Italy by Train
Discover the beauty of traveling Italy by train
Traveling Italy by train means you can get everywhere, from the ancient relics of Pompeii to the spectacular Tuscan coastline. Discover the many treasures of Rome and Florence, go shopping in Milan and explore the canals of Venice by gondola. With a Eurail Pass and comfortable Italian trains, the entire country is within your reach!
Train types in Italy
- Route map
- Domestic trains
- International trains
- Night trains
- Scenic trains
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 Eurail Pass is required to travel on this train. If you have a 2nd Class Eurail 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)
International trains
EuroCity and Railjet Brenner
- Connects Venice / Verona / Bologna to Munich (Germany), via Innsbruck (Austria)
- Reservations are optional
- Mandatory supplement if you are traveling to/from/within Italy
- 1st class: €15
- 2nd class: €10
- Business Class upgrade: €30 (including supplement)
- A supplement can be bought on board for a small extra fee, costing €5, on top of the standard fee mentioned above
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 traveling 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 traveling to/from/within Italy.
- 1st class: €15
- 2nd class: €10
- 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:
Travel between the north and south of Italy by night, saving you precious travel time while you sleep. These are the domestic night trains operating in Italy:
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:
Night trains connect Italy with Austria, Germany and Spain, saving you travel time and money. These night trains operate to and from Italy:
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
There are 2 scenic train routes that cross into Italy:
Bernina Express | Chur – Lugano (Switzerland) via Tirano (Italy |
Centovalli Railway | Locarno (Switzerland) – Domodossola (Italy) |
Popular connections
- Domestic routes
- International routes
- Ferry routes
Italy has an extensive high-speed train network, which will get you where you want to go a lot faster compared to the regional train system. However, for the high-speed trains you'll need to book a seat reservation. We'll explain you more about reservations a bit further down on this page.
How long does it take to travel by train between Italy's top cities? Check out approximate times for both regional and high-speed Italian trains:
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 / Railjet Brenner / ÖBB Nightjet | 6h 20m / 13h (overnight) | Required |
Venice to Innsbruck (Austria) | EuroCity / Railjet 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 |
Spain-Italy |
|
Greece-Italy |
|
Reservations
Eurail reservation self-service system
- Eurail
- IC, EC, Frecce (domestic), TGV, RailJet, Nightjet
Administration costs when booking through Eurail self-service
- € 2,- p.p.per train
- Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)
With railway carriers
- ÖBB (Austrian railways): Domestic and international trains to Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia
- SNCB (b-europe): Only Eurocity trains to Switzerland
- ÖBB Nightjet: Only Nightjet
- DB (German railways): ‘Brenner’ EC/Railjet direct trains to Munich
- Leave ‘Book seat only’ switched off
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 Eurail Pass Holders.
- It's not possible to buy tickets or reservations for this route at Italian train stations.
Freccialink
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Get your Pass for Italy
Italy Pass
Spend your whole vacation exploring Italy by rail.
Standard prices from $ 158
Global Pass
Be free to visit Italy along with the other 32 Eurail countries.
Standard prices from $ 233
Pass benefits in Italy
Ferry travel
Free and discounted ferry travel is an extra benefit of the Eurail Italy Pass. Get free and discounted ferry travel from mainland Italy to:
Sardinia and Sicily (Italy)
Spain
Greece
Bus travel
Eurail Pass holders also travel for free on this international bus route:
Venice (Venezia) – Villach – Klagenfurt in Austria
Tips and tricks for Italy
Quick facts
Capital: Rome
Population: 60 million
Language: Italian
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Dialing code: +39
Italian cities on timetables
On Italian train timetables and at train stations you'll usually find the local spelling of Italian cities and stations.
Here is the local spelling of some popular Italian cities:
Florence = Firenze
Genoa = Genova
Milan = Milano
Naples = Napoli
Padua = Padova
Pompeii = Pompei
Rome = Roma
Sicily (island) = Sicilia
Turin = Torino
Venice = Venezia
Italian hub stations
Italy's 2 main hub stations are Rome's: Roma Termini and Milan's: Milano Centrale. From these train stations it's possible to connect to trains to most of Italy's main cities.
Station facilities
Stations in Italy usually have excellent facilities, often including:
Luggage lockers
Foreign exchange desks
Restaurants and cafés
Tourist information offices
ATM cash machines
Elevators and escalators
Access for disabled passengers
Get inspired
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Italy by Train Discover the benefits of traveling Italy by train. Check the best Italy train routes and which Italian trains to take.
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