Kurt Hartley Exploring Italy is a lot of fun, regardless of which mode of transportation you choose. Personally, riding on a train is my favorite way to explore a country. Thanks to good railway infrastructure and affordable train prices, exploring Italy on a train can be a very memorable experience. There is nothing better than sitting in your seat and looking at amazing scenery from your window.
Exploring the boot on a train
Italy is one of, if not the best place to experience traveling on a train. Everywhere you go, you’ll see remains of Italy’s rich history and culture. Not all of these small Italian towns have airports, so traveling on a train is a great way to explore them. Italy has a very well developed network of Trains. Even very small towns have at least a small station with regular train connections to bigger towns.
Cost
Now let’s talk about price. Italian trains are surprisingly cheap. You can cover 300-400 kilometers for under $20. That’s an incredible value, especially compared to prices in the rest of Europe. There is no additional cost for extra baggage, so you can take as many extra pieces of baggage as you’d like. In short, you can travel thousands of kilometers across Italy for the cost of a single airplane ticket.
The fastest and most expensive trains
Not all Italian trains are cheap. The most modern trains (which also happen to be the fastest) cost significantly more than normal trains. If you’re in a hurry to get from one big city to another, Alta Velocita trains are definitely the best option. These trains often reach speeds of 400 km per hour. These trains currently serve the largest cities like Milan, Rome and few others. If you train far in advance, you might get lucky and find AV tickets for a reasonable price.
Reasonably priced options
InterCity lines are a bit more affordable, but still comfortable trains. They serve most cities in Italy, even the smaller ones. The same can not be said for Alta Velocita trains.
Finally, we have Regionale trains, which are the cheapest, but also much slower than high speed trains. Regionale routes take longer not because trains themselves are very slow, but because they have to make more stops. These trains are fairly comfortable and usually have more than enough space for your luggage. If you’re worried about a prolonged ride, you can take a book to read while you’re traveling. Alternatively, you can enjoy playing games on your phone. Create an account on PlayAmo to play games and possibly win prizes.
If you’re planning to go from one neighboring city to another, Regional and InterCity trains are pretty good options. If you plan to spend more than five or six hours in the train, you should consider investing in AV trains that have more comfortable seats and significantly faster travel time.
Things to keep in mind
Italian towns often have more than one train station. After buying a ticket, make sure you arrive at the right train station, or you might miss your train. Also, tickets often say city names in Italian. You might see Venezia instead of Venice.
