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Train travel in Italy

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Hi! I have a trip planned for Switzerland and Italy in the beginning of April. Planning is going well, but I wanted to get some insights into Italian trains.

Coming from Switzerland, we are spending a night in Milan before heading down to Florence. We are looking at day trips to Pisa and maybe Venice from there (I know I know, Venice deserves its own few days. We don't have a few days for Venice. We're just doing what we can here! Also, being from the US, a two hour trip is not that big of a deal for us).

Anyway, that's a lot of train travel. So my question is - how does train travel work in Italy? Do I need to book all of our trips beforehand? Or is this something I can do the day of, almost like a US subway/metro situation? I would prefer to wait just in case we decide not to go on this or that trip due to weather, etc., if that's possible.

Posted by
16270 posts

It might make sense to go from Milan to Venice then down to Florence. I don't know your detail plans but that is the most logical itinerary instead of going down to Florence, then going back up for a day trip to Venice.

You can buy train tickets for high speed train on the spot, just like a subway. In that case you will pay the full BASE fare. Buying in advance gives the possibility to grab discounted tickets at the Economy and SuperEconomy fare (about 30 to 40% discount on average). However discounted tickets come with strings attached in regards to ability to make later changes or get refunds, therefore before you buy those, make sure your plans are firm, including the time of departure. Once you book a specific train at a discounted fare you are locked into it.

Posted by
2643 posts

Just look up trips on the Trenitalia site. Pick a date about a month from now.

Look at the fare types: If all you see is "Ordinaria" you are looking at a regional train. Those are used by people to go about their every day business. No need to buy tickets in advance.

For long distance trains you will often see "Base". "Economy" And "Super Economy" fares. The "Base" fare is always available as long as there are free seats left on the train. But on buys routes Trenitalia runs so many trains that it is rare not to be able to be on your way promptly...
The "Economy" and "Super Economy" fares are discounted, but not flexible. And these are fare types, not seating classes. On high speed trains the classes are "Standard" "Premium" "Business" and on some trains "Executive". And yes, you can get a "Super Economy Executive" ticket if you are early enough.

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