Train Tips Needed

All but the Milan to Varese routes have fast trains

You can purchase now if you are certain of dates/times and want to take advantage of any discounts
Be sure to read all info in changes/refunds

Trenitalia- -fast trains and regional
https://www.trenitalia.com/content/tcom/en.html

ItaloTreno -fast trains
https://www.italotreno.it/en

Both have easy to use apps

Super Economy and Promo Estate discount fares available now. Some Estate discount fares sold out.

Phillip what are the differences in those fares? I see we missed "estate"?

If you click on the "circled i" for info- Trenitalia- next to each offering you will find all the explanations of restrictions etc.

You'll need to use the proper station names

Milan- Milano Centrale
Bologna- Bologna Centrale
Venice- Venezia S Lucia

Hello

We are booking our trains soon for Nov. 18-26

Nov. 21 Milan to Bologna
Nov. 22 Bologna to Venice
Nov. 25 Venice to Varese via Milan

What is ItaliaRail vs Italtreno,it? The schedule for IR is better for us.

On Italtreno what is Smart, Prima etc? We are only traveling 1.5+ hours on all routes and want comfy but don't need first class.

https://biglietti.italotreno.it/Booking_Acquisto_SelezioneTreno_A.aspx

ItaliaRail is a reseller, in short it's just a website that uses English station names (English Names that you won't find written anywhere on Boards and Monitors when you will be in Italy).

Italotreno is a railway company that runs only high speed trains on major routes. Italotreno may sell you a through ticket from Venezia S. Lucia to Varese, but I doubt you'll travel all the way on Italo's trains. Most probably in Milan you will take a local train to Varese run by Trenord or Trenitalia.

The English version of Italotreno's site is here: www.italotreno.it/en The differences between the "ambiences" (aka the classes) are explained under the "Travel with Italo" tab.

Usually Trenitalia's Freccias are faster between Milano Centrale and Bologna, but Italo's walk-up fares are almost always cheaper. You'd save less than 10 minutes on Trenitalia and around 10 Euro per person on Italotreno.

Also look at seat 61 for train information. It will give you hints for tickets.and pictures of the different seat classes. But book directly with Trenitalia or ItaloTreno.

Thanks all, not sure why I cannot wrap my head around this. So

Milan to Bologna, use Italtreno
Bologna to Venice, same
Venice to Milan, same and regional to Varese

For our Milan to Bologna on Trenitalia, the earliest train is 10:00 which is too late hence why we may need to book Italo.

Is there a reason to choose a certain class of service since these are pretty short runs? We want comfort but don't need "first class".

We are going to buy today for the main routes and get the Milan to Varese the day we travel, make sense?

I wish someone would book it for me, LOL

P.S. We have used train from Madrid to Seville and UK to Paris so we are not newbies but this seems complicated for some reason (or I am getting daft)....

Milan to Bologna, use Italtreno

or Trenitalia (see Below). Same from Bologna to Venice: there are 2 competing companies, pick the one you like more depending on prices and/or departure time and/or number of transfers. Just like when you must pick an airline.

For our Milan to Bologna on Trenitalia, the earliest train is 10:00 which is too late hence why we may need to book Italo.

The earliest Trenitalia's high speed train from Milano Centrale to Bologna departs at 5 AM.

The following high speed trains by Trenitalia depart to Bologna at 5:45 AM, 6:10 AM , 7:00 AM, 7:10 AM, 7:30 AM and so on till 8:10 PM.

The Milan-Rome line via Bologna is the main railway line in Italy, there are high speed and slow trains departing every 20 minutes or so.
You are supposed to change the departure time on trenitalia.com, otherwise the site defaults to the time of your search.

Is there a reason to choose a certain class of service since these are pretty short runs

Your budget.

and get the Milan to Varese the day we travel, make sense?

No, unless you want to store your stuff at the station and visit Milan. Otherwise why not buying online a through ticket on trenitalia? Or why not making two separate online purchases on italotreno.it and trenitalia.com? I doubt you like waiting in line at ticket machines in crowded stations.

You still seem confused. If you are buying a ticket on trenitalia, buy the ticket from trenitalia. Put the app on your phone.

When I try to book Treni, it asks for "travel solution" which I think it means the 8:30 on the 21st Nov. is not available but it shows available on Omio. I am understanding this a bit better. We need 8 or 9 AM on every route. TY

What is "Treni"?

I have just made a fake purchase on trenitalia's English version from Milan to Bologna and it doesn't ask for anything strange. Frecciarossa train #9613 departing at 8:30 AM is available on trenitalia. A train can't be available on a reseller's site like Omio and not available on the site of the company running it. If it happens, the reseller is selling you a "commitment to buy" on your behalf, not a real ticket.

On www.trenitalia.com/en.html :

• first, You must enter Milano Centrale in the From field and Bologna centrale in the To one.
• Then select 21/11 as day of travel, pick an early hour of departure from the drop down menu and click SEARCH.
• Next page shows all the trains between Milan and Bologna departing after the picked hour of departure.
• Select a train by opening the price menu, then pick the best combination of fare and class for you and click CONTINUE in red.

Note that You won't find Omio's employees inside any station in case of problems.

Keep it simple and book all your tix on Trenitalia since you need both fast and regional trains

If you give us your dates/times we could help point you to the best solutions

Ok I see your dates now

On November 21 there are fast trains from Milano Centrale to Bologna Centrale at 8, 8:05, 8:10, 8:30, etc

Pick one -there are diff prices-I’d go with cheapest ( 8:05 Promo, non refundable)

Not seeing why this is confusing

What is Omio?

Are you using the official site?
https://www.trenitalia.com/content/tcom/en.html

Nov 22 there are fast trains Bologna Centrale to Venezia S Lucia at 8:01, 9:01, 10:01

If you are using an app make sure it is the official TRENITALIA app with red icon
(Not Trenit!)

two trips booked, the tips above helped; drop down for time had evaded me

Now, I am stuck

Venezia to Varesa, 25th Nov. 3 of us need AM to Varesa.

I see 8:18 AM on Trenitalia arriving 12:17 on Omio (using as a guide not to book) but when I book it on Trenitalia, it is not showing. Can someone see the trip Omio is showing? We prefer one change vs two.

TY

It’s there
You need to spell correctly
VARESE

got it, was booking VARESE Nord instead of VARESE

All set, thanks all, I appreciate it so much

Whew!
Glad it’s all done

1. Depending on which trains you’ve booked you may not have assigned seats. If so I hope that you’re boarding your train at the start of its journey and that you board early or you might be standing. We were on the Milano to Verona P-N train and as it left Milano Centrale, there were at least a dozen people standing in our carriage. A lot of passengers were going onto Venice and had to change trains at Verona P-N which required going down the stairs, through the subway and up the stairs to their next train.
2. Note which station precedes your destination as there often is very little time to get your luggage to the door and disembark before the doors close. We met 2 women at Bellano who had missed getting off at Varenna and were then trying to ensure that the next train was going to Varenna and that they were on the right platform.
3. Take coins €1 and 50 cent coins as the WC’s in the major stations seem to all require coin access.
4. Travel light. I did find that our bags would fit between 2 rows of seats that were back to back and it saved me from lifting the bags into the overheads rack and our bags were relatively light.
5. Have a good trip.

I read the title of this post and thought I’d find another recent heated post about tipping in Italy.

Pleased to find thats not the case.

Sorry, but I’m going to hijack this post to ask a simple question about the trains. Planning a trip to Italy in March. We have been there twice previously. In the past, we always purchased tickets right before boarding at the machines and it worked well. That was eight years ago. Now, I have the red Trenitalia app. If I purchase ahead of time on the app, do we need to pick up tickets anywhere or get them validated, or do we just purchase days or weeks in advance on the app then go and get right on the train and show the conductor the app when he walks by? (I hope we just purchase on the app and get on the train. That would be a lot easier than in the past!)

Thanks!

No need to “pick up tickets” or validate if you purchase on app
Just show tix on app to conductor

You might want to also take a screenshot of your tix and keep on your phone in case you have trouble accessing on app

(I print my tickets cuz I am old school)

If you had an iphone, you can add the tickets to Wallet.

Now, I have the red Trenitalia app. If I purchase ahead of time on the app, do we need to pick up tickets anywhere or get them validated, or do we just purchase days or weeks in advance on the app then go and get right on the train and show the conductor the app when he walks by?

You just buy the ticket on the app and then get on the train! And when the conductor comes by you show them the QR code from the app.

It's much better than bothering with the machines at the station or printing tickets at home. Until my recent trip I was strictly a paper ticket only kind of guy, but the convenience of the apps is a game changer IMO. Italo also has a smartphone app for their trains that works well.

Just a quick question as I worry at the last minute.
Going TrenItalia, I have a trip booked tomorrow Bolzano - Bologna - Rome Termini with assigned seats and coach numbers. For the Bologna - Rome section, I could print and have printed the tickets with the QR Box and the email says ‘Pick up procedure: Electronic Ticket’. However for the Bolzano - Bologna section email says ‘Pick up procedure: Self Service’ and I can’t print out anything. Clicking on box ‘CHECK-IN & BARCODE’ or box ‘MANAGE TICKET’ just gives me the Bologna - Rome ticket.
The fine print says: ‘If you have chosen the ticketless option with email payment receipt, the personnel will only check for your presence on board.’
It just seems odd that there are 2 different methods for the same order and receipt.
I assume that means I shouldn’t worry and just show them the email & receipt. So I board the train at Bolzano and talk if necessary and hope that they speak English as my Italian is very limited.
Thanks.

In short the app works like trenitalia.com worked 8 years ago: the PNR code is your ticket on high speed trains. The QR code is your ticket on Regionale trains.

Al long as the battery cooperates and you can show the PNR/QR codes on your device, you don't need to print tickets out.

Regional trains tickets purchased online do not need to be time-stamped before getting on because they are more restricted than Regional tickets locally purchased (at the counter / ticket machines).

It just seems odd that there are 2 different methods for the same order and receipt.

Are you taking a Regionale from Bolzano? It is an autonomous region that makes its own agreements with Trenitalia when they subsidize Regional trains.
Otherwise, if you are not taking a Regionale... tell us the day of travel and the train code.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the helpful forum members. As a train newbie, I’m taking notes!

Train from Bolzano is EC 81

That's a German Train run by DB-ÖBB, not by Trenitalia. I guess they have no cross-border ticketless system, so if you get tickets on trenitalia.com you need a paper ticket that the German conductors can verify.

It's just guess, chat with Trenitalia or go to the Information office at Bolzano station.

We have lots of time in Bolzano as we’re planning to take the bus from Casselrotto which should arrive Bolzano at about 10:00, so I’ll do that. Thanks.

I have an iPhone but cannot scan the q code so printed all tickets; old school...trains done, thanks all.

Dario, Thanks. We're in Bolzano station with our tickets to Bologna & Rome. There was a minimal line up, less than 5 minutes to speak to an agent who knew exactly what to do so now we just need to wait about 1 hour for our train and stamp the ticket in the 'green' machine and go to platform 4.
I'm glad that I had printed a hard copy of the email, receipt and final link to Rome.