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

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

On this page...

How to check Italian train schedules & fares

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

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

Travel tips - ticket validation, taking a bike, catering, luggage, places not served by train, language problems

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

On other pages...

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

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

Sponsored links:

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

It's easy to check train times and fares for any journey in Italy, using the Italian Railways (Trenitalia) website, www.trenitalia.com.  The rather cumbersome web address is necessary following some poorly-thought-out changes to the Trenitalia website, but at least it gets you straight to the English version.

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

• There are now 15%, 30% & (in some cases) 60% discounts from the normal 'base' fare if you book a high-speed Italian train 7 days, 15 day or 30 days before departure.  And 'amica' 20% discounts on other routes, if you pre-book.  To understand the choice of fares, and the rather poor translation of sleeper types, see the how to use trenitalia.com section.

• Map of the Italian railway network

• Schematic map

Buying tickets at the station...

It's easy to buy tickets at the station on the day of travel, even if you don't speak Italian.  For local journeys such as Florence-Pisa or Florence-Siena, you just buy a ticket and hop on, no reservation necessary.  You can even buy tickets from the self-service machines at all main stations, which have an English language facility.  For long-distance trains it's increasingly necessary (in fact, it's now almost always necessary) to make a seat reservation, but there's almost always seats available and you can buy a ticket immediately before the train departs.  However, Trenitalia have now (early 2009) increased there normal 'base' fare and introduced big advance-purchase discounts.  Booking opens 60 days in advance, and you can get a 60% discount on the normal base fare on some routes if you book more than 30 days ahead, a 30% discount if you book more than 15 days ahead, and a 15% discount if you book more than 7 days ahead.  So bear that in mind when anyone tells you you can easily buy at the station on the day at no extra cost, they're a bit out of date, you can save money by pre-booking!  Remember to validate your tickets by putting them into the small yellow machines at the entrance to every platform - there's a fine if you don't.

Buy Italian train tickets online...

Option 1:  The cheapest way to buy Italian train tickets is online direct from Italian Railways (Trenitalia) at www.trenitalia.com (English button top right).  The advantage of using this system is that it has all trains, all routes and all the cheapest prices, and has a hassle-free 'ticketless' system where you book online and simply quote your booking reference on board the train.  On the down side, www.trenitalia.com can have problems processing non-Italian credit cards, doesn't explain the fare choices, and is poorly translated in places, so before using it, see the step-by-step guide below.  Bookings open 60 days before departure.

Option 2:  If using trenitalia.com proves too difficult, you can buy Italian train tickets the easy way, though it will cost a bit more as you won't get the 60%/30%/15% discounts and they won't use a very good exchange rate:

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

• If you live in the USA or Canada, you can buy train tickets for Italy online at www.raileurope.com or www.raileurope.ca.  Tickets can be sent to any American address.

• If you live in the Australia or New Zealand, you can buy train tickets for Italy online at International Rail Australia.  This features all Italian routes and trains, as it links directly to Trenitalia's system.  Tickets can be sent to any Australia or New Zealand or Asian address.

Eurostar Italia trains (ES AV or ES*)...

Trenitalia's top-of-the-range services are the Eurostar Italia high-speed (or in some cases, tilting) trains, indicated in timetables as 'ES*' or 'ES AV' (AV meaning alta velocità or 'high speed').  Special fares are charged for these trains, and tickets always include a seat reservation - in other words, you can't just turn up and hop on, you need to make a reservation on a specific train before boarding.  Eurostar Italia tickets are only valid on the train which has been booked.  Eurostar Italia 'AV' trains are composed of 175mph high speed ETR500 trains like the one shown below, now called 'Frecciarossa' or 'red arrow'.  Plain 'Eurostar Italia' (ES*) services use 125mph ETR450/460/470/480 tilting trains, called 'Frecciargento' or 'silver arrow'.  All Eurostar Italia services are air-conditioned with refreshments, and many have a waiter-service restaurant car, a pleasure to use, with the set 3-course menu costing around 28 euros, a half bottle of wine 8 euros, credit cards accepted.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles.  A supplement must be paid by railpass holders (15-20 euros), which given the fares are cheap anyway (for example, 25 euros Venice-Milan, 39 euros Rome-Florence) doesn't make railpasses very good value in Italy.

Above:  The majority of Eurostar Italia services are operated by sleek modern 175mph ETR500 trains like this one, with streamlined power car at each end.  They're now known as 'Frecciarossa'.		Lunch in a Eurostar Italia restaurant car costs 28 euros, a half bottle of wine 8 euros.  Credit cards accepted.

Second class on a Eurostar Italia ETR500  'Frecciarossa' train, spacious & comfortable.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles.		First class on a Eurostar Italia ETR500 'Frecciarossa' train.  More spacious, and with a complimentary cup of coffee from the trolley, but otherwise not hugely different from 2nd class.

Eurostar City trains (ES City)...

One step down from Eurostar Italia AV, 'Eurostar City' services use locomotive-hauled coaches which have been refurbished to Eurostar Italia standards.  Air-conditioned with refreshments.  Seat reservation is compulsory, and railpassholders must pay a supplement (15 euros).

A Eurostar City train seen at Bologna...		First class on a Eurostar City train, less crowded and more spacious.		Second class on a Eurostar City train.  1st class doesn't cost much more.

InterCity (IC)...

Next in the pecking order are the InterCity trains, fast trains hauled by locomotives at up to 100-125mph.  All InterCity trains are now 'seat reservation obligatory', so you must make a reservation before boarding, you can't just hop on.  A small supplement is payable by railpassholders for InterCity trains, about 5 euros, which includes the reservation fee.

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

Diretto, Espresso & Regional trains (D, E, R)...

No seat reservation is necessary (or, in many cases, possible), you just buy a ticket and hop on.  No supplement for railpassholders.

Overnight trains...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Standard Italian 1, 2 or 3 berth sleeper...

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

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

1st class single.  The middle & top berths remain folded away, unused.

1st class double.  If the third (top) berth was folded out, it would become 2nd class 3-berth.

Italian 'Comfort' 4-berth  couchettes...

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

Excelsior deluxe sleeper...

Above:  A deluxe Excelsior sleeper, 2 berth compartment with private shower & toilet, shown here in both daytime & nighttime modes.  Only on a few routes!

	Above:  A table for two in the restaurant car of a high-speed Eurostar Italia express linking  Venice, Florence, Rome & Naples, and yes, the flowers on the tables are real!  So much more civilised than a flight...
	Above:  These ticket machines are found on all main Italian stations.  They have a touch screen and an English language facility.  They can sell local and mainline tickets, with seat reservations if required.  Easier & faster then going to the ticket office!
	Above:  If you buy a ticket for a local or regional train, make sure you look for one of these machines at the entrance to the platform, and validate your ticket before boarding by putting it in the slot.  There's a fine if you don't.  Train-specific mainline tickets (for example, Eurostar Italia & Eurostar City) do not need validation, as they are only valid on a certain train in any case.

• Ticket validation:  All Italian tickets must be validated immediately before you board your train, by putting them into the small yellow machines at the entrance to every platform.  There's a fine if you don't!  See the photo below right, so you know what machine to look for.

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

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

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

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

• Bicycles:  You can take a bike with you on suburban, Regional & InterRegional trains, if you buy a bike ticket costing about 4 euros.  On long distance trains including Eurostar Italia & InterCity, you need to place your bike in a bike bag, see the bicycle section on the Europe page.

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

Railpasses for Italy...

• By all means check out the InterRail pass for Italy (for European residents) or Eurail passes for Italy (for non-Europeans) at the seat61 rail shop.  However, Italy has relatively cheap train fares and for most people making simple circuits of Venice, Florence, Rome & Naples, normal point-to-point tickets will be much cheaper than a pass.  Indeed, passes have even lost their convenience factor, as all Eurostar Italia and InterCity trains now require a seat reservation before boarding.  One might say that the situation has reversed in the last 20 years.  It's now the point-to-point passenger who buys cheaply online and breezes onto the train quoting their reference number on board, while the railpass holder has to queue up at the ticket office to make a reservation and pay a surcharge for just about every train.

Trains to Sicily...

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

Which station in which city?

• Which station in Rome?  The main station in Rome is the Stazione Termini.  Roma Ostiense and Roma Tiburtina are on the outskirts of the city. The Vatican has its own suburban station, Roma San Pietro, but it’s easy to reach St Peter’s from the Stazione Termini by bus or taxi.

• Which station in Venice?  The main station in Venice is Venezia Santa Lucia, in the city itself on the banks of the Grand Canal.  Venezia Mestre is on the mainland in an industrial area.

• Which station in Florence? The main station in central Florence is Firenze Santa Maria Novella, normally abbreviated to 'SMN'.  A few trains, including the direct sleeper train to Paris, use Campo Marte station just outside the city centre, linked to SMN by frequent local trains.

• Which station in Turin? There are two main stations in Turin, Torino Porta Susa (for trains to Paris) an Torino Porta Nuova (for trains to Genoa, Rome, Naples).  Trains to Milan & Venice usually go from both stations.

Places not served by the main rail network...

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

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

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

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

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

Italy is a very popular destination, and the Italian Railways website www.trenitalia.com is well worth getting to know.  It can sell:

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

• Tickets for most direct international trains starting in Italy, bound for Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Slovenia, including couchettes & sleepers on overnight trains, again with cheap 'smart price' tickets if you pre-book.

Why use www.trenitalia.com instead of a rail ticketing agency in your own country?

• If you buy direct from Trenitalia, (a) you can buy tickets for all Italian trains & routes, not just certain trains on selected routes and (b) it's the cheapest way to buy Italian train tickets, as you pay the real Italian ticket office price, with all the advance-purchase cheap deals available.  You can choose a hassle-free 'ticketless' option for many Italian trains, much easier than paying an agency to send tickets to you, or having to queue up at the ticket office, you just breeze onto the train.

• Typical example:  Florence to Rome by Eurostar Italia cost 39.90 euros (£35 or $51) full-fare on www.trenitalia.com, or 36 euros (£31 or $45) if a special 'Promo -15%' advance purchase fare happens to be available on your train.  www.raileurope.co.uk charge £39 for the same ticket plus a £1.95 postage fee.  International Rail charge £39+£7 postage.  If you're in the USA, www.raileurope.com charges $67+$18 postage = $85 for the same ticket.

The only catch:  www.trenitalia.com often struggles with UK (& other non-Italian) credit cards

• It's often reported that UK and other non-Italian Visa & MasterCard credit cards don't work on Trenitalia.com.  Roughly-speaking, 60% of the emails I get say they successfully used a non-Italian credit card to buy tickets at trenitalia.com, and just over 40% report that their UK-issued credit card failed.  US cards seem to have a lower success rate than UK ones. 

• When people call Trenitalia's telesales line they are often (wrongly) told that Trenitalia.com doesn't accept non-Italian cards at all, but it certainly does.  Be aware that several people have reported that it accepted their UK-issued credit card one week, declined it the next.  It certainly accepts my own UK-issued First Direct Visa card, and has done so on several occasions.  If your UK-issued card works too, please tell me, I need the feedback about which bank cards work, and which cards don't! 

• If your card doesn't work, the problem can sometimes be with your bank rather than the Trenitalia site, as some UK banks block their credit cards from working on foreign websites like Trenitalia, or (as happened to me with First Direct) they allow it to go through successfully then phone me up and tell me the transaction was subsequently blocked as suspected fraud.  Just call your bank and ask them to unblock Trenitalia.com for you.  It can be a good idea top call you bank before using Trenitalia.com.

So which cards work & which don't?

Cards reported as working:  My own UK-issued First Direct Visa has always worked fine on Trenitalia.  First Direct Visa, Egg MasterCard, Co-Operative Bank Visa (1 report), NatWest Visa (2 reports), NatWest MasterCard (3 reports), Alliance & Leicester, RBS Visa, Barclays Visa debit, Canadian CIBC, Lloyds MasterCard, Saga Platinum Visa, Post Office MasterCard, Barclaycard Platinum Visa.

Cards reported as not working:  Co-Operative Bank Visa (1 report), Nationwide Visa (2 reports), Abbey-MNBA Visa, Abbey MasterCard, BA Amex, Citibank Visa, Smile Visa Debit, BT Visa, Lloyds TSB Visa, Virgin Mastercard, Barclaycard Goldfish MasterCard.

It certainly seems that some Visas & MasterCards are more international than others!  US cards seem to have a bigger problem on Trenitalia than UK ones. 

A few reports suggest a credit card worked for one transaction, but was denied for subsequent ones( whether by their bank or Trenitalia isn't clear), so book all your tickets as one transaction if you can.

Possible solutions...

• Paypal:  A special pre-paid 'credit' card from Paypal might be the answer.  UK users should see www.paypal-marketing.co.uk/prepay/lp.htm to apply.  US users should see www.paypal.com, click 'Personal' then 'Financial Products' then look for 'PayPal plug-in' which has been reported to work.  If this possible solution works or doesn't work for you, please let me know!

• Bankpass.it:  Is www.bankpass.it the solution?  I have yet had time to fully investigate, but www.bankpass.it (recommended by Trenitalia themselves) seems to offer a service where you can sign up with a participating Italian bank using your Visa or MasterCard, then make approved transactions on Trenitalia through Bankpass.it.  If you find out more, positive or negative, please let me know!

• A suggestion from an Australian user whose card wouldn't work is to take out a pre-paid Visa debit card in euro denominations.  Even using one provided by an Australian bank, this worked and tickets were successfully bought online.

• If all else fails and you really can't get Trenitalia.com to accept your credit card, try buying your Italian train tickets at www.raileurope.co.uk (only a bit more expensive and easy to use, UK residents only, the drawback is that it hasn't got every Italian train or route programmed into it) or use these links to buy Italian rail tickets in the UK, in the USA, ...in Canada & in Australia, the only drawback being it's more expensive than using Trenitalia.com, even before postage is added.

How to use www.trenitalia.com...

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

• Use the journey planner to find train times.  It will also show the 'base' (normal undiscounted) fare for each train.

• Select a service and click 'continue' to buy tickets or check availability of discounted fares.

• The note against a train saying that "Reservations must be made in Italy" confuses people, all it actually means is that seat reservation is compulsory, for any part of the journey within Italy.  It does not mean you can only make reservations on this train when you get to Italy!

• You can book tickets up to 90 days in advance (originally 60, it was increased to 90 days in summer 2009).  You can't book further ahead than this.  Remember that all European railways change their timetables on a Sunday in mid-June & mid-December every year, and unfortunately the 90 days often gets squeezed to less than 90 (often as little as 60 days or so) around these times.  Don't be surprised if you find no trains shown at all (or just one or two) if you enquire for a date after a timetable change, as data may not be loaded for the new timetable yet.  If you are travelling more than 90 days from now (or on a date after a timetable change) then by all means check times & prices for a date within the next 90 days (or before the timetable change) to get an idea, they probably won't change that much. 

• What type of train should you choose? 

  For domestic Italian daytime journeys, 'Eurostar Italia AV' and 'Eurostar City' (look for the ES* or ES AV logos) are the best, fastest and most modern trains, all fully air-conditioned.  InterCity & InterCity Plus are the next best, also air-conditioned.  Espresso, Diretto & Regional trains are much slower.

• What fare should you choose?

  'Base' or 'Standard' is the normal full-price fare, it's the price you'd pay at the ticket ticket office on the day of travel (although a 5% discount on the base fare is available if you book online and use ticketless option).  You can change your travel plans at least once with a 'Base' ticket, even up to 3 hours after the departure of the train you're booked on. 

  'Flessible' or 'Flexi' is 20% more expensive than the 'base' fare but more flexible and not really necessary for most travellers.  A 1st class Flessible ticket allows you to use the first class lounge.  Aimed at those travelling on business.  You probably won't need it!

  'Amica' is an advance purchase discount, 20% less than the base fare.  A good option if it's available and you don't mind an inflexible ticket allowing no changes to travel plans or refunds.

  'Smart Price' (or Smart Price 2) is the fare to look for on international journeys if it's available, it's a cheap advance-purchase fare, non-refundable, no changes to travel plans allowed.

  'Promo -60%', -30% or -15% advance booking 'promo' discounts.  These are non-changeable & non-refundable.  The cheapest way to go, if they're available on the train you want.

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

• "Seat near to...".  The boxes where you can enter a coach and seat number confuse some people, who ask me what coach & seat number they need to enter!  All it's asking is whether you want to book a seat near another specific seat that someone else has already booked, for example if your granny is already booked on the same train is car 12, seat 56, you can ask for a seat near that one.  If granny isn't on the train, just ignore this bit, leaving the coach and seat number boxes blank.

• Booking sleepers:  When booking sleepers, the translation to English is poor and can be confusing.  'Single seat compartment' actually means single bed sleeper compartment, 'double seat compartment' actually means 2-bed double sleeper, 'Tourist 3-bed sleeper' does indeed mean a bed in a 3-bed room.  All of these are for berths in a largish compartment in a standard sleeper, see above.  There is also another type of sleeper with very narrow compartments (17 compartments instead of 12 in the same length of sleeping-car), described as 'first class special sleeper' for sole occupancy or '2nd class 2-bed cabin' for 2-berth occupancy, at cheaper fares than the single or 2-bed rooms in the standard sleeper.  If you have lots of luggage or like your space, and don't mind the extra few euros, I recommend the larger standard sleeper.  On a handful of routes (for example Milan-Naples), there is a deluxe Excelsior sleeper with private shower and toilet.

• Registration:  You need to register before buying your first ticket.  This is a simple enough process.  If it won't accept a UK-style postcode, simply use '123456'.  This doesn't matter as nothing is actually sent to you. 

• After you register they will email a password to you.  The email may arrive within minutes or may take a few hours, but it will come.  When you go to login using this password, you'll first need to change it to a new one.  If it says this new password failed, don't worry, click 'logout' then log in again using the new password and it should work fine.

• How are tickets delivered?  On many Italian trains (not international ones, just domestic ones) you can select a 'ticketless' option, which means you can simply get on the train and quote your booking reference to the conductor when he comes down the train.  Easy!  Alternatively, tickets can be picked up from machines at all main Italian stations, you simply enter your name and booking reference and out come the tickets.  Or they can be picked up from the ticket office at any main Italian station.  The hassle-free 'ticketless' option is a great advantage of using Trenitalia.com instead of agencies in your home country who have to physically send out tickets. 

• Remember that tickets cannot be collected at stations outside Italy, so even though it will book a ticket from Paris to Milan, you can't pick up the tickets in Paris (do I really have to spell it out?) as Paris is not in Italy and not a Trenitalia-staffed station...

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

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings Cross stations in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  2009 edition (June to December 2009)

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

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

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk

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

 

Find a hotel or guesthouse anywhere in Italy...

www.venere.com is probably the best website for hotels in Italy, because they're an Italian-based company and have places in even the smallest towns.  They're also good because the price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you just pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.  Here are links to their hotel pages in key Italian destinations:  Florence   Venice   Verona   Rome   Naples   Milan   Siena  Lucca   Bologna   Pisa   Sorrento   Genoa   Ancona   Other Italian towns & cities

Late bookings with www.laterooms.com...

It's also worth checking www.laterooms.com using the search form below.  Laterooms negotiates discounts for hotel rooms booked within 3 months of travel, which makes it ideal for train travellers booking tickets within the normal 90 days advance booking period.  The discounted prices will be shown in orange.  Click on the dates to sort results by price.

Town or city...	-- Choose a country -- UK England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland -------------------------------------- Andorra Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Montenegro Morocco Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Syria Tunisia Turkey Ukraine Vatican City Wales ...or choose a country
	-- No. of nights -- 1 night 2 nights 3 nights 4 nights 5 nights 6 nights 7 nights
-- Room Sleeps -- 1 person 2 people 2 + 1 child 2 + 2 children 2 + 3 children 3 people 4 people 5 people 6 people 7 people

Finally, www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Backpacker hostels...

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

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

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