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Trains in Italy

In Italy the extensive train network takes you from the ancient relics of Pompeii to the picturesque Umbrian countryside, along the spectacular Tuscan coastline or the beautiful islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Travel to famous cities Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan on board Italian trains and get great views from your window along the way.

 

Train types in Italy

Trains in Italy will take you across the entire country and its islands, as well as other countries in Europe. Italy's train network is operated by Trenitalia. You can check times for Italian trains in the Interrail timetable or the Trenitalia timetable.

Map with main train routes in Italy

Regional and Intercity trains

Trenord regionale (R)

  • Runs through the central northern region of Lombardia, close to Switzerland.

  • No reservations required.

  • Trains between Lecco and Piona are not included in your Pass. 

  • Trains between Milan and Malpensa airport are not included in your Pass.

  • Check train times on the Trenitalia timetable.

InterCity (IC)

  • Connects major cities like Florence, Milan, Rome, and Venice.

  • Faster than regional trains and fewer stops.

  • Reservations are mandatory.

The Leonardo Express

  • An express train between Rome and Fiumicino Airport.

  • All seats are 1st class, therefore a 1st class Interrail Pass is required to travel on this train. If you have a 2nd Class Interrail Pass you will need to buy a ticket.

  • 2nd class Pass holders can travel between Rome and Fiumicino airport with Frecciarossa trains.

Domestic high-speed trains

Le Frecce high-speed trains (formerly known as Eurostar Italia) are modern and comfortable. All trains have air-conditioning, luggage racks, power sockets, refreshments and usually a restaurant car.

 

Frecciarossa (FR)

  • Connects the main Italian cities from north to south on high speed lines.
  • The fastest trains in Italy, with speeds up to 300 km/h.
  • Flagship: Frecciarossa 1000
  • Reservations are required.

Frecciarossa (FR) to and from Fiumicino Airport (Rome)

  • Fiumicino - Roma Termini 
  • Fiumicino - Napoli (via Roma Termini) 
  • Fiumicino - Venezia S. Lucia (via Bologna, Florence, Roma Termini) 
  • Reservations are required.

Frecciargento (FA)

  • Connects the main Italian cities from north to south on high speed lines and conventional railway lines.
  • Second fastest trains in Italy, with speeds up to 250 km/h.
  • Reservations are required.

Frecciabianca (FB)

  • Connects the main Italian cities with secondary cities on conventional railway lines.
  • Third fastest trains in Italy, with speeds up to 200 km/h.
  • Reservations are required.

Freccialink (Frecce + bus)

  • Trenitalia offers bus connections with Freccialink to towns otherwise hard to reach by train. 
  • However, Freccialink bus reservations can only be made at train stations in Italy and by phone
  • They can only be booked in combination with Le Frecce trains. See here for more information.

International trains

 

EuroCity Brenner 

  • Connects Venice / Verona / Bologna to Munich (Germany), via Innsbruck (Austria) 
  • Seat reservations are optional.
  • Mandatory supplement if you are travelling to/from/within Italy.
    • 1st class: €15 (including supplement)
    • 2nd class: €10 (including supplement)
  • A supplement can be bought on board for an additional fee, costing €5

Railjet Brenner (from April 2024)

  • Connects Venice / Verona / Bologna to Munich (Germany), via Innsbruck (Austria) 
  • Seat reservations are optional.
  • Mandatory supplement if you are travelling to/from/within Italy. 
    • 1st class: €15 (including supplement)
    • 2nd class: €10 (including supplement)
    • Business Class upgrade: €30(including supplement)
  • A supplement can be bought on board for an additional fee, costing €5

EuroCity to Switzerland

  • Connects Milan and Venice to Zurich / Bern / Basel / Geneva (Switzerland)
  • Reservations are mandatory.

EuroCity (Express)

  • Connects Milan to Frankfurt (Germany) via Basel (Switzerland)
  • Reservations are mandatory if you're travelling to/from/within Italy.

EuroCity to Austria via Slovenia

  • Connects Trieste to Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Vienna via Graz (Austria) 
  • Reservations are optional.

Railjet

  • Connects Venice / Bolzano to Vienna (Austria) 
  • Seat reservations are optional. 
  • Mandatory supplement if you are travelling to/from/within Italy.
    • 1st class: €15 (including supplement)
    • 2nd class: €10 (including supplement)
  • A supplement can be bought on board for an additional fee, costing €5

TGV

  • Connects Turin / Milan to several cities in France
  • Reservations are mandatory.

Intercity and Regional train to Nice

  • Connects Milan and Genoa to Nice and Côte d’Azur (France) 
  • Step 1: IC Milan – Genoa – Ventimiglia / RE Genoa - Ventimiglia 
  • Step 2: RE Ventimiglia – Monaco – Nice – Cannes (France) 
  • Transfer in Ventimiglia

Domestic night trains

InterCity Notte (ICN) to Sicily

This is a unique journey as the train is transported by boat across the Strait of Messina.

  • Milan – Bologna – Firenze – Messina – Catania - Syracusa
  • Milan – Bologna – Firenze – Messina – Palermo
  • Rome – Napoli – Salerno – Messina – Catania – Syracusa
  • Rome – Napoli – Salerno – Messina – Palermo
  • Rome - Messina – Catania – Syracusa
  • Rome – Messina – Palermo

InterCity Notte (ICN) between the rest of Italy

  • Milan – Bari – Taranto – Brinsidi – Lecce 
  • Milan – Parma – Bari – Brinsidi – Lecce
  • Torino – Alessandria – Bari – Brinsidi – Lecce
  • Torino – Milan – Roma – Napoli – Salerno
  • Torino – Genoa – Roma – Napoli – Salerno
  • Torino – Genoa – Pisa – Livorno – Reggio di Calabria
  • Trieste – Venice – Padova – Rome
  • Bolzano – Trento – Verona – Rome

International night trains

ÖBB Nightjet (EN) has many trains connecting to and from several destinations in Italy:

  • Rome – Florence – Salzburg – Munich (Not between 10 June – 9 September)
  • Ancona – Bologna – Salzburg – Munich – Stuttgart (10 June – 9 September)
  • Rome - Florence - Bologna – Vienna
  • Ancona – Bologna – Vienna (10 June – 9 September)
  • Livorno - Pisa - Florence - Bologna – Vienna (Not between 10 June – 9 September)
  • La Spezia – Genoa – Milan - Verona - Vienna
  • La Spezia – Genoa – Milan - Verona - Salzburg – Munich – Stuttgart
  • Venice - Udine - Salzburg - Vienna
  • Venice - Udine - Salzburg – Munich – Stuttgart
  • Reservations for sleeping accommodation are required.

 

Scenic train routes in Italy

Bernina Express

  • Chur (Switzerland) to Lugano via Tirano (Italy).

  • Interrail Passes are valid for the entire journey.

  • Seat reservations are only required for the special panorama train.


Centovalli Railway

  • Locarno (Switzerland) to Domodossola (Italy).

  • Interrail Passes are valid for the entire journey.

 

Popular connections

Route Regional High-speed
Rome to Florence 3h 30m 1h 30m
Rome to Milan 9h (1 stop) 3h
Rome to Venice 9h (3 stops) 3h 30m
Florence to Milan 5h 30m (1 stop) 1h 30m
Florence to Venice 4h (2 stops) 2h
Pisa to Florence 1h 1h
Venice to Milan 3h 30m (1 stop) 2h 30m
Milan to Naples 14h 4h 35m
Rome to Turin 10h 20m 4h 10m
Milan to Palermo - 20h 45m (overnight)
Route Which train? Travel time Reservations
Genova (via Ventimiglia) to Nice (France) IC + Regional trains 3h 15m Required
Milan to Bern / Geneva / Zurich (Switzerland) EuroCity 3h / 4h 15m / 3h 15m Required
Milan to Vienna (Austria) ÖBB Nightjet 11h 30m (overnight) Required
Rome to Munich (German) EuroCity Brenner / ÖBB Nightjet 6h 20m / 13h (overnight) Required
Venice to Innsbruck (Austria) EuroCity Brenner 4h 30m Required
Venice to Vienna (Austria) RailJet 8h (overnight) Required
Venice to Vienna (Austria) EuroNight 7h 30m (overnight) Required
Trieste to Ljubljana (Slovenia)   EuroCity 3h Optional

 

International ferry routes to and from Italy

  • Spain to Italy
    Get an Interrail discount of 20% off Grimaldi Lines journeys from Barcelona to Civitavecchia and Porto Torres (Sardinia).

  • Greece to Italy
    Get free and discounted travel with Minoan Lines ferry trips from Patras or Igoumenitsa to Ancona on the Adriatic coast of Italy.

 

Reservations

Interrail reservation self-service system

  • Interrail
  • IC, EC, Frecce (domestic), TGV, RailJet, Nightjet

Administration costs when booking through Interrail self-service

  • € 2,- p.p.per train
  • Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)

With railway carriers

Other platforms

  • Rail Europe:
    • Frecciarossa, Intercity, Intercity Notte
    • TGV to Paris, Eurocity to Switzerland, Bernina Express
  • Italiarail

An explanation of how each booking platform works can be found here: How do I book my reservations

 

Locally at the train station in Italy

 

By Phone 

Reservations can be booked through the Trenitalia call centre

 

Good to know

 

Which trains in Italy require reservations?

  • No reservations: Trenitalia regional trains.
  • Compulsory: Frecciarossa, Frecciagento, Frecciabianca, Intercity and Intercity Notte trains

Reservations for the TGV (Paris to Milan)

  • Seats are limited for Interrail Pass Holders.
  • It's not possible to buy tickets or reservations for this route at Italian train stations.

Freccialink

  • Freccialink bus reservations can only be made at train stations in Italy and by phone
  • They can only be booked in combination with Le Frecce trains. See here for more information.

 

Get your Pass for Italy

Interrail Italy One Country Pass

 
  • Offers you extensive rail travel in Italy and its islands.

  • 20% off City Sightseeing buses, plus more benefits.

  • Youth, senior and family discounts available.

  • Prices from € 133

 

View Italy Passes →

Interrail Global Pass

 

  • Have the freedom to visit Italy and up to 32 other Interrail countries

  • Youth, senior and family discounts available

  • Prices from € 194

 

View Global Passes →

 

Tips and tricks for Italy

The main Italian train stations

The two main hub stations in Italy are:

  • Roma Termini (Rome)

  • Milano Centrale (Milan)

 

Italy's main train stations usually have great facilities:

  • Luggage storage

  • Cash machines and a foreign exchange desk

  • Restaurants, cafés, and pharmacies

  • Tourist information offices

  • Elevators, escalators and access for disabled passengers

Spelling of names in Italy

In towns and cities in Italy, train stations, maps and information boards show local place names. Here are a few you can learn to make your Italian rail journey easier:

  • Firenze = Florence

  • Genova = Genoa

  • Milano = Milan

  • Napoli = Naples

  • Padova = Padua

  • Pompei = Pompeii

  • Roma = Rome

  • Sicilia = Sicily (island)

  • Torino = Turin

  • Venezia = Venice

Ferry travel and other discounts

If your Interrail Pass is valid in Italy, you can take several ferries for free or at a discount. These ferry routes run from from Italy's mainland to:

  • Sardinia and Sicily (Italy)

  • Split (Croatia)

  • Barcelona (Spain)

  • Various locations in Greece

 

And we've got many more discounts for you. 

 

See all Pass benefits for Italy

 

Get inspired

 

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    Train route: Florence and Beyond Travel by train around Tuscany to discover the most iconic Italian cities and scenery. Enjoy the placid views from the train and explore Florence, Pisa, Milan and Rome in the easiest possible way.