Train travel is something that any traveler to Italy will need to take advantage of to enjoy the country of pizza, pasta, and incredible fashion. When taking the trains in Italy there is a lot that travelers should know so they can take advantage of eurorail, interrail, and early purchase tickets. Here we give you the best advice on train travel in Italy, from knowing the different train companies that you may deal with, how to get cheap train tickets in italy, and knowing that not every train station you want to get off at is called centrale.
Filmed in Bari, Italy
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49 Comments
For the regional trains you can also pick up tickets from some local shops.
Helpful, as always. You must have bad travel karma. I have found that the trains in Italy are generally on time or only slightly delayed. As regards long distance train travel, I recently took the train from Basel Switzerland to Palermo Sicily! The sleeper car was a disaster. But Basel to Milano was great. I would do it again—but not by sleeper car.
I don’t agree that the faster trains are more on time. The general rule seems to be the longer the distance the train travels, the more likely the delay. Night trains in particular seem to rack up big delays, especially the ones which go on the ferry to Sicily (really cool journey).
My first time going to Venice I got off the train at Mestre by accident. I thought, “Jeez! Venice has really gone downhill — they filled in all the canals! 😂”
👍👍👍
Almost missed a flight last month because there was a problem with voltage on the train lines and we couldn't get on our train back to Rome. Of all things we did in Italy, trains are definitely the one thing we will remember negatively – there was trouble on the Venice-Rome trip as well which was delayed by 2 hours. I have travelled a lot by train in France and found the Italian railways very poorly run in comparison, not because the trains themselves are bad but because when things go wrong there appears to be no alternatives offered to travellers and no proper compensation or communication either. You just stand in the station and wait for a miracle to happen. Also if an issue happens in one of the centrally located stations like Firenze and Bologna, it massively impacts the entire network across the country.
I shudder to imagine what it will be like during the peak season this summer.
Are a majority of people still masking in Italy in June 2023???
u can also buy tickets from the app
Hi Mark, just a quick question, is the location were you are filming the video Polignano a Mare, just outside Bari by any chance? it looks familiar and it is a beautiful place and locals are lovely, stayed there for a few days for a football match a few years back.
Re bathrooms in Europe, I say go whenever you have the opportunity! Good advice about accepting things as they are but being smart to avoid missed connections etc Thanks, good video.
As an Italian I'm wondering how you Americans travel by train in your nation?
As always, great job. I love traveling in Italy and yes, trains are the way to go. A couple of things I may add – I was in Milan, Rome, and Palermo last Fall and found that the "luggage storage" facilities still were not open. I hope that has changed. Second, if you do have time to kill, traveling via train(s) from the toe to the Alps is an AMAZING trip. Again, it's a LOOOOng train ride but really a beautiful one. Finally, if you have the chance, take the train from Messina to Calabria via the train ferry. It's such a unique and cool exprience.
Your videos are always so helpful. Me and my gf are going on vacation to Italy next week.
Great tips! Might I add that if you are in a first class carriage where they often have some extra luggage racks, you MUST keep and eye on your luggage especially if it's not too close to your seat. Thieves will literally get on (especially at stops) grab luggage and walk away with it! Be watchful!
Back in the 1980's, I was waiting for my train. All of a sudden, everyone left. I was left alone at the track. After a bit of puzzling things out, I figured out that the track was changed. I don't remember any announcements, and that was before the fancy electronics that told you where the train was supposed to be. Luckily, I managed to find out where my train was arriving.
If you're in for the views on the train, please use the Regionale more. The fast trains are indeed faster, but I went from Verona to Rome last year and more than half of the route was just tunnels. Yes it's fast, but also a shame.
Super helpful!! Thanks a ton, Cheers!!
1st tip:
Don't go by train in Italy.
That's it.
On some regional trains, you must hit the knob next to the door so that the door will open. I missed my stop because the doors do not open automatically. Had to walk back two miles to the town I missed. I was coming from sicily and going to scilla. The only one getting off. A great town, by the way. Fortunately, I travel light.
Come on everyone, pleaee tell 26k of your closest friends to subscribe so we can finally get Mark and his family to that well deserved 1M subs! This Italy train tips video is just another example of the great information in a fun style he puts out 2x a week, every week!
Forget TGV or ICE, in my experience, Italian high speed trains are the best in the world.
Great man! Going to Vicenza! Forza Lane!!!
This just comes over as horrendously patronising and negative; this country was put together c.2500 years ago and the constant implied sneering criticism vis a vis the US is inappropriate, disrespectful, and unnecessary.
Okay
0:12 that’s my city’s destination from Milano Centrale!!
Excellent video. When I was there last year we took a train from Venice to Florence. And then another from Florence to Rome. I can't recall which one was Freccia (it means arrow for those who don't speak Italian) and which was Italo. We paid for 1st/Executive class for each trip and let me say: 100% WORTH IT! We were there in the Summer and it was blazing hot. But the First class ticket gives you lounge access that had a/c and free food and drink! The food was snack type (chips, cookies, crackers), and the drinks were soft drinks. Also, the first class cars are cooler, less people, bigger seats, more space for bags…and you get food and drink (with wine as a choice). One of those trains gave us like full meal on real plates with real cutlery and glasses. The other gave us more of a boxed sandwich but we could get wine with it.
My reply to this “Don’t “ is simple. Don’t use Italian trains. A nightmare. It’s likely worse in India, Arica and China but for Europe, there’s not much worse.
Roma Termini meaning is not about the terminal 😂😂😂 its about the ancient thermes (thermal baths ) situated in that area😮
Fantastic videos, thank you for all the great information! I love train travel in Europe.
OMG we rushed to get on the train from Milan to lake Cuomo because my brother was trying to figure out how to get tickets. Got on the train and then the announcement comes on. Everybody off. This train is cancelled and the next one is in one hour🤦🏻♀️. Next train is of course packed to standing only. However i happened to be staying next to a lovely young British couple and we had a lovely conversation.
Great tips!
Yes, pay attention to your wallet. When I went thru security at the Rome Airport in March, I didn't double check my purse. I got on the plane and no wallet! I couldn't deplane so I had to come home with barely enough money that I just happened to have forgotten was in another place so I could get from the airport to my house. It was security's fault and they had my wallet in Lost and found with all the cards and cash still in it. They couriered it to me but it cost a couple hundred dollars. (I'm in Israel). Any time you are dealing with luggage, check for your wallet. Better yet, have one card and some cash some place else on your person. I had done this when I started my trip but didn't think I needed to bother when I left.
Back in the day I took a Eurostar from Rome to Bari, and the trip was about 5 hours.
Later, I took the State rail FS (Ferrovie dello Stato) train from Bari to Sicily, and that was a 24 hour trip.
Wow, what a great video, thank you I live in Ecuador (a gringo) and we don't have trains, but we have a huge bus system that I use and love. Same key items, be cool, ask if you don't understand, and figure it out. Our bus system covers the whole country, you just have to be patient and understanding. No "Karens" on the bus, we all try to get along.
One of the donts of any warm country you forgot to do yourself is to NEVER wear black clothes during the day. ☀️☀️☀️
Remember what Mussolini did for the trains.
Look for Rome's so called creepy train. Once it leaves the underground segment in the city it's actually a pretty ride.
Travel by train is fun. Thank you for your good advice.Nice video! Thank you for sharing👍🙏❤
Lots of good advice. I am a resident of Switzerland and often cross the border into Italy. Here are a few of my comments on your video.
1) A big reason to plan on the trains (and buses) rather than driving is parking. In some destinations you can waste a lot of time trying to find parking, especially during busy times (summer high season, major holidays, etc.).
2) Even for longer distances a high speed train is often faster, city center to city center, than flying. Major train stations are often in/near city center while airports are often a distance outside the center. Add the time you need for checking in, security, etc, and the 5 hours from Milan to Naples on train is not that different that the time needed to get from center of Milan to center of Naples when flying.
3) Pay attention not only to times on the boards in the stations but also look out for platfrom (binario) changes. Some are easy; in Bologna the high speed trains use only 4 , 2 each direction. A platform change is just a matter of crossing 2-3 meters. But we have been caught with late platform changes at Venezia Mestre, Milano Centrale, and some others. Another reason to travel with less 'stuff' (one of our late changes was when traveling with bicycles and panniers …. a lot to haul up and down stairs when there is only a few minutes notice of the platform change).
4) Besides the Trenitalia and Italo apps, and the bookmarked websites, I also use Trainline, especially if there is a border crossing, e.g., into France or Austria.
5) Buses are good for moving around in some areas after arrival by train. Most regions have an app for the bus or the bus/train, or bus/train/cable car system in the area. We spend a lot of time in Südtiroll, so I have the Suedtirolmobil app on my phone and use it to plan trips and to buy and validate tickets.
6) I would suggest looking for higher classes of tickets rather than 'first class' tickets, particularly on the fast trains. Italo and the Freccia train class systems are not aligned with the normal first/second class structure. Freccia classes are something like Standard/Premium/Business and Italo they are usually Smart/Prima/Club Executive/Salotto. And there are normally a pricing structure in each class. On a recent trip from Verona to Milan I traveled Frecciarossa Super Economy Business Class, which was quite inexpensive since I bought the ticket a month in advance.
7) Understand your ticket/reservation. We have frequently seen folks who do not speak/understand Italian get beligerent when told they have the wrong seat. It is almost always a case of being in the correct seat number in the wrong car, but some get a bit testy when the actual seat holders come along and want their seat. Ugliest scene was when a party of US travelers on an Italo train found out they were in the right seat numbers but wrong car, and then realized the cushy Club Executive seats they were being asked to leave were much better than the 'Smart' class seats they had purchased.
8) And don't ignore that the train systems with neighboring countries are linked, so easy to travel between Italy and Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, etc.
Ive been to italy a good few times and always use the train
My daughter & I are backpacking around Italy in September & we will be using the trains. Italy’s not a country I’m unfamiliar with but this time the train expert (my hubby) won’t be with us.
Thank goodness you’ve done this brilliant video to help us. Brilliant!
Yes, you had lots of great advise to train travels in Italy, but where we had problems was navigating the platforms. Many platforms can only be reached by going down steps and then up steps to reach your platform. Easy…not! Most of these stations do not have elevators or escalators and being a senior traveler it's hard to carry your bags and accomplish this without killing yourself. This is traveling with only a personal bag and overhead bag. We buy our tickets on-line and reserve our seats! I just wish the stations had diagrams of the layout of the station or information regarding steps down and up, just something that would help us travel more safely. We do use public transportation, both bus and train in our travels and we love that about Europe. In Texas, you don't us either!! Thanks again for all your travel YouTubes!
I immediately wanted to comment that that delay in Bolzano was surely a train coming from Munich, but then you did it yourself later
As always, go slow and enjoy the moment. As an American tourist we tend to want to do everything in once trip. In your California video you made this point, spend time in each region and enjoy it.
I made a rookie mistake back in 2016 in my first time in Italy. It didn't occur to me that I had to validate my ticket (which is something that seems obvious, but as I was born in a country where there is no train service at all, well, I didn't know), so I got fined with 75 euros.
At least, it will naver happen again, so it was that one and only time.
fantastic video…
Mark been following ya for all my trips. Considering going to Lake Titicaca Peru. Have you been and did you travel out of Juliaca? Any advice for that area?
These are a few of my experiences while traveling in Italy with my family. Have a lot of patience. If you are traveling with anyone with a picky appetite find foods they will eat and stock up. The last thing for our experiences, we are a blended family and we experienced being overlooked a lot of times, shopping, dinner, or just traveling. We got a lot of local people starring. Since my husband is Italian, he prepared us for it.
here's a tip which can come useful if you're in a hurry or you're at a tiny station with no place to validate them: if you bought a ticket but you go on the train without validating it for whatever reason you should find the train master, explain them the situation and they'll validate it for you. Also, unofficial but ends up being your only option sometimes: if you have a pen, or ask another passenger for one, you can write on the ticket the time when you got onto the train and it'll sorta count as validated.
I'm only at the beginning of your video, so I don't know if you'll cover this topic. When buying high speed Frecciarossa or Italo tickets, always look for those which grant you both a refund and the possibility of changing the departure time. Trenitalia does have a section called "infomobilità" where you find which trains have been delayed or cancelled for any reason (accidents, strikes, …) but that's only in Italian. The Italian ministry of transport has a page where you find all the strikes in a chronological order, but that's in Italian as well. As for buying seats on the Frecciarossa trains, people do it only if they want a specific seat or if they're travelling with someone else and want to stay close to each other. If you don't care where you'll be sitting, the computer will pick a seat for you free of charge
No clue how many videos I've watched in a row, but these are all very well done. Thank you for the quality information.