Today we will learn how to use the website of Italian railways www.trenitalia.com, as well as independently buy tickets for high-speed trains in Italy without agencies and cunning intermediaries

There is only one official website for Italian railways – it is www.Trenitalia.com. It is available ONLY in Italian (default), English, French, German, Chinese and should look like this:

• There is also mobile app version of Trenitalia

How to Buy a Ticket

Dealing with the website is quite difficult the first time, but only buying a ticket from an official carrier directly gives you a guarantee of a safe trip. Also at Trenitalia you can always check the current schedule of regional trains and buy them in the machine.

It is a normal thing to meet bugs or slow work of the Trenitalia website. I recommend buying tickets at Omio.com ticket offices – this is the most reliable way to buy train tickets in Italy

Yes, despite the fact that Trenitalia is one of the mostly used websites in Italy, there are still frequent problems that appear when you try to purchase a ticket.

Note: Booking tickets online in advance makes sense for high-speed trains between large cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, Turin, Milan – since the cost in 2-3 months before the travel date is much lower. Please note that in the high season from March to November, the dates you need for your trip may not be suitable for the price and time of tickets at all

Now let’s try to purchase a ticket from Rome to Naples:

Pay attention that there are different types of trains: regional and high-speed trains.

How to Choose a Train

I recommend traveling between big cities of Italy only by high-speed trains because it is comfortable and fast, especially since buying tickets in advance can save a lot. From Rome to Naples a ticket usually costs 44 euros, and one month in advance we can buy it for 19.90 euros.

The price of ticket and duration of trip varies depending on which type of train you choose

As you can see on the screenshot above, if you choose fast train ticket for 48 euro, the duration of trip will be only 1 hour and 10 minutes. However, there is also a cheaper alternative, where you can get to Naples from Rome for 27 euro only, but with 1 stop in another city or with direct regional train within 2 hours.

Types of Tickets

Moreover, you have to choose a type of your ticket: standard (reclinable fabric seats), premium (leather seats with reclining mechanism), business (more space for your trip), business area silenzio(new option, where the whole coach is dedicated to people who would like to travel in silence), working area (with all needed equipment for businessmen), business salottino (area with max privacy, where snack and drinks are included in the ticket), executive (maximum comfort).

Among important words and phrases in Italian for ticket purchase you will meet:

1. Da (from where): Roma (Tutte Le Stazioni), Rome (All stations)
2. A (to where): Napoli (Tutte Le Stazioni), Naples (All stations)
3. TUTTI I TRENI – all trains FRECCE – only high-speed trains (FRECCIAROSSA, FRECCIARGENTO, FRECCIABIANCA), that travel among big cities – Naples, Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Bologna
4. REGIONALI – regional trains, the most budgetary, but not the most comfortable way to travel in Italy
5. Options: SOLO ANDATA – one-way ticket
6. ANDATA E RITORNO – round-trip tickets
7. Adulti – adult passengers over 14 years old
8. Ragazzi – children under 14 years old inclusive
9. Cerca – Search
10. Conferma – Confirm

Registration Process

Actually, the registration process is easy: you just have to indicate main details about yourself and receive a confirmation email within couple of minutes.

Note: the ticket buyer is not necessarily a passenger. You can buy tickets to your family, friends, or customers

Choosing Place in a Coach

Another plus of buying tickets in advance on the official website is that we have a wide selection of seats in the coach. Traveling as a family or a company of 3-4 people, you must agree, it is more pleasant to sit near each other. We always reserve seats with tables whenever possible. There are 2 places nearby.

Payment

As you can see below, there are several different payment methods, where you can choose the one that you prefer more:

Usually, the payment process is easy and the overall procedure of tickets purchase is not longer than 10 minutes.

Types of Trains

Before traveling, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the whole variety of types of trains, so that later on during the trip there are no unpleasant surprises.

Frecci

Freccia translates as “arrow”. Indeed, these trains are associated with speed, where Frecci trains travel at a speed of 200-360 kilometers per hour.

There are three types of trains in this category:

• Frecciabianca,
• Frecciargento,
• Frecciarossa.

1.  Frecciabianca (“white arrow”) – these are trains that serve directions from Milan to Venice, Trieste, Udine. Also under the “guardianship” of the “White Arrow” are the local coastal lines of the Adriatic, Lecce and Bari. A distinctive feature of Frecciabianca is high comfort, simplicity and conciseness in the design of the train, as well as very affordable ticket prices. As for the interior, in the first-class coach, the seats are arranged according to the “2 + 1” scheme (single seats on the left and double seats on the right). This results in a wide aisle and a well-designed luggage system
   
2. Frecciargento translates as “silver arrow”. These trains ride both standard and high-speed lines. The main routes pass through Verona, Rome, Venice, Reggio Calabria, Bari, Lecce. In the first class, the arrangement of seats is “2 + 1”, they go in the direction of train movement. There is a lot of free space in coaches. In the second class, the seating arrangement is 2 + 2.
3. Frecciarossa (“red arrow”) are the fastest trains in Italy, they accelerate to 360 kilometers per hour! Ply between major cities: Milan – Rome (you can get there in just 3 hours); Milan – Bologna (only 1 hour trip); Rome – Naples (can be reached in 1 hour 10 minutes), etc. The first and second classes are practically do not have difference. In the first class, passengers are seated according to the “2 + 1” scheme, in the second – “2 + 2”. Armchairs are equally comfortable and there are spacious walkways. You can lay out small tables, there are sockets for connecting laptops and other devices. 

Intercity

Intercity (IC) trains do many stops, but connect more than two hundred cities. When traveling on them you can really feel the spirit of real Italy. However, this option works only in case if you want to save money and not in a hurry. The arrangement of seats in first-class coaches is classic: “2 + 1”.

Intercity Notte

Intercity Notte (ICN) is a great option for those who like traveling at night. Take a comfortable train in the evening, and in the morning you are already in the right city. So you can save on a hotel and not lose precious daytime vacation time on long trips.

Eurocity

Eurocity (EC) are international trains. They go at least through the territory of two countries, stop only in the largest cities. Stops last no more than 5 minutes, and in exceptional cases – 15 minutes.

Regionale

Regionale (R) and Regionale Veloce (Rv) are ordinary trains. They stop at all stations and in all cities. Exceptions to this rule exist, but they are quite rare.

• Another option is to choose ItaloTreno company with comfortable trains and amazing service.

How Ticket Looks Like?

Via email you will receive an electronic ticket, which is a confirmation of your reservation. If there is no message, check the SPAM folder. The ticket contains all the details of your trip: who, where, train number, date, time, coach number and location. You do not need to compost the ticket, for traveling you just need to save the file on your phone, computer or simply copy the reservation code on a piece of paper.

How to Change a Ticket?

An option to change the date or time of departure is provided only in the Base fare. If you bought tickets with a discounted promotion (Economy, SuperEconomy): they cannot be changed. Your ticket is valid only for a specific date, time and train. To replace a ticket, go to a special web page, enter your email and reservation code. You will have options to change a ticket, request a refund, request compensation for the delay of a train, add or change the number of passengers on your trip.

Promotions and Discounts

Trenitalia regularly holds promotions, for example, buying a one-day round-trip ticket can save you money. But the surest way to save money is to simply reserve tickets one month in advance. Share your feedback and experience in buying tickets on the Trenitalia official website (Trenitalia.com) in the comments.

• If you have questions, feel free to ask 🙂

Do I have to Print my Ticket?

An electronic ticket, or rather your reservation code, is enough to save on your phone or tablet and show it to the controller. Printing a ticket is optional. Please note that tickets purchased online are valid only for a specific train – you have the number of the coach and seat specified. It is not necessary to buy tickets for Italian regional trains in advance, since you can buy them in fact at the station. However, many tickets for regional trains are valid during 4 hours after the departure time.

• Read: how to get to Fiumicino airport from Rome city center

You Did Not Receive a Ticket

You chose a trip, paid, and an electronic ticket wasn’t received by email? Conversations with Trenitalia tech support can take weeks. Therefore, despite the fact that you can buy tickets without registration, we strongly recommend you to register. Then, even if the tickets do not come to your mail, you can simply download them in your personal account.