trains 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.
Taking trains in Italy
The rail service, called Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), operates many different types of train. The fastest, most comfortable service is the costly Eurostar, also called Pendolino. Seat reservations are compulsory on this train. On other types of train, such as the so called Intercity, reservations are optional and cost a small amount extra. It’s worth paying in order to guarantee a seat. On the cheapest regional trains sometimes seat reservations aren’t possible.
You can buy your ticket directly inside any train station in Italy, Also it is possibile to buy tickets from the automatic machines inside the stations. You can also go to the Ferrovie dello Stato web site and buy a ticket online, however you must be a resident in Italy to do so
Remenber that in Italy you must always validate your ticket in the yellow stampimg machine on the platforms inside the train stations. There officers that can be quite nasty if they find you without a valid ticket.
All Italian cities have the main railway station located in the city center with secondary stations located in the suburbs.
Asking for direction for the train station: “Scusi, dove si trova la Stazione dei Treni?”
Tags: coach fare, main railway station, railway system, regional trains, trains in italyNavigating the Italy Train System
Whether you are taking the train to reach Italy or just within Italy, you may find that using the Italian train system is the most cost-effective and low-stress way to travel on your vacation.
Positive aspects of the Italy train system
There are many advantages to taking the train while in Italy rather than flying or driving. Traveling on the Italian trains can be less hassle than flying, when you take into account getting to the airport, arriving at the airport an hour or two ahead of time, luggage restrictions, security checks, as well as reaching your destination after you have arrived (since airports are never in the major city centers). Given all of this, you may find that flying is just not worth the additional cost.
Tags: airplane ride, italian trains, italy train, luggage restrictions, trains in italy