A quick guide to using Italian trains
Here's how you to use trains in Italy:
TICKETS • It's best to buy tickets in advance, especially for high-speed trains and long-distance journeys. Trains are very popular in Italy and the chances of getting a ticket decrease as your date of travel gets closer • If you have a paper ticket, before boarding the train, validate your ticket at the yellow machines located on the platform.You only need to validate tickets for regional trains, not fast trains, and even then you only need to validate hard copy tickets bought at a station, not tickets bought online. • If you have an e-ticket, be sure that you have a copy available for the conductor who will carry out spot checks on the train for tickets
AT THE STATION • Arrive at the train station with at least 20 minutes before departure for regional, or 40 minutes for inter-city trains. Don't worry about long security lines, but give yourself time to check the electronic boards which display the train numbers and their corresponding platform (or bin./binario in Italian). • At stations, finding your platform and train is no different from finding your gate and plane at an airport. Signs are usually in English as well as Italian, and on high-speed trains, announcements are usually repeated in English. • It helps to know Italian city names: Rome = Roma, Florence = Firenze, Venice = Venezia, Naples = Napoli, Milan = Milano, Turin = Torino, Genoa = Genova. • Partenze are departures in Italian, and Arrivi are arrivals. Find your train number under the Partenze column to ensure that you go to the correct platform (binario) for your departure. It's important to note that the Partenze will display the final destination of the train - so if you are traveling from Florence to Rome, your train might actually keep going to Naples – so Napoli will show on the board. • If you keep watching, all of the stops will scroll by in the smaller letters next to the main destination. This should help put you at ease, but you really can’t go wrong if you focus on the train number (usually 4 digits) and the departure time - check your ticket for this.
ON THE TRAIN • It's easier to board your pre-assigned carriage (on longer trains where seats are pre-booked). The carriage numbers are clearly visible either on the side of the train or on an electronic sign on the door. (But if your train is about to depart – just get on! You can find the right seat after it leaves). • You don't need to check your bags in and there is no baggage car. You simply take whatever you like into the train with you, and stick your bags on the racks above your head or on the big luggage racks at the end of each car. If these are full, use the space between the seat backs, wherever there is a gap. On regional trains, it just goes on the floor next to you if there aren't any racks. Getting onto the train early helps if you do have a lot of luggage. Don't over-think it, as luggage really doesn't need worrying about, other than not travelling with more than you really need. • Enjoy the ride! Trains in Italy are comfortable and equipped with amenities such as air conditioning, restrooms, and food and drink service on some trains. However, feel free to bring your own food and drink (even a bottle of wine, if you like) onto the train, there's no rules against that on the rails! • Feel free to relax, but keep your arrival time in mind. Most trains in Italy make multiple stops, so set an alarm for 10 minutes before your scheduled arrival time just to be sure you are alert when it is time to get off the train! • Pay attention to announcements and arrival times to ensure you get off at the right station.
And remember to have fun! Italian trains are a great way to get around this gorgeous country!