesuviana Railway, www.eavsrl.it.  That's why you can't find trains to Sorrento on trenitalia.com or italiarail.com.  Map of Naples showing stations.

  Simply buy a mainline ticket from Venice, Florence, Rome or wherever to Naples Centrale at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com.  On arrival at Naples Centrale, follow the signs to Circumvesuviana, these will take you downstairs to the Circumvesuviana station.

  The Circumvesuviana station has its own ticket office, either buy a ticket to Ercolano, Pompeii Scavi or Sorrento there or use the ticket gate that allows you to touch in with a contactless bank card.  Go through the automatic ticket gates onto the platform and hop on the next train.

  Trains run to Herculaneum (Ercolano), Pompeii and Sorrento every 30 minutes throughout the day, no reservation is necessary or possible.  Outside the weekday rush hours the trains are not crowded, there are plenty of seats and it's very easy to use.  Luggage goes on the racks or just on the floor, no problem.  This handy video shows you what to expect.

  Naples to Pompeii costs around €3.20 one-way, journey around 40 minutes. 

  Naples to Sorrento costs around €4.50 one-way, journey 55-65 minutes.

• Naples to Sorrento by ferry

  You can also travel from Naples Beverello ferry terminal to Sorrento by fast ferry with around 5 departures a day, journey time 45 minutes, fare around €13, bags €2.10, see www.alilauro.it.  You can buy online or just buy at the ferry terminal on the day.

• To the top of Vesuvius

  To visit the summit of Vesuvius, two morning buses run from Naples or a more regular bus service runs from Pompeii, both run by EAVBUS, see www.eavbus.it (Italian only) or (more usefully) www.unicocampania.it, click English top right and look for 'Vesuvio Fares' under 'Tourist Info'.

• Day trip to Pompeii?  It's easy to arrange a trip to Pompeii yourself by train, see the guide here.

	The SNAV fast ferry from Capri to Naples.

How to reach Capri

• Buy a mainline ticket from Venice, Florence, Rome or wherever to Naples Centrale at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com. 

• The island of Capri is just off Sorrento.  You have two options:  You can take a direct ferry from Naples to Capri, journey time around 45 minutes, fare €20.10, or you can take the Circumvesuviana Railway to Sorrento (55-65 minutes) then a shorter ferry crossing to Capri (around 25 minutes, fare €18.10).

• If you choose the ferry from Naples, take a taxi (5-10 minutes) or walk (about 25 minutes) from Naples Centrale to Naples Beverello ferry quay.  Fast ferries taking just 45 minutes link Naples Berevello with Capri every hour or two between 07:00 & 18:00, see either www.snav.it or Omio.com for times & fares.  The ferry fare is about €20.10 plus a euro or two per item of large luggage.  You don't need to pre-book the ferry, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on.  Map of Naples showing station & ferry terminals.

• If you choose to take the local Circumvesuviana Railway to Sorrento, there are many ferries to Capri, no pre-booking necessary.  Just be aware that it's a longish steep walk from Sorrento Circumvesuviana station down the hill to the ferry terminal.

• Ferries from both Naples & Sorrento arrive at Capri's busy Marina Grande, there's a funicular railway up the steep hillside to Capri town itself. Bring plenty of money to Capri, even a small beer costs over €7!

How to reach 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.

	SITA bus on the narrow coast road between Amalfi and Sorrento...

How to reach Amalfi, Positano, Praiano

• Option 1, by bus from Salerno...

  There's no railway to these towns on the famous Amalfi Coast, but buses run from Salerno to Amalfi.  So buy a train ticket for one of the many high-speed trains from Milan, Florence and Rome direct to Salerno, then hop on a bus to Amalfi.  This Salerno bus option is the quickest way to Amalfi.

  Buses link Salerno & Amalfi every hour or better between 06:00 & 22:30 on Mondays-Saturdays, slightly less frequently on Sundays, journey time 1h15, fare around €2.20 one-way, you buy a ticket at the tobacconists shop inside Salerno station.  The buses are operated by SITA, to check bus times see www.sitasudtrasporti.it (in Italian only, click 'Orari' then 'Campania').  To check fares, you'll need to use public transport site www.unicocampania.it, click English top right then 'Fares & Tickets'.

• Option 2, by ferry from Salerno...

  Alternatively, you can take a ferry from Salerno to Amalfi or Positano.  See www.coopsantandrea.com for a timetable of small coastal ferries from Salerno (Concordia dock, 800m from Salerno railway station) to Amalfi and Positano.  At the time of writing, they had departures from Salerno at 08:40, 09:40, 10:40, 11:40, 14:10 and 15:30, journey time to Amalfi just 35 minutes, but check their website for current timings.  This is a good option in summer when the narrow coast road is clogged with traffic.

  Option 3, by bus from Sorrento...

  You can also buy a train ticket to Naples, hop on the Circumvesuviana Railway to Sorrento as shown above then take a bus to Positano, Praiano & Amalfi.  For buses linking Sorrento with Positano, Praiano & Amalfi, see www.sitasudtrasporti.it (in Italian only, click 'Orari' then 'Campania').  Sorrento-Amalfi takes 1 hour 40 minutes, buses run hourly or at certain times half-hourly 06:30 to 22:00, and the fare is around €2.90.  The journey along the coast road is dramatic, the bus hugging the cliff and it rear end swinging out precariously at every hairpin bend!

• Option 4, a private transfer from Naples to Praiano, Positano or Amalfi hotels...

  If cost is no object, a private car transfer from Naples Centrale railway station to Positano or Praiano costs around €95 one-way for up to 3 people, or around €110 to Amalfi.  Try www.amalfishuttle.com or www.positanoshuttle.com (same people - click 'transfer' at the top).  I have not had any reports about them yet, so feedback would be appreciated.  They will also do transfers from Sorrento Circumvesuviana station, which reduces the cost.

	The bus from Rimini to San Marino.

How to reach 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 one-way.

How to reach Lake Como

• Como San Giovanni is the mainline station for Como, it's on the Zurich-Milan main line and linked to Milan Centrale by frequent regional train.  Check times as above.

• Lecco, Varenna  & Bellanoare on the eastern side of Lake Como, there is a station at Lecco & Varenna-Esino (for the ferry to Bellagio) and Bellano on the Trenord local line linking Milan Centrale with Tirano (near the Swiss border, for the fabulous narrow-gauge Bernina route to Chur & Zurich).  Check times as above

How to reach Lake Garda

• The station for Lake Garda is either Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione or Peschiera del Garda.  Both stations are on the Milan-Verona main line.  As well as regional trains, some fast Milan-Verona-Venice trains call at Peschiera or Desenzano.

• Alternatively, take a train to Verona Porta Nuova.  Buses run frequently times an hour from outside the station to the eastern shores of Lake Garda including Lazise, Bardonlino & Garda, see the bus company website www.atv.verona.it.

• You can also travel to Brescia, then take frequent buses to the western shore of Lake Garda, see the bus company website brescia.arriva.it.

How to reach San Marino

• San Marino has no rail station, but can easily be reached by bus from Rimini.  Buses leave from outside Rimini railway station every hour or so between 08:10 and 19:25 in winter, between 06:45 and 20:30 in summer, less frequently on winter Sundays, journey time 50 minutes, fare around €5.00 one-way.  You can check bus times and fares at the bus company website, www.bonellibus.it.

How to reach Sardinia

• Ferries to Sardinia

  Ferries sail from Civitavecchia, Livorno, Naples & Palermo to various ports on Sardinia including Olbia & Golfo Aranci in the north and Caligari in the south.  Operators include Tirrenia, Grimaldi Lines, Corsica-Sardinia Ferries, use Direct Ferries to check and book all ferry routes & operators.

  The shortest ferry crossing is Civitavecchia (just north of Rome) to Olbia where the daily daytime ferry takes 5h30, and an overnight ferry with cabins takes 7h.  A daily ferry with cabins links Naples with Caligari overnight.

• Trains on Sardinia

  Regional trains run by a division of Trenitalia link the major centres and ports:  Golfo Aranci, Olbia, Sassari, Porto Torres, Oristano, Cagliari.  You can check train times at www.trenitalia.com although as trains are classed as regional you may as well just buy tickets at the station on the day.

  In addition to the main Trenitalia routes, tourist services called the Little Green Trains run on two or three very rural routes, see www.treninoverde.com (in Italian only, use Google Chrome translation feature).  These trains are run by transport authority ARST, a company formed by merging the urban transport authority with Sardinian Railways.

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Airport train connections

Milan Malpensa airport

• There are regional trains from Milan Malpensa airport to Milan Centrale every 30 minutes, journey time 52 minutes, fare around €12, no reservation necessary or possible, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on the next train.

  Change at Milan Centrale for high-speed Frecciarossa & Frecciabianca trains to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples or anywhere else in Italy.  You can check times & fares at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com.  Reservation is required for Italian long-distance & high-speed trains, make sure you read the tips below.

Rome Fiumicino airport

• Leonardo Express trains run from Rome Fiumicino airport to Rome Termini in the city centre every 30 minutes, journey time 32 minutes, fare around €14, no reservation necessary or possible, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on the next train.

  Change at Rome Termini for high-speed Frecciarossa & Frecciargento trains to Venice, Florence, Naples or anywhere else in Italy - indeed, there's even a very occasional direct high-speed train from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Florence & Venice.   You can check times & fares at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com - Reservation is required for Italian long-distance & high-speed trains, make sure you read the tips below.

Pisa airport

• A people-mover (driverless train) shuttles passengers from Pisa airport to Pisa Centrale in the city centre in just 8 minutes.  Change at Pisa Centrale for hourly regional trains to Florence, and regular regional, Intercity or Frecciabianca trains to Rome, La Spezia and Monterosso in Cinque Terre.  You can check times & fares at www.trenitalia.com selecting Pisa fermata Aeroporto for Pisa airport station - but read the tips below.

Bologna airport

• A people mover links Bologna Centrale with Bologna airport, for more info see the Bologna Centrale station guide.

Tips for buying plane-to-train tickets

• The regional trains from Malpensa into Milan, from Fiumicino into Rome or from Pisa to Florence are no problem - you can turn up, buy a ticket at the station & hop on the next train.  No reservation is possible and no pre-booking necessary.  They cannot sell out.

• But if you intend to catch an onward high-speed train from Milan or Rome to (let's say) Florence, Naples or Venice, remember that Italian high-speed trains require reservation and tickets are only valid on the specific train you book.

• Cheap advance-purchase economy or super-economy tickets become worthless if your flight is late and you miss your train.  Even a flexible 'base' ticket becomes worthless one hour after departure if you can't get to a Trenitalia ticket counter to change the reservation to a later train.

• So when arriving by air at Malpensa or Fiumicino and going to Florence, Naples, Venice and the like, you must choose one of two strategies:

  Option 1, prioritise your budget:  The money-saving option is to buy a cheap Super-Economy fare and commit to a specific train in advance at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com, but allowing a hefty 3-4 hours between flight arrival and train, to allow for any flight delays or long lines at immigration.

  Option 2, prioritise your time:  The time-saving option is to just buy a ticket at the base price when you get to the airport station.  Then you can buy a ticket for the first train leaving after you have landed, collected your bags and are ready to go.  I know this goes against the grain for overseas visitors desperate to reserve every Starbucks cappuccino 6 months ahead, but unless it's Christmas Eve or the like, you'll always find places available even right before departure as there are so many seats on so many trains, this shouldn't be a concern.  You can check what the base fare is by running an enquiry on www.italiarail.com, clicking on a train then clicking the button marked '+ show flexible fares'.  The flexible fare is what you pay at the station on the day.

  A compromise option?   You may find it cheaper to book cheap advance-purchase tickets on two trains - the train you should easily make if your flight is on time and a back-up train an hour or two later - than to pay the base fare for one train as in the time-saving option above.  Or book one train that you should normally easily be able to make, then just accept that if the plane is significantly late, you'll have to buy another ticket at the base fare.

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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 Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Slovenia, including couchettes & sleepers on overnight trains, again with cheap tickets if you pre-book.  Remember that ticket collection for trains to Austria & Germany is only possible at stations in Italy!

Trenitalia.com used to be notorious for not accepting non-Italian credit cards.  But after a new payment system was introduced in November 2010, it now happily accepts almost all foreign credit cards.

You can use Italiarail.com instead...  You may find www.italiarail.com easier to use than trenitalia.com for sleeper trains, international trains and passholder reservations.  ItaliaRail is an agency who connects directly to the Trenitalia ticketing system to sell the same trains at the same prices as Trenitalia, but in plain English using English-language place names.  They charge a booking fee of around €3.50, but this will be refunded if you send them an email at seat61@italiarail.com after you book.

How to use www.trenitalia.com

• Go to www.trenitalia.com and change it to English at top right.

  Tip:  I prefer using Trenitalia's advanced search page, www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.WEB.  This is the one to bookmark!  It offers more features than their home page journey planner and the input fields don't suddenly shift downwards while you're trying to type like they do when you first open the home page.

• Booking usually opens 4 months before departure, though this can vary.  Looking too far ahead is the most common mistake made by overseas visitors planning a big trip many months ahead.  Europeans tend to book train travel only days or weeks ahead, not months, but of course the further ahead you can book the cheaper it can be.

• Booking may open only 1-2 months ahead for travel immediately after the two annual timetable changes, on the 2nd Sunday in June and 2nd Sunday in December.  Trenitalia is always late loading the data for a new timetable period, especially for regional, InterCity and international trains.  For example, I'm often asked in early May why Trenitalia seems to have cancelled all Venice-Trieste trains in late June.  Of course they haven't, they've simply not got around to loading all the data for dates after the mid-June timetable change so no trains are shown!

• You need to use Italian-language place names.  Firenze for Florence, Roma for Rome, Milano for Milan, Venezia for Venice, Torino for Turin, Napoli for Naples.

• Tutti le Stazione means all the stations in that city, so simply select this if you don't know which station is best.  But for the record you want Venezia Santa Lucia for central Venice, Firenze SMN for central Florence, Roma Termini is best for central Rome and Centrale (obviously) in most other cities.  Remember that Sorrento isn't on the mainline network, you book to/from Naples.

• Time zone glitch when searching:  When you set your desired departure date & time in the search parameters, there's a glitch.  I'm in the UK so local time in Italy is 1 hour ahead, if I set desired departure time to 06:00, I only see trains from 07:00 onwards. If you are in New York and set desired time to 06:00 with Italy 6h ahead, you'd only see trains from 12:00 onwards, if you want to see trains from 06:00 you'd have to set desired departure time to 00:00.  Annoying, but not the end of the world.  Train times in the search results are shown in local Italian time!

• You can book up to 7 adults at a time.  Up to 5 adults on the main page, click Advanced search and you can select up to 7.  More than this, and you'll either need to split the booking and make creative use of the choose exact seat feature so you all sit together - or book at www.italiarail.com which can book up to 20 people at a time.  Indeed, for any small group it's worth checking www.italiarail.com as it can be cheaper because of the way it handles multiple passengers.

• Infants under 4 go free on all trains, no ticket required, just bring them along.

• Children means anyone under 14 on national trains (= Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, InterCity, ICN), but only under-12s qualify for child fares on regional trains.  If you are taking a 12 or 13-year-old on a part-Frecciarossa, part-regional journey, split the booking.

• Choosing your fare...

  Base is the fully-flexible fare, it's what you'd pay at the station on the day.  Refundable, only valid on the train booked but can be changed before departure, or at the station up to an hour after departure.  The base fare was originally one fixed-price for a given journey, but as from late 2017 the base fare for Frecciarossa & Frecciargento trains can vary slightly by day of the week or the popularity of each particular train.

  Economy & Super-Economy are Trenitalia's cheap advance-purchase fares, only valid on the train booked, limited refunds & changes, limited availability, these are the fares you want for cheap travel, if you are certain what time train you want.

  Cartafreccia Special fares can only be bought if you have a Cartafreccia card, which you probably haven't.

  Ordinaria is the regular fare for regional trains.  It's fixed-price, you can buy at that price even on the day.  In principle this fare is good for any train, but you now need to select a specific departure and check in online for it before boarding, see more information about how regional tickets now work.

  Smart & Smart2 are cheap advance-purchase fares for international journeys, feel free to select those.  No refunds or changes, specific train only, limited availability, must be bought at least a week before departure.

• It doesn't translate sleeper & couchette types into English... 

  Posto Doppio - Compart. Intero = books a whole private 2-bed sleeper for 2 people.  If there's 2 of you, this is what you select for both passengers.

  Posto Doppio - Uomo = reserves a bed or beds in a shared 2-bed sleepers, male-only compartments.

  Posto Doppio - Donna = reserves a bed or beds in a shared 2-bed sleepers, ladies-only compartments.

  Posto Singolo = single-bed sleeper, books one private compartment for one person.

  Cuccette C4 Comfort-Promiscuo = bunk in shared 4-berth Comfort couchettes, normal mixed sex compartment.

  Cuccette C4 Comfort - Donna = bunk in shared 4-berth Comfort couchettes, in special ladies-only compartment.

  Cuccette C4 Comfort-Compart. Intero = whole 4-berth Comfort couchette compartment (must have 4 passengers selected).

  Compartimento 3 Letti - Uomo = bed in shared 3-bed sleeper, male-only compartment.

  Compartimento 3 Letti - Donna = bed in shared 3-bed sleeper, ladies-only compartment.

  Compartimento 3 Letti - Intero = 3-bed sleeper, whole compartment (need to have pre-selected 3 passengers).

  To book 2 people together in a 2-bed sleeper you'd select Posto Doppio - Compart. Intero for both passengers.

  On some international routes they use slightly different sleeper terminology:

  Cabina A3 = 3-berth.  Cabina A2 = 2-berth.  Gran classe = deluxe with shower & toilet.

  But again, Uomo means male, donna means female, intera means you want to book a whole compartment.

  You'll see your berth numbers before payment stage, but before you panic that you're not together in the same compartment, remember berth numbers are not consecutive, so for example 21 & 25 are indeed together in the same compartment, with 22 & 26 next door, see how sleeper & couchette berths are numbered on the sleeper & couchettes page.  See the description of Italian couchette and sleeper types above for more information.

• I recommend using the Choose seats toggle.  You'll see a Choose seats toggle at the bottom of the page when selecting a fare for Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca or InterCity trains.  You'll then be able to pick specific seats from a numbered seat map.  It should be obvious, but the grey rectangles separating some seats are the tables between seats which face each other, see the screenshot here.  You cannot tell which seats face forwards or backwards (indeed, some trains change direction en route, for example Rome-Venice trains usually reverse at Florence) but in any case if there are two or more of you I recommend seats facing each other across a table as the most natural and convivial way to travel, and you both then get a window seat.

• Select Continue without logging in to buy without registering.  You can register if you like - if you don't have an Italian address, tick the I don't have a tax code box and select your country (UK = Regno Unito, Unites States = Stati Uniti).  You can still retrieve your booking later if you need to, even if you don't register.

• Some people report an error message about incorrectly entered data if they fill in more than names in the 'Passengers' section.  The error went away if they filled in just the names of the passengers, leaving email and phone number fields in the passengers section blank, but completing the name, email and contact number field in the 'Contact-Buyer-Required' section.  I cannot replicate this error, so feedback would be appreciated!

• How are tickets delivered?  On most Italian domestic trains (but not international ones other than to/from Switzerland) you can select the ticketless option, which means you can simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.  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.

• Don't buy international tickets starting in Germany or Austria using Trenitalia.com!!!!  It's OK to book Switzerland-Italy trains and Paris or Lyon to Italy trains as these are ticketless.  But most other international tickets booked at Trenitalia.com such as tickets from Germany or Austria to Italy need to be collected at an Italian station or posted to an Italian address, they cannot be collected at any station outside Italy!!!  So even though Trenitalia will happily sell you a ticket from Vienna to Venice, you can't pick up the tickets in Vienna because (do I really have to spell it out?) Vienna is in Austria and has no Trenitalia staff or ticket machines.  And no, they won't accept the booking printout as a ticket on the train, and no, Austrian Railways staff cannot access a Trenitalia booking and cannot help you!  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 one from Switzerland, 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!

• Passenger names:  Don't worry, unlike airlines, Trenitalia doesn't need passenger names for anyone except the person booking, unless it specifically asks for every passengers' name.  So if it didn't ask, and there's only one name on the booking, that's not a problem.

• 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 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.

• Payment problems?  If your card doesn't work, it may be your bank blocking the transaction as possible fraud because it's 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.  If Trenitalia.com really won't accept any of your credit cards, buy your Italian train tickets from www.italiarail.com instead.

• Other problems?  If you get stuck, you can contact Trenitalia's web team at areaclienti@trenitalia.it to unfreeze frozen accounts and so forth.  They can handle emails in English.  Or you can call Trenitalia telesales on +11 39 06 6847 5475.

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It's easy to buy tickets at the station using the self-service ticket machines at all main Italian stations, as long as you have a credit card with a PIN (4-digit personal identification number).  They have an English language facility, and it's faster and easier than using the ticket office.  The machines are pretty self-explanatory, but to give you confidence and so you know what to expect, here's how to use them.

Incidentally, you'll sometimes find annoying types who hang around offering to 'help' foreigners, just be healthily suspicious of them and refuse all help, you don't need it as the machines are self-explanatory and you certainly don't need anyone near your wallet or pockets while you are distracted.  Italian stations are perfectly safe (I've spent literally hours hanging round them out of professional interest, without any problem whatsoever), but it pays to be streetwise!

To buy a ticket....

Children under 4 go free with no ticket needed, children under 12 can use a child rate ticket on regional trains, children under 14 can use a child ticket on Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, InterCity & InterCity Notte mainline trains.

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Guidebooks

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.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk

Or buy in the USA from Amazon.com

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

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European Rail Timetable & maps

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses) or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide).  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted.  See an extract from the map.  Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

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Recommended hotels

Here are my suggested hotels in key Italian cities, conveniently located for arrival by train and all with good or great reviews.  You are unlikely to be disappointed by any hotel scoring over 8.0 out of 10 on Booking.com.

In Turin

• If you're only stopping overnight en route between London/Paris and Venice/Florence/Rome/Naples, the Paris-Milan trains serve Turin Porta Susa station so you want a hotel nearby. 

  Hotels near Porta Susa station with good or great reviews include the Hotel Torino Porta Susa, Hotel Diplomatic, Best Quality Hotel Dock Milano (across the road from the now-defunct original Porta Susa station building, immediately north of the new one), or the small but highly-recommended Al Porta Susa B&B.

• If you're stopping for longer to visit Turin - and you should, it's one of Italy's most under-rated cities - I'd choose a hotel near the Turin Porta Nuova station as it's more central and most high-speed trains to Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples start here.

  Go for the excellent Turin Palace Hotel.  I have yet to stay there myself but you won't be disappointed, it gets great feedback.  An excellent alternative is the Starhotels Majestic Hotel, 200m from Porta Nuova station.

In Milan

• There are lots of hotels near Milan Centrale, used by the Frecciarossa to/from Paris, the EuroCity trains to/from Switzerland and the majority of Italian domestic trains.

  Affordable hotels & guesthouses with good or great reviews just outside the station include the Hotel Bristol, Hotel Bernina, 43 Station Hotel, B&B Hotel Milano Central Station, Guesthouse Teodora.

  More upmarket hotels include HD8 Hotel, Glam Hotel, Made to Measure Business, Starhotel Echo or Starhotel Anderson.

  At the top end, the 5-star Excelsior Hotel Gallia is just across the road, you won't go wrong with that if your budget will stretch!

• Near Milan Porta Garibaldi (used by the TGV to/from Paris), the AC Milano Hotel (a Marriott Lifestyle Hotel) is just 350m from the station and gets good reviews.  Also try the Holiday Inn Porta Garibaldi, which offers family rooms.

In Verona

• Hotels near Verona Porta Nuova station with good or great reviews include the Corte Merighi Rooms & Breakfast, Novo Hotel Rossi, Guesthouse Verona or (a little closer to the centre, but with fab reviews) the Relais Empire.

In Venice

• Location, location, location!  Some people try to save money by staying on the mainland at Mestre, hotels in Mestre being naturally cheaper.  It's an option, but don't do it if you don't have to.  You want to be a resident in Venice, not a serial day-tripper, so try to find an affordable place in the historic city of Venice itself.

• Venice Santa Lucia station is walking distance from everywhere in central Venice including the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, so a hotel near the station which you can easily walk to with your bags makes a lot of sense.

  Relatively inexpensive places with good reviews near Venice Santa Lucia include Albergo Marin, Hotel Marte, La Loggia della Luna, Albergo ai Tolentini.

  An excellent upmarket choice just 5 minutes walk from Venice Santa Lucia is the small and intimate Hotel Canal Grande - I've stayed there myself.  Also try the Abazzia De Luxe.

  For the least expensive places in central Venice check www.hostelworld.com.  Use the map view to see places in Venice itself.

  Of course, if you have the financial backing for a water taxi, then fine, stay near San Marco or wherever you like.  My son nagged me continually until I caved in and splurged €70 on a water taxi from Santa Lucia station to St Marks.  I have to say that it was the best thing I have ever done in Venice, and that includes a gondola ride!

• If you do decide to stay in Mestre to save money and travel in & out of Venice by train every day, try the Hotel Cris which has great reviews 200m from Venezia Mestre station, and the Best Western Plus Hotel Bologna.

In Florence

• For something fancy, try the Hotel Santa Maria Novella with a 9/10 review score and rooftop terrace overlooking the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.  It's a mere 5-minute 400m walk from Florence Santa Maria Novella station.

• For something more affordable but also an easy walk from the station, try the Hotel Art Atelier.

• Other hotels nearby with good reviews include C-hotels Club, 7Florence B&B, Hotel Lombardia.

In Rome

• There are many hotels near Rome Termini.  However, an affordable top choice with a 9/10 review rating is the Hotel Diocleziano, a 5-minute 400m walk from Roma Termini's main entrance, set in a 19th century building next to the Terme di Diocleziano ancient Roman baths.

• An upmarket option near the station is Hotel Le Petit, an 8-minute 700m walk from the station, also with great reviews.

• Other hotels near the station with good or great reviews include The Hive Hotel, Dream Station, The Republic Hotel.

In Naples

• There are lots of hotels near Naples Centrale.

• The Starhotel Terminus is just across the road from the station, gets great reviews and has a roof terrace with views over the Bay of Naples.

• The Hotel Potenza is only a little further into the Piazza Garibaldi, cheaper, also with good reviews.

• The Unahotel Napoli is highly recommended, on Piazza Mancini overlooking Piazza Garibaldi, on the far side facing the station.

• Also consider the Pit Stop Napoli Centrale.

Booking.com for hotels

I generally use Booking.com for hotels for 3 reasons:

(1) It keeps all my hotel bookings together in one place;

(2) I've come to trust Booking.com's review scores;

(3) Booking.com usually offers a clearly-marked Free cancellation option.

Free cancellation means you can secure hotels risk-free even before trains open for booking, and if necessary change those bookings if your plans evolve.

If I'm only staying a night or two, I look for a hotel near the station to make arrival & departure easy.  You can enter the station name (e.g. Berlin Hbf) as search location.  If staying longer, I look for a hotel close to the sights, entering the name of a city attraction as the search location, then using map view.

I then look for a hotel with a review score of 8.0 or over, any hotel scoring over that won't disappoint.

AirBnB:  Airbnb.com

www.airbnb.com began in 2008 when two designers who had space to share hosted three travellers looking for a place to stay.  AirBnB is a platform which connects hosts with guests, so you can now book a room in people's homes, or an apartment, flat or house which people want to rent out.  It can be nicer than a hostel, cheaper than many hotels.

Backpacker hostels:  Hostelworld.com

www.hostelworld.com offers online booking of dorm beds or cheap private rooms in backpacker hostels most European cities at rock-bottom prices.  It's one way to cut costs significantly compared to using a hotel every night.

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