Some friends of mine coming from different parts of Europe told me something that made me think about it. They jumped on a bus and they went around my country. That’s why I decided to share with you the 4 reasons to visit Italy by train. Here you can find tips to save time and money.
Imagine being on the road for 3 or 4 days and at the same time to see the main cities. Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome. Just to do an example. You will spend many hours on the bus and very little time around the places. Visit Italy by train is better. You have a question right now. Isn’t this way too expensive? No, there are tricks to get tickets for low rates.
I know you are also afraid to lose connections. Don’t worry, it is not complicated to visit Italy by train. You can easily get assistance. Then not all the stories about the transportations of my country are true. We are improving. Follow me, read the reasons, get the tips and then I am sure you will book a tour using the train.
Why visit Italy by train?
There are 4 different reasons to visit Italy by train. I am going to explain to them one by one and also I will give you some connections to book the tickets fast. Let’s go step by step to discover why you have to consider the railway in your exploration. Of course, this is the way to see more cities and not just stay in one.
But if you want, for example, to stay a few days in Rome and you are not planning to go to other cities you won’t need the train. Anyway, why don’t think about a short trip to Naples? It is quite close, especially by train. This means of transport can be your partner to improve your tour. Keep it in mind.
1. Time
Traveling by bus or even by car require surely a lot of time to cover hundreds of kilometers. Visit Italy by train is faster. The country has high-speed trains that connect the main cities. You can go to Rome from Milan in less than 3 hours (around 700 km.). If you have a few days at your disposal and you want to see more places, reducing the time onboard is important.
If you like to stay on board you can even add more cities. You will be faster. Visit Italy by train allows you to choose according to the timetable and so do the stops. Maybe you can find some cool places to see during your trip. Saving time it’s only one of the reasons to travel on the railway.
2. Comfort
Modern buses offer a good setting but never like the trains. High-speed ones give more comfort with suitable seats, tables, and plugs to recharge the mobile or the laptop. The Wi-Fi connection is more stable and there is better entertainment in case you don’t know how to spend the time onboard.
During your journey, you can also get some snacks thanks to the bar located on the train. In some classes, it is included in the price also a beverage plus a snack. Visit Italy by train is better also if you want to sleep because the seats are larger than the ones on the bus.
3. Downtown
International buses and the ones that connect the cities sometimes go to stations located at the entrance of the city. Trains go always directly to the main railway station. This means to be close to the attractions In walking distance you reach the points you want to see. Walk around is perfect to explore the places.
Visit Italy by train is convenient for this reason and it is even faster than the plane. If you fly you need to go to the airport in advance and then you need to move to the center of the city. Again, it’s a matter of time. In case you rent a car, you have to reach downtown and search for parking. Imagine how it is hard.
4. Price
The bus usually cost less than the train. True, but did you check the promotions on high-speed train tickets? Purchasing them in advance you can save a lot of money. I also suggest you consider all the aspects. More time to see the city, more comfort, and downtown arrival.
If you travel by bus during the night maybe you save money on the accommodations. Is this worth it? You can sleep in a hostel and spend 10 or 15 euros on a bed, but enjoy more the city. You can also explore the nightlife. Try to search for the rates applied for the tickets and you will see how it is a good idea to visit Italy by train.
Tips and tricks
I summarized in 4 reasons why you should consider visiting Italy by train. But there something more to tell about this way to travel. You need to book in advance and save a lot of money, it can be good around one month earlier. Travel in the late morning or the afternoon, there are fewer people on board and the rates are lower.
If you have doubts to reach the train, search the company desk inside the train station. The staff will assist you with all the information. Visit Italy by train is easy also speaking English. The staff on high-speed trains speaks foreign languages and you can even follow the track and know the next stop watching the monitor.
Keep in mind that going around by bus and by car you can find traffic, fog, and so on. Visit Italy by train and you will avoid those risks because the system allows the trains to move on a railway without considering traffic or weather conditions. You can be more punctual.
Book a ticket
Now you have some elements to understand why you have to visit Italy by train. now it is time to know how you can buy your ticket. I list here three ways online. In all cases, you will get electronic tickets. The country counts two companies with high-speed lines. Both of them use promotion rates. You can check their timetable and reserve the seat directly on the web.
Trenitalia and Italo are the companies and you can easily find the best options. Follow the online procedure, but if you have difficulties you can call the call center. In this case, you must be in Italy and use a number paying an extra cost per minute. There is another solution to buy the tickets.
ItaliaRail is a good option if you want to visit Italy by train. Why? Let me explain something more about the largest global seller of train tickets in Italy.
The features of the company:
- ItaliaRail is the expert in seamless train travel within Italy
- Guaranteed lowest prices
- 24-hour customer support
- ItaliaRail offers an exclusive luggage service as well as discounted sightseeing and hotels
- Multi-currency payment options
- Instant electronic tickets
- Special group rates for students and educators that are up to 80% off the regular price
So you can visit Italy by train and find accommodation or book a tour in the same place.
It’s possible to buy tickets around Italy from €9.90/€19.90/€29.90 from ItaliaRail that connects directly to the Trenitalia ticketing system. Customers can also buy in USD or GBP. You can find even cheaper prices than the ones offered by Trenitalia. It is available the booking for groups too.
Cities to see
Do you want to visit Italy by train? Well, you know almost everything now. But I want to give you some more hints. Just analyze a tour around the main cities connected by train. It is the last step, then you can plan and book your Italian trip.
Each day 201 trains are going around the cities bringing travelers to the destination. The cities served are a lot: Turin, Milan, Genua, Bergamo, Brescia, Vicenza, Treviso, Udine, Verona, Venice, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Florence, Rimini, Ancona, Arezzo, Perugia, Pescara, Rome, Naples, Potenza, Salerno, Foggia, Bari, Lecce, Taranto, Sapri, plus the main airports of Milan and Rome.
You can start your trip from Milan to see the modern architecture, then go to Rome to enjoy a superb dinner. The trip by train requires 2 hours and 55 minutes. Instead, to go direct to the capital city, you can stop in Bologna for some shopping, 59 minutes from Milan. One more stop and you will be in Florence to go around and have a luxury lunch, 35 minutes from Bologna.
When you are in Rome, after a tour around the center and Villa Borghese, you can move to Naples and enjoy the gulf and buy porcelain. The trip needs only 1 hour and 7 minutes by train. These are just some ideas to visit Italy by train. Instead, from Milan you can go to Turin to taste chocolate, the train will take you there in 47 minutes.
Open the homepage of ItaliaRail and select the cities in the form to search all the connections. It will be easy to get all the list ad to choose the best one. There are also a lot of tips on the site to inspire you. If you want some more hint to visit Italy by train read my articles.