train from Rome to Manarola

I would say whichever train schedule works best for you. I would tend towards less changes, but since the last leg to Manarola is a regionale in all options, I would go with the ones with just two trains (1 change).

Just checking random date in April I see an Intercity train at 9:57 from Termini
One change in La Spezia
Arrives Manarola 2:26

That would be my choice

https://www.trenitalia.com/content/tcom/en.html

I think all solutions will use some regional trains. Probably the "best" would be a fast train from Rome to La Spezia, then the regional train to Manarola in just over 4 hours.

Some Solutions take a fast train to Florence, then Intercity Trains to Pisa and La Spezia, in a little more time, but not worth having to do multiple changes.

Look at options on Trenitalia, probably no good options on Italo. Avoid third party sites.

Thank you everyone for the responses and helpful information!! I'm new at taking the train in Italy, and I was wondering if you can purchase 1st class tickets even if it's an intercity train?! And can we purchase young ticket and senior ticket if we're not Italian?! Thank you for all your insite--it's greatly appreciated!!

sgrinder

I am unsure on the age related tickets as I have been not in those categories when I have gone.

BUT, if you can purchase 1st class is more or less "it depends". I would say generally IC trains have 1st class though I have never taken them. I know I have been on express trains that were of intercity cars and I don't think they had 1st, they didn't even have assigned seats, which is the weirdest. I HAVE accidentally gotten on a 1st class regionale train and had to beg the conductor to not give me a ticket because I totally forgot it had a first class car hahaha

I think the man in seat 61 has some good tips and overviews of train travel in Italy to give you a good start with information. Watch some youtube videos as well!

You can make the decision whether first class is worth the price. It is not a difference like Flying where first class is way above the standard class, mainly just wider seats, though standard seats have plenty of room.

As for age related tickets. Seniors can get a discount, I believe you need to register or "join" their CartaFreccia or X-Go club, then they promise discounts of up to 50%. However, the discount applies to the base (full) ticket price, not the price shown. By buying early, you get close to 40% discount, so the savings are not great. To be frank, if you are concerned about cost, then buy standard class tickets well ahead, rather than first class tickets with a discount.

As for "Young", how young are you talking? First, discounts for kids can really be confusing in Italy, there is no blanket policy, ages can vary by region, there are some pages on the Trenitalia site that discuss it. But generally, kids under 4 not requiring a seat travel free (6 in some regions, up to 10 in Puglia); Ages from there up to 12 get a 50% discount off the base fare...though again, that varies by region. Over 12 (sometimes 14) there are no discounts.

Do be careful, the Trenitalia site does not really restrict you from buying a "childrens" ticket, so if the conductor determines the person holding the ticket does not qualify, you will be paying the difference, and maybe a fine.

...was wondering if you can purchase 1st class tickets even if it's an intercity train?!

Yes you can. Look at the 9:57 IC train referenced above. We took that one and it's easier due to fewer connections.

An easy discount, if there are 3 - 5 people traveling together, is the Insieme plan - just buy the tickets on the same transaction. Create a Trenitalia account and then enter the details for each person, then purchase the tickets.

Thank you for the great information!! The only thing I'm not sure about is the differences between Economy, Super Economy?! Is one better than another?

It is actually the type of ticket price.....on that chart, the top ones are the types of tickets/services (standard, premium, business, executive, etc). The left names are the types of ticket categories. You can see that the price for super economy is the cheapest in that chart, as it has the most restrictions and is the most discounted. When the tickets for each category are sold out, the price goes up.