Train travel is a pretty quick and easy way to explore Italy.  It is usually faster than traveling by bus or car even.  And as an added convenience, train stations are generally located right smack-dab in the city’s center, leaving you with less to figure out when compared to airports that usually require shuttles or trains or taxis into its affiliated city.  Sometimes flights can be cheaper than trains, depending on when you book.  That being said,  do your research beforehand.  But for those of you opting to take the train around,  the Train is your friend! I promise! 

Train travel in Italy | Getting your train ticket

• Train tickets can be bought at automated machines.  These machines have several language options to choose from.  If you choose wisely it should be pretty straightforward!  Most machines accept cash and major credit cards. But keep in mind there’s a maximum amount of change it will give you if you pay in cash.

• There are also usually Travel/Ticket Agents at bigger train stations, but they tend to have lines, and might not be any more helpful than the machine in the end.  I’d only bother with waiting to speak to a person if there aren’t any automated machines, if you have an existing reservation you need to ask about, or if you just plain don’t know how to get to where you want to go (ie: a very small town without its own train station).

• Once you have your ticket, before you get on the train, you must validate it in any of the yellow machines you will find near the tracks (or sometimes on the automatic ticket machines themselves).  Without this your ticket is technically not valid and you could get a fine.  If you are in a rush, or forget to validate it before you get on your train, just take a pen and write the date on the edge of the ticket and you will be fine!
• Consider your options: there are slower “Regionale” or “IC” trains, and there are fast trains like Eurostar and FrecciaRossa.  If you’re not in a rush, you could save some Euros and take a slower train.  On the other hand, if it’s in the heat of the summer, you might consider a fast train for its air-conditioning and speed.

Train travel in Italy | Finding your Train

• Partenze/The Schedule: when you get your ticket, it will not have the “Binario” (track number) on it.  To find this, look at the big schedule (see photo) to see. Make sure you are looking at the side that says “Partenze” (departures) as opposed to “Arrivi” (arrivals).  Look by your train number and time of departure rather than the city/destination, because  the city you are going to might not be your train’s final destination. For example I might be taking a train to Florence, but it will be listed as Milano on the schedule (because it stops in Florence and continues on to Milan).
• On this schedule you’ll see the track listed under “Binario” or abbreviated to “Bin”.  If it’s blank, which it often is until close to departure time, it means the train isn’t there yet. If the train is late, you will see the new time written as a note on there under the “ora effetiva” (actual hour) or “Ritardo” (delay) column.  If you are feeling fancy and get a first class ticket, you might see a note at the end of your train’s row that says something like “1 CL CODA”.  The word “Coda” means that the first class cars will be at the far end of the train.  While “Testa” means at the front of the train.

On Your Ticket (see picture!):  It will say the number of people (more than one person can be on the same physical ticket, as in the ticket below which says “N. 2 Adulti” meaning 2 Adults), “Ora”– the hours of departure/arrival, “Partenza” and “Arrivo”– the stations of departure/arrival, sometimes a major stop along with way (“via Firenze”, for example), “Treno” -the train number, “Carrozza”– the car you are in, “Posti”-the seat(s) you are assigned where applicable, and “Classe” the class.   In the ticket here you see:  it says “Carrozza 318, Posti 43,44 mediano” meaning Car number 318, seats number 43 and 44, departing from Levanto at 13:01 and arriving to Milano Centrale at 15:50, second class, Train # 176.  Keep in mind that slower trains often don’t have assigned seats!

Train travel in Italy | Tips while you’re on the train

Now you’ve made it on the train, and you’re looking forward to enjoying in some  beautiful landscapes from your window (or taking a nap)!

• Where to put your bags?  All trains will have a sort of overhead spot for bags (and often suitcases may fit as well).  Some trains will have some space underneath your seat like on an airplane.  High-speed trains generally have a place at the end of train cars to store luggage.  If your bags are out of site, it’s a good idea to try and keep an eye on them…for example when the train is stopped at stations and passengers are getting on or off.

• Tickets:   Someone will come along to check your tickets at some point.

• Food/Snacks: On some high-speed trains a cart will pass by with various snacks and drinks for sale.  Otherwise, they always have a snack car somewhere along the train.  Regional trains or other slower trains don’t usually have snack cars or carts for sale on board, so you’d do well to stock up at the station before traveling (since stops at train stations along the way are rarely if ever long enough to hop off and buy anything before it gets going).

• Toilets:  All trains will have bathrooms on board for passengers.  This is a good moment to have kleenex and hand sanitzer in your bag, since train bathrooms vary in terms of supplies.  Please note that train bathrooms are not to be used while a train is stopped at a station….you’ll understand why when you use one!

• Do NOT cross train tracks:  Never on any occasion cross the train tracks.  Not only will the station personnel blow their whistles angrily at you but it’s extremely dangerous business, as you never know when a high-speed train may pass on middle tracks.  There are stairs at every track to allow you to use the under-passage.

Missed trains?  Problems?  Questions?:  Stations usually have Information desks to help you.  Otherwise, there’s always the ticket agents that can assist you. Buon Viaggio!