train travel in italy
Italy Train Travel
Train travel in Italy is cheap compared to surrounding countries. But there’s a catch: major rail lines in Italy tend to have a vast ridership and seats during “rush hours” can be difficult to find on Italian trains. We can offer tips that’ll get you over this hurdle. But first, the basics on train travel in Italy.
Italy Train Routes Map
Traveling by train is usually the best option for visiting large and medium-sized cities. Where can you go on the Italian train? Check this Italy Rail Map on Europe Travel.
Types of Trains in Italy
We’ll list the types of trains by cost and speed, expensive and fast trains first.
Eurostar (ES or Treni Eurostar Italia)
Italy’s premier train, not to be confused with the Eurostar that plies the English channel (the Italian Eurostar was first to claim the name). Seat reservations on Eurostar Italia are manditory. Eurostar travels swiftly between major Italian cities.
Train Travel in Italy
The Trenitalia website can be terrifically helpful, or terribly confusing. The best part is that you may be able to buy tickets up to 60 days in advance and reserve spaces on Eurostar trains using a credit card. With “Ticketless” travel, you can just board the train, find your seats, and give the conductor your booking information when he/she comes round. However, there are occasional problems when cards are accepted. If your card is rejected by the Trenitalia web site you can buy from ItaliaRail: see towards the bottom of the page.
Be sure to call your credit card company just before your purchase to let them know that you are making a foreign purchase by Internet. Otherwise your purchase may be denied. Once you select your tickets and choose your credit card option, you may be asked to sign up for another service called Verified by VISA if you want to use your VISA card. This is not much extra effort, but be prepared to respond and take note of another password that is required for this service. Multiple purchases of tickets may require multiple calls to your credit card company, as they sometimes deny the second or third purchase so you have to call again. Sometimes the customer service area will stay on the line with you to authorize each purchase as it is submitted.
Once you have purchased your “Ticketless” ticket from Trenitalia, you will receive an email confirmation at your email account. Be sure to print out a copy of your order while you are on the website–though you will get another chance when you receive your email confirmation.
Changes to reservation dates and times for Eurostar trains can be made through the website at no charge–but you must have your booking code (PNR) from your e-ticket confirmation and a booking change number. For the whole process you will also need your password for your email, password for your Trenitalia account, and password for your Verified by VISA account, if applicable. Be sure to have these memorized or available to you when you are traveling in Italy in case you want to use the Internet to change reservation times/dates.
Tags: credit card option, eurostar trains, reserve spaces, train travel in italy, visa account