Italian Trains: The Don'ts of Train Travel in Italy

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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Copyright Mark Wolters 2023

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[giovanni]

This is such a comprehensive video with wonderful advice! Well done! As a local who avidly rides trains, I have a few pro tips to add:

1) Don't forget your passport in the hotel! Although it is technically the law to always carry your passport (or ID for EU citizens) with you in Italy, this is especially important in the trains. Many police officers randomly stop people in some of the bigger sations and ask to check your passport. I have only ever been stopped by the police at a train station, and it happened twice at Roma Termini, once at Firenze SMN, Roma Tiburtina, and even at Prato Centrale.

2) Don't arrive at the train station hours in advance like for a flight! Some of the bigger train stations have shops and restaurants, but the stations have very few places to sit. Waiting halls do not exist, except for the lounge for Frecciarossa/Italo Business class/executive passengers. Unless you want to sit on the ground, I would recommend arriving maybe 5-10 minutes ahead in a small station and 15 minutes ahead in a bigger one. About 20-25 minutes would be ideal before getting on a high speed train in a big station (except Bologna Centrale, see below).

3) Don't underestimate the size of some stations, particularly Bologna Centrale. Although Roma Termini and Milano Centrale are both big stations, one should take care when arriving at/departing from Bologna Centrale. It is massive; I have probably been lost there 4 times. The high speed trains are like 4 levels below ground and take a while to get to; I recommend the escalators if you have a lot of baggage. Also, the platforms for the regional trains towards Florence/Prato are kind of far away and hidden (usually platform 2-Est, a far walk from the underground passageway with the other non-high-speed trains). Be also careful when exiting Bologna Centrale to take the correct exit for the city center; there are many different exits.

4) Don't forget to buy return tickets on the app/online or in advance before going to very small stations. Although most train stations have at least one ticket machine, in very small cities, in might not be working.

5) Don't look for the station with the wrong names. When looking on Trenitalia's website, the nams of the cities are always in Italian (Roma, Firenze, Milano, Napoli, Venezia, etc.). Also, some common abbreviations include:
C.le = Centrale (central)
S. = San (Saint, like in San Giovanni)
AV = alta velocità (high speed trains like Frecciarossa and Italo)

6) Don't forget the airport trains. Forget paying 30€ for an airport taxi. Airports like Rome Fiumicino, Bologna, Pisa, Milan, and others are connected well to the city by a train or people mover. Rome Fiumicino Airport even has some high speed trains! Also, there is a cheaper train from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Rome City than the Leonardo Express that arrives at Roma Tuscolana and Roma Tiburtina.

7) Don't forget that REGIONAL train tickets bought on the app/online are valid for up to four hours after your scheduled departure time since they are already validated. The only important thing is it is the same route. So, don't worry about getting a new ticket if you just missed your regional train by just a few minutes.

8) Don't forget about looking into the promotions on Trenitalia regional trains if you are going to be using them frequently over a 3-5 day period or for a long distance. The Italia in Tour pass is often a great deal, especially if one is doing lots of consecutive day trips or hopping between small/medium-sized cities.

9) Don't ignore information about buses. When booking a train on Trenitalia's website, sometimes buses are listed, such as Freccialink. Also, when there are outages, buses are used to substitute the trains. Part of the Florence-Bologna route for regional trains are being subsistituded by buses this summer, for example.

10) Don't miss out on the potential savings of overnight intercity trains. Although this only really applies when travelling really long distances in Italy, it can be an adventurous way to pay for a trip and a place to sleep somewhere -- potentially saving some money.

11) Most importantly, don't be unaware of strikes. You should be able to find information about strikes online, but it is hard to know as a non-local. Strikes happen very frequently on the trains, and often result in cancellations and significant delays. Even if you are able to get somewhere on a strike day, don't expect to come back soon; you may be stuck waiting at the station for hours. Unfortunately, Trenitalia's booking page on their website or app does not reflect cancellations due i strikes.

I hope this information helps! Enjoy exploring Italy by train!

[darger]

My son and I got stuck in Florence as we missed the last train. It turned out to be a brilliant and long night; sometimes the inconsistency works out. 🇮🇹 ❤️

[yolacintia]

We traveled all around Italy in 2007 before cell phones, wifi, internet in the go, GPS, it was a great adventure. No lines of people anywhere. Traveling before Instagram was way more enjoyable.

[christinefuntas]

Great video. Just spent a month in Italy and did many train trips. Just want to add, in Roma Termini, there were many people waiting for the Departure Board to update. When it did, there was a crowd of people who gathered around the board. I was behind my husband as he was looking up and a well-dressed woman tried to pick pocket him by grabbing for his back pockets. He yelled and she ran. Just a heads up of another area of the train station to be on your guard.

[cdt]

Great video, Mark! First class on an Italian train is 👌. Last night, I was just looking into a train journey around the coast of Calabria for when I get my Italian citizenship. I was also on that EC from Verona to Innsbruck and that was the most amazing train ride I’ve ever been on! Can’t wait to go back to Italy 🇮🇹

[francescogreggio]

Lots of really good advice here. Definitely, definitely try to get your tickets online if you can. The kiosks in most train stations work fine, but there's often lines to use them, and when they don't, having to get tickets at the desk is a nightmare.

Also definitely try to avoid using public restrooms in stations. It's absolutely disgraceful, but most of the times those toilets are borderline unusable becaose of the condition they are left in. They really are there just for emergencies. And in some place, like Milano Centrale, you have to pay to use them.

One thing about train conductors and ticket controllers: do not argue with them. They are used to dealing with people using the train without tickets and then trying to make up excuses to avoid paying the ticket and the associated fine, so they are never in the mood for arguing. If you have doubts about your tickets, look for them at the head of the train and be polite, and 99% of the times they'll solve your problem if there is one, often without even asking for you to pay any extras or integrations. Even if you have to board in an absolute rush or an emergency and don't have a ticket, go to them and tell them. Worse thing that can happen is that they'll apply a surcharge (never happened to me, though), but it's still so much better than being caught without a ticket.

Most importantly, though: whatever you do, do not argue with them unless you want to explain the situation to the police, because they will call the police on you if you piss them off. I've seen it happen countless times.

[garybasford]

Just completed two weeks around Italy by train. One thing I will point out is sometimes you book through the train website but part of the journey was by bus. This was the connection from Salerno to Matera. Didn’t notice until the day before we travelled but a pleasant journey anyway. Just use the toilet before as it’s a 3 hour journey with only one stop in Potenza.

[jac]

In 2019, we were taking the train from Venice to Rome and arrived late and missed our train. I went to the service desk and explained our predicament, and they could not have been nicer. They rebooked our party on the next train to Rome at no charge. They deserve a lot of kudos - and they spoke English (thank goodness). Now it was early May and not peak season, so I think we got lucky that there was room.

[diedrino]

just a word about trains getting too hot: I live in Italy and often travel by train, almost always actually, and on the regional train in summer it can get way too cold (yes, cold) in one car and way too hot in another. In my region, Tuscany, the trains between the coast and the inland almost always are too cold. Once I was at the beach and I had to come back home in Florence by train (a couple hours) and decided to get on the train while still wet from the beach, I mean my hair (long) and my costume, and I was wearing flip flops. it was terrible, I had to travel between cars all the time to look for some place where it wasn't too cold. but yeah, trains can get too hot too. anyway, great advices and great video, as an Italian I can say you know our train lines very well, good work! Enjoy your time in Italy!!

[jihuff]

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!

[TMD]

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.

[pamelabasilone]

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!

[craigbeech]

Thanks for the awesome information, genuinely well done Wolt! 👍🏻
Best wishes from Australia
🇦🇺🦘👍🏻

[Chrisbs]

If I can add one more and it's something that caught me off guard (got on the wrong train) Just because you see a train that is going to Rome on the tracks that you are supposed to be at, CHECK that train number. In my case, there were 3 consecutive Freccia trains going to Rome. Ours was the third" and they were literally only 10 minutes apart! Luckily I caught it quickly when I saw someone in my seat, the conductor, said.. "wrong train, WRONG TRAIN!" Of course, they were on a schedule and I am sure I am no the first to do that.... :) it all worked out. So my Don't is... don't just think that because it is going to Rome, and it's close to the time of your departure that it is your train... always check that number. I love all of these tips.. especially book early, book first class. You have so much more space.. the coach classes seem to be a cluster sometimes, lots of people standing in the aisles, oh and more room for luggage, right behind your seat so you don't have to lift if if you have mobility issues.

[TheSirjull]

My wife and I traveled Italy for our honeymoon last year. It was both our first time in Europe and traveling mainly by trains. Not being fully used to trains it was a little daunting… one thing I found is that the PAPER schedules that he shows in these videos were WAY easier to read/find what your looking for. It has the entire days worth of trains on there so it’s a good way to see where you need to be at the start before your train is listed on the electronic terminal.

[cwess]

I just came across your channel, this is a great video….very helpful! I just purchased my Trenitalia ticket yesterday online for my group traveling in Sept…and based on this video I’m sure glad I did! Btw - your Italian accent/pronunciation is great:)

[commonsenseIndia]

Super helpful!! Thanks a ton, Cheers!!

[sandrab.]

Great Info. Thanks for sharing your tips! 👍🌻

[Fanw]

Very interesting and helpful. But you missed one important point. In Italy there are still overnight trains which go the length of the country!

[cschu]

This has to be one of the best travel advice videos I've come across, grazie!