Train travel in Italy – there’s no better way to get around. The service is reliable, cheap and clean… and even the railway station food is good!
With all this rail adventuring under my belt, I’ve learnt how best to wrangle the Italian rail system and so I’ve put together my ten top tips that’ll help ensure your Italian rail journeys go off without a hitch.
At the ticket offices
It’s peak time – the station is looking busy… and the queue for the ticket office isn’t moving. Why? Because up the front nonna is on the phone to a friend checking which ticket she needs to buy. All the while she’s arguing about arrival times with whoever she’s visiting she’s also holding up everyone behind her. And even when she’s decided which train to catch she’ll need to check with the person selling tickets that she’s buying the right one… several times over.
The point of this story is that a simple transaction can take many minutes. If you’re buying from the ticket office at a busy station allow plenty of time as there will be delays.
At the ticket machine
The first thing that’ll happen when you select your language at the automatic ticket machines is it’ll shout: “BEWARE PICKPOCKETS!”
The first time this happened to me I was so taken aback I forgot where I was going. You’ll get used to it, eventually. Also, it’ll alert every pickpocket on the station that there’s someone at the ticket machine.
The software used for the ticket machines can be a bit slow so once again, allow for plenty of time before your train. I almost missed a service because my chosen ticket machine was on a ‘go slow’. Factor this into your timings to be on the safe side.
Selecting a ticket
There are two basic types of train ticket in Italy. One’s for slow regional services and one’s for faster long-distance travel… perhaps. I can’t say I really noticed the difference in the trains although there are differences in how you pay.
One, you select your destination and departure time and pay; the other, you have to add in some personal details and in return you’ll get a numbered seat. There are also first class tickets on some services but as standard class is perfectly acceptable I don’t think the extra money is really worth it.
If you know in advance where you’re going and when it might be a good idea to book online. Trains can sell out – a bizarre notion to us Brits, but true – and although it might be possible to get a ticket from the ticket office when the machine says “no”, you can’t bet on it.
A brief visit to the Trenitalia website can save a whole load of heartache and messed up plans.
Validating your ticket
Before you travel you need to stamp your ticket using a validating machine – there will be several around the station.
Top tip – when you insert your ticket, place it to the left of the slot otherwise it doesn’t always work.
The small country station
You turn up at a small country station and there’re no staff around. There’s also no ticket machine to be seen. How do you get your ticket? A shop nearby will be selling them.
The nearest? Don’t be daft! That would be way too easy. There will be a sign somewhere around the station giving directions but you’re probably better off saying “biglietto?” while waving your hands about. Someone will understand and point you in the right direction.
Station food ‘n’ drink
The bars and restaurants at lots of stations are open to the non-travelling public, not just paying passengers; being in a station is just a secondary benefit.
Let’s face it, Italians aren’t going to buy food if it’s poor quality and as a result these trattoria are often very good and also pretty cheap. Many times they won’t be a franchise, either.
Oh, and the coffee will be good, too.
Train door
There are buttons and levers to open and close train doors but they’re not always that quick at responding on older rolling stock. With this in mind, don’t be surprised when the train door fails to slip silently aside the minute you press ‘open’… hang on a second and it’ll all happen in its own sweet time.
Changing trains
I changed trains a good few times during my journeys around Italy and I had no problems whatsoever. There was always plenty of information and good signage to guide me.
The displayed information scrolls through all the stops on a service – frustratingly slowly – but the information can be really useful if your destination isn’t the terminus.
What to expect onboard an Italian train
All the trains I used were clean, comfy and rarely overcrowded. This made even long journeys pretty stress-free.
The modern double-decker trains are great fun but even the older models were perfectly good. Don’t forget, if your ticket has a numbered seat that’s where you sit. Unless nonna has taken it, in which case you find a free seat elsewhere.
Planning in advance
I can’t overstate how useful preplanning is when using trains in Italy [or anywhere else, for that matter].
Services can sometimes be a little spread out so having an idea of when to travel can save you valuable hours otherwise spent sitting around in waiting rooms.
The best site I found was The Trainline, which was useful for both timings and costs. I found it to be 100% accurate. I did a major two-week journey across Italy and the information it gave me in advance of my trip was invaluable in helping me plan my adventures.
So there you have it – you’re now an expert on train travel across Italy. You’ve no excuse for not taking to the tracks and discovering one of Europe’s great countries, from the comfort of an air-conditioned rail car.
Buon viaggio!
