How do I travel Italy by train?

Question

I want to visit several cities while in Italy this summer, including Florence, Rome, Peruggia, Venice, and Lake Como, and it seems like train is the best way to go. Should I buy a 10 day pass, or one way passes at each station? Is there anything I should know in particular about train travel in Italy?

Answer 1

Hello,

With only ten days I would limit travel to 2 or 3 cities.  You can easily do Rome, Florence and then Venice.  If you are flying into and out of Rome you can spend the first 3 days in Rome, take a morning train to Florence, spend two days there, take the train to Venice and spend 2 or 3 days there, then come back to Rome.  You can purchase tickets at the train station a day or two before you wish to travel.  With the large number of trains going to these cities each day, you should have no trouble finding a seat.  You can check the trenitalia website for timetables and fees.  I looked and from Rome to Florence is 33 euros, from Florence to Venice is 30 euros and from Venice to Rome is 51 euros.  

I always suggest travelling as little as possible while in Italy.  With 10 days, going to all the cities you mentioned, you would spend most of your time on the train.  Three cities in 10 days is a lot but do-able.  I prefer two cities in that short amount of time, but you can do the third city and still have a great time.  You can check out the price of a 3 day train pass, but I don't think you would need more time than that.  

As for train travel tips, try to take only a small suitcase so you can tuck it in behind your seat.  Never leave your bags unattended.  Make sure to validate your ticket before you get on the train.  The boxes (yellow or orange) are at the front end of the platform.  You must pass it to get on the train.  The trains leave on time, so don't be late.  When you buy your ticket, it won't tell you where your train is.  You must look at the departure boards for the departure time and destination, then it will tell you which track your train is on.  

Hope this helps, Donna

Answer 2

Look Trenitalia offical website http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

for every information; if you plan to use Eurostar (faster trains), you ca still do before departures, but remember tha later you do, higher the risk to find all seats already booked.

As for Como, look also Ferrovie Nord http://www.fnmgroup.it/en/index.htm

http://www.fnmgroup.it/orario/index.htm

Answer 3

Buy a ticket at the station, lift both your legs and get on the d**n train you lazy bugger

Answer 4

It's easier for us to help you if you tell us what city you'll be flying into and out of in order to help you with an itinerary.

Remember 10 day is not a whole lot of time to see all of what you mention.

Travel by train in Italy (and the rest of Europe for that matter) is a pretty decent way to get around. the only draw back is that you are pretty much confined to the city where you arrive and its center. This is not a problem though because the places you mention are all cool and the amount of time you have limits you from doing a whole lot.

Ask your travel agent about train passes. Study a map and plot your trip and maybe come back to this forum with more questions.