Rail travel in Italy

[MichaelAndEagle]

I'm thinking of doing a holiday for me and two tween/teen DC at Easter and am really keen on Italy. We're all up for something a bit different.
I've been pre DC and remember rail travel being really easy, as in turn up at the station and get on a train!
Has anyone got any recent experience?
I'm thinking Venice, Rome, Sorrento.
I know I could go to an agency but I'd like to keep costs down if I can!

Check out man in seat 61 website. Really helpful.

Ooh thanks sounds good!

There recently. Trains are very regular and very cheap. My only disappointment was no bathrooms on some ..Sorrento to Naples for one...you may not mind that. Go to Pompeii as well worth a visit and train goes right there.

I booked on line from Venice to Zurich via Milan. And Rome to Sorrento.

Trentitalia or some such.

Check the seat 61 website, and Trainline. I usually book through Trainline for Italy, never had an issue.

It is very easy. The Trenitalia website is v helpful.

If you go on an unpopular line you may find the trains a bit small and overcrowded - I recall one on my honeymoon where there was barely standing room and the guard was having a permanent argument with a gang of faredodgers.

But apart from that one time it was all lovely double decker trains with aircon.

Personally I'd skip Sorrento and do something more fun. Or go the whole way by train and stop off in Milan.

Slightly more complicated now as on some of the fast trains you must have a seat so over Easter popular routes do get booked up. It's probably best to book somewhat in advance using the Trenitalia app. Last minute is more expensive on the Frecce (fast trains).

Thanks for all the great advice!
Eek!!! Going to start planning!!!

I seem to remember you need to get tickets validated at the station.... is that still the way they do things?

I was travelling by rail in Italy this summer and had a very positive experience. I booked using Trainline, it was cheap and straightforward.
I only travelled in the North part (Como, Cinque Terre) and came in from France and left through Switzerland.
Take plenty of snacks!

It depends on the train. If you buy a ticket for a local train without a seat reservation, yes. If you have a seat reservation on a fast train, it's only valid for that train anyway so strictly speaking not necessary. Lots of people use e-tickets now which are for specific trains anyway.

I just had the tickets on the app, didn’t need to validate them before travel. More often than not tickets were not checked!

If you keep an eye on the website, there are quite often offers for children to travel free but you need to get in quick!

Ooh good tip! Thanks

Thanks everyone 😊

I didn't know you can use Trainline for trains abroad, we're going to Rome in November and looking at getting from the airport to the centre of Rome by train

Airport to central Rome is easy, just follow the signs for the Leonardo Express. I think you do get your tickets validated for that one if I recall correctly.

If you have a paper ticket, yes
Download the Trenitalia app- buy all your tickets on there, it stores them much like Trainline etc. It's in English as well. Then on the bigger /intercity style trains you check in via the app when you get on and the conductor then doesn't even bother looking at your ticket.
Advance cheaper tickets work much the same way as UK ones too.
Italian trains (esp the frecce- rossa and argento) are fabulous.

Watching with interest OP as I'm keen to get DSC into some proper sight seeing next year. I was looking at getting the ferry from Hull to Amsterdam and then trains to Brussels- Bruges - Paris and back to Zeebrugge for the ferry back to Hull.

Itlay sounds like a great plan too. Me and DH are going to Rome for a very belated honeymoon in May but I would love for us all to go to some other places and soak up the culture.

Any paper ticket needs to be validated, or you risk being fined- but as pp have said, the paper tickets even for small regional chuggers are a dying breed as the app/e tickets are so much easier.

Sounds like this is all doable without an agent then!
Brilliant info everyone thank you!!

We spent 3 weeks in Verona this summer, used as a base for visiting lots of places by rail and love travelling on Italian trains (especially those with an "upstairs"). They're clean, comfortable and run on time. We are a bit old-fashioned and don't do apps - actually like the experience of buying tickets and getting them validated on the platform! Trains vary, from the high speed Trenitalia Frecciarossa and argento to the chugging along, graffitti'd carriages on the Herculaneum line from Sorrento (where busking musicians wandered up and down - do not be made to feel you have to donate if you don't want to - locals don't!). Journey to Venice is great, especially the long crossing out over the lagoon to terminus. Wish I was back there, train travelling, right now OP - go enjoy :-)

We took a train from Milan to Lake Garda then onto Venice. Great service and I was able to change to an earlier train on the day, with reservations and a table together. And I can’t speak Italian. 😐. I’m currently persuading the family to go on an inter railing trip. Seems pretty reasonable and straightforward.

Inter rail
@deflatedbirthday this might be of interest for you.

We did Venice-Rome-sorrento on honeymoon, by train- I think we got the frecce all the way to Naples then the boat to sorrento. Booked on trenitalia in advance and yes had to validate tickets but from what I remember it was easy to do.
we then got the local train from sorrento for a day trip to Pompeii which was great

enjoy!!