ItaloTreno 🚄 How to Buy High Speed Train Tickets in Italy

The official site www.ItaloTreno.it has a version in 2 languages: English and Italian. Italotreno is a private company and the website works much better than the one of Trenitalia.com. I always check tickets for ItaloTreno first and only then go to Trenitalia.

If you plan to travel between major destinations such as Torino, Milan, Florence, Naples, Venice, and Rome, Italo may be more competitive than TrenItalia

Where to Go

ItaloTreno high-speed trains run on Turin – Milan – Reggio Emilia – Bologna – Florence – Rome – Naples – Salerno with a branch in Bologna to Padua and Venice. From Rome to Milan at an average speed of 250-300 km per hour, the train arrives non-stop in just 2 hours and 50 minutes. For comparison, by car, this distance of almost 600 km can be overcome at best in 6-7 hours, and on the bus, it takes about 8 hours.

Registration

Registering for tickets on the ItaloTreno website is not necessary, but it will save you time if you plan to return to Italy or purchase tickets again. Moreover, all purchased tickets will remain in your profile.

Let’s try to create a profile on ItaloTreno step by step. We start from the main page of the official site; I chose the English version. In the upper right corner, press LOGIN.

A pop-up window offers us to log in via Facebook or Twitter. So, you can also authorize through a social network. Select Sign-Up.

After, you will have to fill in all the information about yourself and receive your Customer ID. When you finish the registration, you will receive all the details in your mail. Right after the registration process, you can start to purchase high-speed train tickets!

Note: Italo sometimes offers coupon codes to buy discounted train tickets. I recommend signing up for their free newsletter (only in Italian) to be notified of sales

Buying a Ticket

Let’s see how to buy tickets on the website of ItaloTreno. In the example, we suppose your journey begins in Rome, and the next city of travel is the fabulous Venice. Choose a one-way ticket. Fill in the fields.

Then, you will see to choose among tickets with different departure times and prices:

But, pay attention to the class of ticket you choose because the price depends on it:

Sometimes you can get a seat in “Prima” for a nice price because of the company’s special discounts. However, if you buy a ticket right before your trip, be ready that the prices will be higher.

So, if you choose your ticket, the website will ask you about your personal details and payment:

Of course, if you buy your ticket at least 1-2 weeks before the trip, there will be more available seats to choose in the train.

When planning a trip (at least 1 month), it is possible to buy a ticket, for example, from Rome to Milan for 19.90 euro, and from Venice to Rome for only 9.9 euro. The table below shows the best deals – the cheapest ticket prices.

Special Offers

Before searching for a ticket, I always go to the official ItaloTreno Facebook group, where they post promotional codes on specific dates. This method saved me up to 50% of the ticket price several times, but the most proven option is to buy a ticket in advance. Also, e-mails with promotions and discounts regularly come to registered users.

How to Return or Change Tickets

If your ticket is not purchased at the Low-Cost rate, you can change it. To do this, go to the trip management page, enter your name, surname, and reservation code:

If registered on the site, you can find your ticket and change it in your account. You can change a ticket a maximum of 3 minutes before departure, although it is possible that only the most expensive options will remain.

Tips

1. Buying tickets only on the official site of Italotreno.it.
2. Planning a trip is much more profitable, allowing one to choose seats on the train.
3. Italotreno is excellent for exploring large cities, especially if you are in Italy for the first time and want to see the maximum.
4. ItaloTreno is more comfortable, modern, and at least as expensive as Trenitalia.
5. You don’t have to validate or print your ticket in a ticket machine before your trip; show your ticket code if you are asked on the train.

Things to know about ItaloTreno and traveling on high-speed trains in Italy

Author: Kate Zusmann

I have lived in the Eternal City for the past 12 years. They say every angle of Rome has its history, and I'm here to tell you about the most intriguing historical facts and city legends. :)