How early to be at the train before departure in Italy?

Linda, I always get to the train station and airport early before my departures just to be on the safe side. I would get there at least 30 min. early, but that is me and I have NEVER missed a flight or train. FYI we were in Venice this last April and they had a train strike. Thankfully we had gone to the train station the day prior so we would know where we had to go from our cruise ship with our luggage in tow. They had posted that there would be a strike and it would affect our travels so we were able to change our tickets for a earlier train to avoid the strike. Luckily they post the day and time of the strike so you can try to avoid it. Good Luck. They said they have a strike about once a month in Italy.

30 minutes sounds like overkill to me, and I thought I liked to get to trains and planes early! You only need to be on the platform a couple of minutes before the train arrives, and if it's a small station five minutes early is plenty. BUT, if it's a big station with a lot of platforms you might want to gt there 15 minutes early to make sure you can find the platform. Even if you get on the train in the wrong carriage, you can walk through the train to the right one (but travel light!)

If you are a couple of minutes early and check the board and everything is alright, It's Espresso Time. Nothing better (well maybe good gelato) than a quick espresso while waiting for something in Italy...

And there's excellent info at Ron In Rome on transit strikes. Well worth the reading: http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/strikes-in-italy

My first time doing a train alone, I got there half an hour early. I had to validate my rail pass at a window, and still felt like I had gotten there way too early. I'm not saying you should not arrive half an hour early, but you will have a lot of free time. I would agree with others and say 5-10 minutes for small stations, 15-20 for large. (And if you already know the station well you can cut down on that time.)

Linda OK, amount of time to get to the train station before boarding. This is for travelers from the US who are not familiar riding trains. Length of time at starion depends: 1) how you are getting to the station 2) where you are leaving from in the city to get to the station 3) have you been to the station before hand, have you seen the platform you will be leaving from 4) do you have a seat reservation 5) when the next train is leaving to your destination 6) is it a holiday or your train is for a late afternoon on Friday? If your hotel is less than a block to the train station, you can be there just a few minutes before the train departs. However, the more public transportation connections you make, bus to underground, etc., the more time you need to leave in advance. Even a taxi, might run into traffic problems. The further your hotel is from the station, the more time you need to cushion your arrival. Do you really know where the station is? Which door to go in? Does it have 2 levels (Rome)? That the fast train in Rome to the Airport is the last platform on the right and you have to walk a train length to get to it? Some tickets with seat reservations are not changeable and you will be out your $$ if you miss the train. Are there trains every half hour or 2 a day and if you miss your train, you are now stuck with your luggage and no train for 5 hours.
Is this the first day of a religious holiday and the trains are packed and you will be standing for 3 hours cuz you got to the train at the last minute? I would never plan to get to the station a few minutes before the train leaves. Too many variables to mess up my timing. Everyone has their own comfort levels in this situation. IMHO, travelers should try to get to the station with 30 minutes to spare. Good luck ! Bobbie

Thanks everyone! Good points!

If you are talking about a station like Termini then 15 minutes should be fine. There is really no need to get there any earlier as usually the trains are coming from somewhere else and only arrive a few minutes before they depart again. There will be no way to know which platform your train will be at until it arrives at the station. Donna

"There will be no way to know which platform your train will be at until it arrives at the station. " Misleading. The platform is usually announced (in the sense of showing up on the departure board) before (sometimes well before) the train arrives.

Especially if you are on the cross country hike to the Leonardo platform.

The platform is announced as the train is coming into the station, usually not more than 10 minutes before the train actually makes it to the platform. It will show up on the departure boards so keep an eye on them. Also, if your stop is not the last stop for the train you should know what is as usually that will be listed and not the intermediate stops. Donna