Tips for Traveling by Train

Almost all of our travel in Italy was by high speed rail. A few shorter journeys (including a seemingly impossible bus ride on a cliffside road from Praiano to Sorrento) were by bus or local train, but high speed train travel was our affordable and stress-free way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

This is not to provide detailed information about the extensive and varied Italian rail system, as there are many, many resources on this topic, such as this comprehensive discussion. Moreover, fares and pricing can change frequently and depend on your specific circumstances.

Instead, let me just tell you a few basics and what we did.

There are two rail companies operating in Italy. The most expansive is Trenitalia, the publicly-run train which operates high speed rail (known as FrecciaRossa or“red arrow” trains), as well as regional and intracity train lines. There is also a privately run train company, Italo, which offers only high speed rail travel between the most popular destinations. Trenitalia and Italo use the same rail lines and stations, so it’s easy to, for example, take a high speed trip between cities on Italo, and connect to a shorter trip on Trenitalia’s regional line. As discussed in many online resources, travelers can purchase tickets at the station, online from the two companies, and from several different third-party ticket agencies. For high-speed rail, I strongly recommend purchasing in advance online, to ensure availability and save money.

Travel to and from major airports can involve more specific options. For example, we took the Leonardo Express, operated by Trenitalia, to and from the airport in Rome. There is also a regional rail line which would have saved a few dollars, but this was a much longer trip, at least to center city Rome.

The rail system in Italy is expansive and complicated compared to almost everywhere in the US; however, as a New Yorker, it felt at least somewhat familiar. Considering the best way to travel dal Punto A al Punto B in Italy was analogous to considering whether to take Amtrak, a commuter rail or the NYC subway from Point A to Point B here at home.

After researching our options in advance, and comparing costs, I booked all of our long-distance hops (Rome to Naples, Naples to Florence, etc.) on Italo. This is how we saved:

  • Comparison. For our destinations, in consideration of the cost-saving measures below, Italo was more affordable. (We also considered that the public employees of Trenitalia are known to regularly go on strike for extended periods of time!)

  • Timing. I purchased all of our Italo tickets about 6 weeks in advance. Since our hotels were booked well before that, there was no reason to wait. Those who travel on Amtrak here in the US are familiar with the idea that early booking almost always results in a cheaper fare. We did bus and regional ticketing on the spot.

  • Special fare classes. We booked directly through the Italo website rather than a third party vendor (and installed the app of course). I’m very low-tech, yet I was able to easily see all of the classes of travel and special fare options. With the “Italo Friends” reduction for groups of 2 or more, we were able to save over 50% on seats in the Prima class (a bit roomier than the most economical Smart class). When I did a retroactive comparison, these tickets were approximately 1/3 less expensive than similar tickets on Trenitalia, at least for trips during our time period.