Italian Trains: The Don'ts of Train Travel in Italy

A couple questions. 1- I've heard you can just swipe your credit card to get on a non high speed train. Is this true? 2- Restrooms in the trains. Credit card or coin only?

sir, may I ask, so if I have eurail global pass, I still need to buy reservation seat which cost me more money if I travel around italy by train? and how expensive does this seat cost? it seems like its better if I just buy from tainitalia than the eurail

Really nice video

Hope someday ulll be in Italy

What about a bus

Great video !!! Thank you !

If your hot why not stand in the shade. Or wear a hat ?

Great Tips!!!❤

Trains are a mixed bag but really convenient if on time and running. Strikes are a bummer. It caused me to get a refund and buy a higher priced last minute ticket. Delays can mess up connections. Our trip this fall was riddled with issues. But, it’s really the only game in town so relax and cope.

We're going in December. Thanks for the info🚄🚃🚝🚂.😎

This has to be one of the best travel advice videos I've come across, grazie!

Don’t forget to press the green button on the door at your stop. We did not know we had to do this (used to doors opening automatically when arriving at a station in the US). We missed our high speed train stop from Rome to Naples on our way to our scheduled Pompeii tour today. Panic ensued. We did make it after a series of nightmarish transfers, taxi rip-offs, etc. But we were drained in every way when we finally got there. The train workers were extremely helpful, though. Even calling ahead to see if they can let a connecting train know what happened (to no avail, unfortunately).

What experiences have Americans had recently using US issued credit cards in the automated kiosks? When I went over to the UK several years ago I did not have good luck being able to use my US credit cards in any automated kiosks.

what a moaner

I just downloaded the Trenitalia app. Do I just show a screenshot on my phone?? Thanks for the help!

You are complaining about the heat while wearing a short-sleeved shirt AND a white t-shirt! That’s plain nuts. Take off the t-shirt!

Got it! You saved 500 euro but more important how much did you spend! Travel by train is very expensive in the EU don’t ask me how i know, i know. Luggage omg we lost one from Rome to .. and another one. Please consider traveling light in Italy as full of …… and keep your belongings close not on the back but in front, same to the wallet never in the back pocket. No shame its a job in Italy same in Greece, Turkey, Marocco enjoy but be aware.

bro one time i flew from rome to bari and the cost for 4 people two way was like 20 euros

Good info! We traveled from Rome to Florence to Pisa, and then back to Rome. We booked online and had very enjoyable travel. The views between Florence and Pisa were amazing!! Be very careful at Roma Termini when traveling early morning (before 6a.m.) to the Rome airport. Sketchy characters will pop out of the dark while you are struggling with your luggage to get inside the terminal. We didn’t see any police until we were actually inside near the platforms.

It's been watching this channel on and off for years and it's so satisfying to see higher quality editing. This channel's ability to be consistent and ever-evolving shouldn't be understated.

Only AEK 😊

Another thing I’d mention regarding the luggage space on trains is that the compartments really aren’t very deep and if it isn’t full and bags have room to move they could easily fall off. This happened to us when a standard size carry on bag we had put up slided off and hit my friend on the head. Fortunately she was fine but this kind of thing can be very dangerous and you should pay attention to it.

This video has been soooooooo helpful! Thank you I never knew train rides were so simple!

I just purchased tickets on ItaliaRail for late next month, Rome Termini to Ravenna for a cruise. For 2 people and a 2 1/2 hour trip was only $100, and that was for business select seating!! The first leg, Rome to Bologna is on a regionale and the second leg to Ravenna is on a frecciarossa. Was easy and pain free to book and we have a few hour cushion before our appointment to board ship.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

What happens if you board the wrong train and not realising it until its too late? What are the procedure? I am so terrified of this.

I love the train table in the station both in Italian and German! Hello, friends from Südtirol!

Transportation in Italy is quite bad, the trains are late,the buses outside the city are very poorly organized. At the stations, it is not written what time the bus arrives or which number is.

Don't miss the beautiful scenery is not a don't

In 2019 we flew into Rome. From Rome we took a train to Naples and took a cab to our hotel La Medusa on the outskirts of Naples in Castellammare di Stabia. I had my driver Gianluca take us where we wanted around the Amalfi, dropped us off and didn't have to worry about parking and we'd tell him how long we wanted to stay in each area and then he'd pick us up

From there we took a train from Salerno to a Venice, then from Venice to Bologna then back home.

Trains were super easy and the sight seeing was fabulous.

Mussolini's claim to fame was to make the trains run on time. Check history 😅😅😅😅

Great info! Thanks!!!

I am watching right now and I’m am a little afraid of getting lost in Venice. I am looking to travel to Rome and take a train to Venice, Florence and Tuscany. Do you think that’s possible in 12 days

just a word about trains getting too hot: I live in Italy and often travel by train, almost always actually, and on the regional train in summer it can get way too cold (yes, cold) in one car and way too hot in another. In my region, Tuscany, the trains between the coast and the inland almost always are too cold. Once I was at the beach and I had to come back home in Florence by train (a couple hours) and decided to get on the train while still wet from the beach, I mean my hair (long) and my costume, and I was wearing flip flops. it was terrible, I had to travel between cars all the time to look for some place where it wasn't too cold. but yeah, trains can get too hot too. anyway, great advices and great video, as an Italian I can say you know our train lines very well, good work! Enjoy your time in Italy!!

Im going to be in Italy for two weeks. Is there a pass I can buy for that time, or do I need to buy individual tickets for each trip? I’m going all over Italy so I think I should find out!

So helpful, thank you.

Great tips. Thank you sir.

Sometimes with late regional trains, you may get on the wrong train. But they tend to head the same route so you're fine.

If you have to put your luggage on the racks, keep an eye on it at each stop, because sometimes people will snatch and go.

Regional trains are cheap af for short trips, but for long trips, we always find it easier and less of a headache to spend that extra money for business or first class on the freccia!

Thanks for the awesome information, genuinely well done Wolt! 👍🏻
Best wishes from Australia
🇦🇺🦘👍🏻

When did you film this? We were in Italy in
June and everywhere was extremely crowded.

Nice video.

Thanks for the details….so helpful ❤️

...when you get to a kiosk to buy the ticket...keep your belonging in front of you (an advice that is usually said also by the machine itself as the first "welcoming" message. Then be careful of all the unofficial helper that may approach you to help you to buy the ticket....in Milano Centrale I saw one for each kiosk and they vanish only when a Police patrol come on sight, just to reappear immediately after....

Great presentation and all spot on. A point on Taking internal flights, take into account how long you have to be at the airport before your flights due time as well as time getting to and from the airports. You can easily add another 3-4 hours. So whilst the actual travel time is short, it might take just as long as a train trip. I love The trains, i find them relaxing and the final destination is generally central in the town to are travel to. Defiantly buy your train tickets in advance. Online bookings open about 4 months before departure. Different days and departure times have different pricing so be a bit flexible if you wan to save money. And strangely enough business class can be cheaper for a certain time slot. I discovered that earlier this year when I booked my fare. Bonus.. Happy travels everyone .

Great video, but you should also mention the supplementary tracks for regional trains at some larger stations. I have almost missed trains in Rome and Syracuse because those tracks don’t go all the way to the end. 1 est / oest or similar

Brilliant. I love all the great tips... thank you!

How safe are the luggage drop offs sites considered to be? Should I be comfortable leaving valuables/important documents?

This really needs to be split in 2 videos:
1) Long haul trains (IC, EC, FR, Italo), icluding service levels, reservation/cancellation polices;
2) Regional trains wich have different tiketing police, no seat reseevation etc.

I would've love to know this before, trains do not come on time. They do not give you back anything if the train is cancelled 😂 they would make you wait patiently and you would pay double to get in another one. Freccia Rossa saved us because they have better services and trains, if i would know that when i bought them online it would save us a lot of money

Does the high speed trains go all the way to Sorrento??

Very helpful information, but you are a little rushed in speaking, imo.