When you travel Italy by train, it just adds to the ridiculous romantic feeling that is stirred in most of us when visiting the land of wanderlust, wine and warm welcomes. Even the train announcements while you’re standing on the platform sound like poetry. They are probably saying, ‘the next train to Rome arrives in three minutes’, but they might as well be saying, ‘darling I love you, and I will travel the world to see you’.
We love train trips in Italy, and although the country doesn’t always have the best reputation for efficiency, its rail network rocks. It’s also brilliantly connected internationally. Unknown to many, you can go from Paris to Milan by train in 7h, or leave London with an early breakfast and get to Milan for dinner, with one change in Paris. Or you can travel from Venice to Ljubljana in 6h 30mins for less than the price of dinner. Here are some of our top holiday destinations that are reachable by rail in Italy below, but there are many more, and you can see all of them here.
Lake Garda by train
You can get your Lake Garda adventure off to an even more adventurous start by taking the train direct to and from the start and end of our holidays there. As Lake Garda is so vast, covering 370km² and stretching across three northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, we have three walking holidays within the area, all of which take you away from the more crowded shores. Our holiday in South Lake Garda is, however, the one that’s easiest to reach by train, as you start with three nights in the lakefront town of Peschiera del Garda, and a finale in Verona. Both with train stations. We also have walking holidays in North Lake Garda and in Valle dei Laghi, which you can reach by train, but you need an additional bus connection. Lake Garda is always worth it however and is definitely one of the best Italian lakes holidays by rail.
Emilia-Romagna by train
If you are new to the exquisite landscapes of Emilia-Romagna, the Cammino dell’Unione, a walking circuit that translates as Path of Union, creates an immediate bond with the region’s beauty. And no better way to bond from the get go than arriving by train into Vignola, a medieval town in the heart of Emilia-Romagna where the holiday starts and ends. Stepping off the train, you get an immediate sense of the landscapes here at the foot of Rocca di Vignola, with other nearby highlights including the Terre dei Castelli (Land of the Castles), Modena Hills and Sassi di Roccamalatina Regional Park. Vignola is just under an hour from Bologna on a regional Trenitalia train.
Another special journey that takes you through both Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna is the Path of the Gods from Bologna to Florence, with both cities boasting great rail connections. Also known as the Via degli Dei, you follow a path that is enveloped by five mountains, all named after Roman deities. The highest of these is Monte Andone, with other highlights along the way including sections of the Flaminia Roman road, Rino and Mugello Valleys and Lake Bilancino.
Umbria by train
Umbria comes from the word terra d’ombra, or earth of Umbria, and you can have an earthy, eco-friendly journey to this region, when travelling by train. As many of our walking and cycling holidays in Umbria are just over an hour from Rome, it’s a perfect region for travelling by train, or even combining with a citybreak. Such as Walking the Cammino dei Borghi Silenti which translates as the Path through the Silent Villages, starting and ending in Orvieto, which has a train station. And opens up a beautiful world of historic, hushed and handsome hiking routes.
There are also some stupendous cycling routes on the Cammino dei Borghi Silenti, by e-bike, so even more silent. These walking and cycling holidays also combine Umbria with neighbouring Lazio, and similarly have Orvieto as your easy train connection. And Orvieto averages 1h 35mins from Rome on a direct train.
Puglia by train
Puglia’s walking and cycling trails pull off a perfect duet of both cultural and natural heritage. Walk between the two UNESCO towns of Matera and Alberobello, with their respective ancient rock churches and trulli stone houses, and then leave buildings and bustle behind to saunter through the coastal idyll of Dune Costiere Regional Natural Park. With plenty of sunset swimming spots along the way. And plenty of train stations too, which means that all of our Puglia holidays are reachable by rail. With stations in the likes of Bari, Matera, Lecce, Otranto Brindisi, Puglia is pretty perfetta.
Amalfi Coast by train
The Amalfi coast needs little introduction, with one of the most glam and gorgeous collections of Italian heritage wonders. But one of the drawbacks of its headlands and spiralling trails is that rail infrastructure is physically limited. Our cycling holiday on the Amalfi Coast is the one that’s most directly reachable, with stations in both Vietri sul Mare and Sorrento, where the tour starts and ends. And if you’re worried about Amalfi’s impressive hills, this one is an e-bike holiday. Even though the rest of our Amalfi holidays are a bit trickier by train, you can still get a train to Naples or Sorrento and navigate your way from there by bus or taxi.
Cilento Coast by train
Although the Amalfi Coast is one of our top holidays, the nearby Cilento Coast is proving a firm favourite for people who want to hike or cycle to other parts of coastal Italy. They are all reachable by rail, and rather brilliantly, they all start at the ancient temples of Paestum, making for a pretty dramatic start. As you can see on these eight day and nine day walking holidays, or our seven day and nine day cycling holidays. After that, you get to explore coastal pinewoods and olive groves, head down to hidden bays and fishing villages, and take in many other aspects of the soothing Cilento seascapes.
Sleeper train routes in Italy
One of the most unique sleeper train trips in Italy is from Milan to Sicily, a service provided by Trenitalia Intercity Notte. It’s not only the longest sleeper train route in Italy, but it’s also shunted onto the ferry at Villa San Giovanni to take you across to the island of Sicily. This superb daily service leaves Milan at 20.10 and arrives in Palermo at 16.55 the next day, with a section heading in the opposite direction to Catania and Syracuse. There are compartments that sleep one, two or three people, and couchettes that sleep four people. This train also stops at Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples, and we have too many adventures here to mention. But let’s guide you to our Sicily tours first, because you really don’t want to miss that shunting experience. It’s a one off.
There are three other sleeper train journeys in Italy that serve our holidays perfectly. The first is between Trieste in northern Italy and Venice or Rome. There are so many holidays you could tap into as you step off the train on this one, such as Cycling from Venice to Istria. Or you could go a bit loco and have a train adventure combo, cycling from Lake Bled to Venice, getting the sleeper train to Trieste and then cycling from there to Pula in Croatia. The second sleeper train journey that we’d like to highlight is from Milan to Puglia, where we have an array of aforementioned adventures when you step off the train in Bari, Brindisi or Lecce. And last but not least, the Austrian ÖBB Nightjet service connects Austria with Verona, Milan, Genoa and finally La Spezia, gateway to our Cinque Terre and Liguria holidays.
How to book train trips in Italy
For booking Italian rail tickets internationally, we recommend booking through Rail Europe or Trainline. If you are booking to travel from the UK, it is worth noting that Rail Europe allows you to book from anywhere in the UK to anywhere in the rest of Europe all on one booking. While the latter only lets you book from London’s Kings Cross International, as this is where the international part of the journey begins from the UK. Both charge a booking fee, but they will save you a lot of time. There is also a booking link with Omio on all our tour pages. You can also book directly with Trenitalia and Italo. Trenitalia is the national operator and main player, but privately-run Italo now offers competitive prices on intercity routes. They both generally release their tickets four months in advance, sometimes six. It’s also worth checking out Trenord, which runs local services in northern Italy. Train guru Mark Smith’s Seat 61’s website is excellent at holding your hand through this maze.
How to find cheap train tickets
One of the best tips is to get in early, because Italian rail operators generally release their tickets in advance (usually four months), and in phases. Another reason to get in quickly is because they release the cheap seats first. Trenitalia has excellent information about when tickets go on sale here. You can also set up a booking alert for a specific route on Rail Europe, and they will let you know by email when tickets have been released. You can then buy them either on Rail Europe or go straight to the train provider to buy them. It’s the same thing but, as mentioned above, the former charges you a booking fee.
Interrail tickets
Another great value and adventurous option is to just buy an Interrail one-country Italy Pass (aka Eurail Pass if purchased in the USA) and combine a couple of Italian walking or cycling tours over a set period of time. And Interrailing has gone multi-generational, with Senior and Youth Passes available, so jump on board, whatever your age. You could also combine countries with an Interrail Global Pass, and combine Italy with one of our many other holidays that are accessible by rail.
Get in training
Once you start opting to travel by train, you won’t look back. It gets your holiday off to such a relaxed start, you can watch the country go past as you head to your chosen destination, and truly embrace the ethos of slow travel. At The Natural Adventure, we’re definitely hooked on train travel, which is why we have a carriage full of train tips in all our blogs on travelling by train here. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists.
Walking in Emilia-Romagna: Cammino dell’Unione
Walking in South Lake Garda
Walking in North Lake Garda (Centre-based)
Walking in Lake Garda: Valle dei Laghi
Cycling in Umbria and Lazio by E-bike: Cammino dei Borghi Silenti and Lake Bolsena
Cycling in Umbria and Lazio: Orvieto and Lake Bolsena by E-bike
Cycling in Umbria (Centre-based)
