Best website to book train tickets

We've always booked on the Trenitalia website. FYI, Amalfi doesnt have train service. You would need to train to Salerno and then bus or ferry to Amalfi.

There is no train station in Amalfi. Salerno is the closest train station.
For Trenitalia tickets, https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
For Italotreno tickets, https://www.italotreno.it/en

Also www.loco2.com sells tickets for both without commission.

Trenitalia has a handy smart phone App that we found particularly useful on our own recent trip to Italy. With it I was able to do a search, book a train and then pay for it with my credit card - was then issued electronic tickets that worked fine on the day of travel. An added advantage (for us) was that the electronic ticket was already time stamped so we didn't have to fool with (or worry about) validating the tickets before boarding one of the Regionales.
No standing in line at the station or jousting with one of the ticket kiosks wondering if it was going to accept my CC this time around (some did, some didn't). Couldn't beat the convenience.

Question for Robert of Co. Springs: Can I purchase three tickets on the Trenitalia app, or do my wife and daughter have to have their tickets on their phone? We will be traveling from Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Lake Como. Really like the idea of not having to validate paper tickets.

I've been using Loco2.com. They provide tickets for the Italian run trains and also the independent Italo trains. They have a great app you can use and have all of your train tickets in one place. We are a family of 5 and I found that the Italo trains were cheaper for us but the site gives you info on all trains for your specific date and time. I've been very happy with the site.

Can book as many as you like at one time. All of the tickets will be downloaded to your phone. Pretty slick actually.

Edited to add: you only need to establish one account via the app - you can book tickets for everyone thru that. You'll select the number of tickets you want to purchase and then during the checkout process you'll be asked to enter the names of the other passengers (and yourself). Once booked, each individual will be issued their own discreet electronic ticket by name - they'll come as enclosures on the confirmation email you'll receive from Trenitalia.

Thank you, Robert! Great information. Will get their app.

(sorry for the highjack SS)

Thank you for the info. We are checking into Loco2.com. This website has trains different from those listed on Trentitalia. Are these privately run trains as opposed to government trains via the other site? I am landing in Rome at 745 am when should I get the first ticket from the airport to Termini? Is 2 hours sufficient to cover customs and immigration? What happens if i miss this train? do they accommodate us on the next one? How do I identify which train from Termini to Salerno is fast train? Also Loco2.com does not distinguish first and second class? Only standard fares are available.

Hi SS,
Italo is a privately run train service. I'm not sure of all the details but you can read more about train travel in Italy at https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm or you can check out Italo's site https://www.italotreno.it/en

There are different classes on Italo but they are named a little different. I think we booked the Smart Class on our reservations. For a much more detailed explanation see https://www.seat61.com/italo.htm
If you need help booking other classes on Loco2 for Italo trains, let me know. You have to choose the train you want and then there is a drop down box you can choose other classes of service.

I liked using the Loco2.com site because it showed me all of the options. Italo turned out to be a better deal on all of our train travel because it gave discounts for my teenagers that Trenitalia did not. I didn't have any problems using my credit card and I made my reservations on my laptop but also got the app for my phone and all of my tickets and reservations are easily accessible on the phone app. No need for paper tickets.

Avoid Loco2 they'll sell you non protected connections between competing companies without any warning. It's basically a scam aimed to foreigners, they sell zero tickets to locals for a reason.

At FCO just follow the yellow "Trains" signs. There is free wifi at FCO, install Trenitalia's app and buy a through ticket from "Fiumicino Aeroporto" to "Salerno" while going to the airport station. You can also get tickets at the counter near the platforms. Once in Salerno, walk for 200 meters and board a Travelmar.it ferry to Amalfi.

Italian trains rarely sell out. I've never seen a sold out high speed train. On the other hand, even full price "BASE" tickets are worthless one hour after the departure of the booked train. It's quite obvious that nobody is so silly to pay the full fare in advance: You can pay the same price at the counter up to 15 minutes before the departure time, without running the risk of wasting your money.

Flights can be delayed more than one hour, but If you are so lucky to arrive by the tracks earlier than expected... you'll have either to wait for the booked train or to queue at the counter to have your BASE ticket changed to an earlier train.

How do I identify which train from Termini to Salerno is fast train

The train that takes less than the others is a fast train.

Customs? The "Customs" is an open door with a sign saying "nothing to declare" and a cocaine addicted German shepherd watching you as if you were a pound of flesh. It's the immigration that takes time.

If you lived in Italy, with an Italian credit card and an Italian bank account, there is indeed, no reason to use Loco2. But then not all of us are so blessed. Many railway operators make on-line ticket purchases difficult, or impossible for over seas customers. Thus the rise of Trainline and Loco2. Of course, if you lived in Italy, you'd probably have a discount card and frequent traveler reward points program to take care of as well.

And good point to be careful about unprotected connections, just like you should also be careful with these when booking airline tickets through 3rd party vendors.

Sam, you make some very good points. I had no issues with my credit card, they even take Amex. All of my train tickets are direct but anytime you need to make a connection you should do your homework. Before using Loco2 I researched on Seat61 and did a search of this forum and saw nothing but good reviews from fellow travelers. Thanks for your input.

“Avoid Loco2 they'll sell you non protected connections between competing companies without any warning. It's basically a scam aimed to foreigners, they sell zero tickets to locals for a reason.”

Seat61.com, recommended above and often on this forum, highly recommends buying tickets through Loco2.com.

Paradoxically, Amex is one card that works well for on-line ticket purchases. It dodges certain restrictions that apply to Visa and MasterCard because it is a "travel" card, not a "bank" card.

Dario's warning applies (I think), to the case of an Italo ticket with a connection to a Regionale operated by Trenitalia. If the Italo train was late and you missed the connection, you would have to buy a new Regionale ticket. If you bought the whole itinerary from Trenitalia (maybe more expensive to start), you could just take the next Regionale to your destination.