Italy Train Travel

Although I enjoy taking the train in Italy, this summer it seems that almost every train I've been on has been in ritardo, late. Both going to and returning from Rome, the train was nearly 2 hours behind schedule. While, the "fast" trains seem to be the worst offenders for tardiness, I haven't experienced much delay on the local lines. Lateness seems to be much worse this summer or maybe I've just had bad luck. My advice, be flexible with your travel plans in Italy and don't expect to arrive somewhere at a certain time, especially if your travel involves changing trains.

There's a new class of IC train called the IC plus. On the IC plus, seat reservations are mandatory and cost 1-2 euros. Whenever you're traveling on a long-distance train in Italy, it's a good idea to make seat reservations ahead of time as trains can be very crowded and you might end up without a seat. You can make a seat reservation for any train at the ticket window of a train station. If you're at a smaller station and don't speak Italian, it's helpful to write your destination and date and time of travel on a piece of paper to show at the ticket window when making your reservation.

And don't forget to validate your ticket before getting on the train. For more about traveling by train in Italy, see our Italy Train Travel.

Italy Travel Planning: Italy City Distance Map | Italy Rail Map