Italy Transportation Tips by MiniMaxi

Trains in Italy (part 2 of 3)

The second category of trains is the "Intercity": these are alike Eurostars, just, seat reservation is not mandatory. You can book a seat on these as well, and they will be cheaper than the Eurostars. However, things to consider are:
1) Intercities run way less often than Eurostars (so your choice will be limited)
2) because they have no mandatory reservations (and they are cheaper), these trains are usually overcrowded, as it is normal to allow people onboard even if they don't have a seat (which means, corridors might gets packed with travellers...).
3) they stop at (slightly) more locations than Eurostars, so they will be (slightly) less fast
4) in some occasions, especially close to vacations (but sometimes on weekends too, like Fridays or Sundays), these trains can be so packed (especially those going north-south and viceversa) that they might be late at each station just to board/unboard people; which means that, in the overall, these trains can be rather late.

So, in all honesty, I feel like I can recommend the Eurostar first; get an Intercity only if you know the line won't be much busy, and in any case, do a seat reservation.

The final category of trains are the normal ones. These are normal trains, where no reservations are possible, They are usually the ones that stops at all the stations, so you get them only if you need to stop at a particulat location (or in a secondary region that is not served by the Eurostar/Intercity trains). In any case, on all trains (from 2005!) it is *forbidden* to smoke.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Train

Website: http://www.trenitalia.it

Trains in Italy (part 3 of 3)

Most train trips (including Eurostars of course) can be also conveniently booked online (see enclosed link), with a nice bilingual (Italian/English) website that allows you to look at the schedules, and to buy the ticket using your credit card. In case your trip is just composed by Eurostar trains, you can even get an e-ticket (so, just write down all the data of the ticket and/or print the appropriate page, and then give it to the officer when they ask for your ticket). However, to get an e-ticket (as well as to buy online), you need to be registered on the site (odd choice, yes, things are not always perfect...). If you don't manage to, ask an Italian friend to buy the ticket for you using your credit card data (of course, you must trust this person...!)

A note of warning: apart from the Eurostar tickets, all the other tickets need to be *stamped* at the yellow machines present in the railways stations. Without stamp, you'll get a fine.

Last but not least, remember that you can always upgrade a ticket: from normal to Intercity to Eurostar (even onboard, but at a slight fee; if you do it onboard, however, you need anyway to stamp your ticket!).

If you forget to stamp a ticket and are already inside the train, look right away for the officers (they are usually in the first wagons), and tell them you forgot/didn't have time: they will stamp it for you. If you instead wait for them to find you on the train, you risk a fine.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Train

Website: http://www.trenitalia.it

Trains in Italy (part 1 of 3)

Trains are a good way to move thorough Italy, much better then a bus.
Given that Italian cities are pretty overcrowded, at least in their historical parts, it is also nice not to have to bother where to park a car (which is an art in itself for Italians...). With a train you arrive downtown, and you get out, no car to park :)

There are essentially three categories of trains in Italy: "Eurostars", "Intercity", and normal ones.

The best of all, especially for foreign tourists, are the Eurostars: these train are all air-conditioned, and have mandatory reservations, i.e., each time you buy a ticket for a Eurostar you have necessarily to choose the train you want to take (and, accordingly, you will be assigned a seat on it, just like on airplanes). This means that
even if there are crowds around, you will
be sure to have your seat, no matter what.
In case you have trouble, you can change the reservation, but, of course, before the departure of the train (better at least the day before).
Reservations are of the form wagon ("carrozza") number, seat ("posto") number; so for example, carrozza 2 posto 14 means you should enter wagon n.2 (look at the number outside each wagon, usually placed close to the doors), and once inside, look for seat no.14 (like in an airplane)..
Note for smokers: sorry, you can't smoke on Eurostars.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Train

Website: http://www.trenitalia.it