Carrying check-in size suitcases on Trains

I have traveled on many trains with a large suitcase. Obviously, smaller suitcases are both more convenient (getting on and off the train) and can be stored in the area over your seat (similar to an airplane) while larger suitcases may have to be stored in the space in the middle or the end of a car, depending on the make of the car. If your seat is nearby, you can just keep an eye on it. But if you are in the middle, or at the opposite end, your luggage will be unsupervised. I have had times when I got a little antsy, not having my suitcase within sight, and I will go and check on it every so often. I have never had a bad experience with anything being taken, even on a high traffic train, but there is a lot of peace of mind that comes with having a smaller case that is nearby.

At least 3 full days is needed if you want to visit Rome, 5 would be better.
2 other days in Venice.
Last night in Milan.
If you leave Early I found Sheraton hôtel in Milano Malpensa terminal 1 might come handy.

Why do you need so much. Take just enough clothes necessary for one week and wash it once a week and you'll be fine. Or do you have family in India that you need to bring them things?

No matter what my trip length, I pack in the same small bag and just do wash as I travel. If you're really set on traveling with large bags and your kids are big enough to lug their own bags, I think you'll be fine. I always try to sit at the end of a car near my bag if I can.

How many nights do you have for Rome>Venice>Milan? 5 days often means 4 night and, even if you have 5 nights, 3 cities in 5 nights is extremely rushed. I love love love Venice, but if you're flying into Rome and out of Milan 5 days later, you're kind of short on time for 3 cities.

When I am traveling by train in Europe, I am grateful that I pack light. When you have short connecting times, sometimes have to change platforms at the station with a flight of stairs involved and then have to get that heavy luggage on to the train and then off the train when the train only stops for a minute then you will understand the concept of packing light.

srme2000, you say you need to take 4 large suitcases with you, so i will accept that and won't tell you to pack light (although I always do.). I myself do not know of any shipping service that could reliably get your suitcases between airports and into your hands for your flight at Milano's airport. Maybe a courier service if you could afford that. If your kids are teens or young adults who can each handle a bag, then your travel in Italy will be challenging. If your kids are young and cannot each handle a bag, then really, good luck! I hope you will not have other carry-on or tote bags along with the big ones. Not only will you have fast trains from Rome to Venice (which is direct, no train changes) and Venice to Milano (be sure to choose a direct schedule, not all selections are), but you will also have to get to and from airports and train stations. Are you spending nights in each of Rome, Venice and Milano, or is one or more just a transit point? I would suggest taxis, you might need large ones, between airport and hotel/station in Rome and Milano. Give yourselves some extra time when arriving at train stations, as you will have to maneuver there to get to your platform, train, proper car, and getting your baggage into the train. For Venice, I recommend that your family have everything you need packed into one suitcase, so you can leave the other three at the baggage storage at the train station, I assume there is one. It might be a little pricey for a few days, but lugging big suitcases around Venice, including its vaporettos or water taxis, will be really a challenge, maybe impossible if your kids are small. Try to be sure your hotel is very near a vaporetto stop, or an easy walk to the train station. Same recommendation for Milano, unless you are going directly from train arrival to the airport. Having written all this, I realize that we could all give you better guidance if you could be more specific -- just what is your planned itinerary with in Italy, in how many places will you be spending time? how old are your "kids"? just what size are these suitcases -- 22", 24", 26" and will you have any smaller bags as well?

My guess is that the large suitcases contain mostly items that the OP is planning to use and/or leave in India and has nothing to do with their travel needs in Italy.

I have seen people with large suitcases on trains. Two adults should be able to get the bags up and down the 2-3 steps of the train. There are luggage racks at the ends of most cars on the trains with room for at least 2 of the bags. The earlier you board, the more likely you are to get room on the racks. If at least a couple of the suitcases are 24" or less, they will probably fit between back-to-back seats in the middle of the cars. I've traveled solo on trains in Italy with a 24"-25" inch suitcase and never had problems.

What I do suggest is that you leave your suitcases in storage at the train stations. Put everything you need for 5 days in your carry-on (or repack before you leave the airport). You don't want to be burdened with the luggage in Rome and especially not in Venice.

Having just done quite a lot of Freccerosa travel in Italy, the 500 series have quite tall bins above the head and between the seats. We traveled in the Business class section (advance ticket rates very reasonable). If you bag is no thicker than 14" it should fit above your head or behind your seat with no problem on the FR500's (ours did - just one bag that thick) with a push or squeeze.

TrenItalia has a service to ship your bags for a reasonable cost to your next destination hotel. Some silly small cost. However the process is in Italian (or maybe not per below link) so you may need to get your hotel to assist. Basically TNT will pick your bags up the day before you depart and they will be waiting for you at your destination hotel. http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en/Services/Luggage-transport-services

We traveled with one large suitcase (above mentioned) and a couple small carry-on bags for three people. I would have like to pack lighter however with my girls it's tough - and did not use the service - however if we had two suitcases - we would have.

You can bring any size suitcase that you can lift and drag on your own. I traveled with a 26" suitcase to Scotland with little trouble. I don't know how old your kids are. Consider 1300-1500 cubic volume (22L) backpacks for them to wear and two suitcases no larger than 26" for you and your spouse. If your kids are teens, load them with a backpack and carry-on bags (20-22"). Try taking one of your suitcases and packing it. Then, find a place with a flight of steps. See how successful you are at getting the luggage up the steps. Use packing cubes and take easy-to-roll -up clothing. It would help us if we knew the age range of your children and if you have any physical limitations. Are you bringing dress clothes, casual clothes, special gear? We can help you with a few more details. My husband lugs his favorite 25" case all over Italy despite my efforts to "reform" him. He is tall and strong, but not particularly healthy. I am under 5'5" and managed my 26 incher all over Scotland. We do trains and buses.

It will be very important for you to board the correct car (carriage) on the train. Moving so many large pieces of luggage through the train to find the right car would be exhausting. The aisles are narrow, and there will be people standing in some of them, dealing with their own luggage. In addition, if you are late getting to your car, it will be harder to find a place for your bags.

You may not have a lot of time to find the correct car; you cannot afford to miss the train looking for your car. Car numbers may be on the doors to the car (usually on the window), or there may be an electronic sign near the door. Cars are usually in numeric order. Often there's a train diagram on the platform that you can look at ahead of time to figure out approximately where your car will stop. Most of the time the first class cars are in the best location, so second class passengers need to walk a bit down the platform. If you see a uniformed train employee on the platform before your train arrives, you can try showing him your ticket and pointing to the car number. He might be able to tell you where to stand on the platform.

srme, This webpage gives lots of useful information about luggage on trains, including photos: http://seat61.com/luggage-on-european-trains.htm
As other have said, you can bring as much luggage and as large cases as you want, but you have to carry them on and off the trains yourself.

A way to reduce luggage is to use laundromats. For an extra fee, there are places where you can drop off your laundry in the morning and retrieve it later in the day. Or, just do a couple of loads yourself one evening after spending all day having fun. You can buy laundry detergent sheets to put in your luggage. If you are checking a bag at the airport, you can pack a few detergent pods in the checked luggage or your 3-1-1 kit. Just think of laundry as a travel expense like food or transportation. Don't sweat it. Just do it.

I was always an over-packer (and still am on trips where we don't move a lot), but for our first Europe trip, my husband convinced me to do carry-on only (by saying that I was going to schlep my own bag and needed to pack accordingly) and now I'll never go back to the large bags. We also took trains in Italy and I did see that many of the large luggage racks were full by the time we boarded, though fortunately, our carry-ons fit on the shelves above our seats, so like the previous commenter said, you'd have to board earlier to have a safer bed of fitting them. I will also say that the idea of dragging those large suitcases around Italy also sounds painful, esp. in Venice where there are so many bridges that you have to pick them up to go up/down (and I believe they changed the rules that you can't wheel the bags anymore, you must carry them). I watched a lot of frustrated husbands/fathers doing this repeatedly, as they'd go back/forth over the bridge to retrieve the rest of their families' bags as most women/small kids had a hard time. If this forum can convince you to try to pack lighter, we usually bring a wardrobe with quick-trying materials so that we can wash things manually in the sink if we need to or can at least use a washing machine to hang dry (most places we stayed at didn't have a dryer).

I had never considered there wouldn't be room on the train car for our luggage. I do know we are not going as light as I would like to go but my husband and two teenagers are more than capable of carrying their backpack and small roller bag onto the train. We will have 4 roller bags all 21-22 long by 14 and then 6-9 inches deep. They will all be checked on the plane but we will have to move them between buses and trains and metros ourselves. I know I personally could not be in charge of two large suitcases and my husband in charge of the other two if the kids couldn't help. Age of kids and size of suitcase is everything.

My experience on the fast trains is there may not be room for your luggage. You will have to compete on a first-come/first-served basis for the small amount of stored-luggage space at the ends of the carriage. If you are last on-board, you my be out of luck. I would definitely look into a luggage-transport service between Rome and Milan and consolidate your luggage so you only take the bare-minimum onboard the train.

BTW - the fast trains generally have just a parcel shelf over the seat. While a 14 inch wide suitcase fits fine, anything larger starts getting precarious. I've seen train conductors make people take their full-size suitcases (29hx18w) luggage off the shelf for safety reasons.

I would not even consider taking that amount of luggage to Venice unless you are staying in one of the (ridiculously expensive and zero-character) hotels right next to the train station or your children can handle their own luggage under all circumstances (over bridges, lifting on/off boats, etc.). Otherwise, you would need to hire a porter to get the luggage over all the bridges...

With only five days between Rome and Milan, I would consider skipping Venice. It's not like you can expect a quality experience in BOTH locations in such a small amount of time.