Italy for me From Italy with love
Today, we will learn how to use the official website of the Italian railways, www.trenitalia.com, as well as how to buy tickets for high-speed trains in Italy independently without agencies and tricky intermediaries.
I am sure this article will help avoid surprises for all readers of ITALY4.ME and make your trip to Italy even more comfortable.
The Italian railways have only one official website – www.Trenitalia.com. It is available ONLY in Italian (by default), English, French, German, and Chinese and should look like this. Trenitalia does not have a website in other languages! If you find one, run – it’s a trap.
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How to Buy a Ticket?
Dealing with the website is quite difficult for the first time, but buying an e-ticket from an official carrier directly guarantees a safe journey. Also, on Trenitalia, you can always check the current timetable of regional trains and buy them in the machine.
Booking tickets online makes sense for high-speed trains between big cities – Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, Turin, Milan – since the cost 2-3 months before the trip date is several times lower. Please note that during the high season from March to November, there may not be any tickets suitable for the price and time for the dates you need.
Let’s look at the nuances of buying a high-speed ticket, for instance, from Rome (Roma) to Naples (Napoli). But, first, enter your query in the search field.
- Da (from): Roma (Tutte Le Stazioni), from Rome all stations.
- A (where): Napoli (Tutte Le Stazioni), to Naples all stations.
You can filter the results by train type:
- FRECCE – only high-speed trains (FRECCIAROSSA, FRECCIARGENTO, FRECCIABIANCA) run between major cities – Naples, Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Bologna.
- REGIONALI – regional trains are the cheapest, but not the most comfortable way to travel around Italy.
We choose the date of the trip. I set December 6, 2016, as an example. Options:
- SOLO ANDATA – a one-way ticket
- ANDATA E RITORNO – round-trip tickets
Number of passengers:
- Adulti – adult passengers over 14 years old.
- Ragazzi – children under 14 years of age inclusive.
Choosing a Train
I recommend traveling between the big cities of Italy only by high-speed trains – it’s comfortable and fast, especially if you buy tickets in advance, you can save a lot. From Rome to Naples, a ticket usually costs 44 EUR, but if you buy one month in advance, it will cost 26.20 EUR. Travel time is only 1 hour 10 minutes, instead of a not always convenient train with a bunch of stops for the same money. But it’s worth noting that travelers with a limited budget can find options for as little as 9.90 EUR.
Types of Tickets
So, we have chosen to depart at 07:35 a.m. from Rome Termini Station. Let’s proceed to the choice of a ticket. You can see that the standard base price (Base) of a ticket is 44 EUR – the same price will be at the box office at the station. But in the high season, from March to November, planning your trip at least one week in advance is still better. Even the most expensive tickets are not always available day and day during the season.
The Super Economy option for 49.80 EUR can be caught 2-4 days before departure.
A return ticket is also selected. In our case, we were lucky and could buy a Premium carriage for the same 19.90 EUR or return from Naples in business class for only 29.90 EUR. Great bonus!
You can choose your seat in the carriage by checking the Voglio scegliere il posto checkbox. Without a checkmark, by pressing Continua, seats in the car will be assigned to you automatically.
Discounts on group tickets for 3-5 people
“Together” offer (Offerta Insieme) is a great option if you travel in groups of 3 to 5 people. You can enjoy discounts of up to 50%!
The offer is valid for Frecce, Intercity, and Intercity Night trains in 1st and 2nd class, in Business, Premium, and Standard service levels, in reserved seats and sleeping cars. To buy it, you need to select from 3 to 5 passengers, as in the screenshot below:
The offer is non-changeable and non-refundable and can be purchased until midnight on the second day prior to travel.
Choosing a Seat in the Car
Another plus of buying tickets in advance on the official website is that there is a wide selection of seats in the car. The seat selection option costs 2 euros per passenger. When traveling with a family or a group of 3-4 people, you must admit that sitting next to each other is more pleasant. We always reserve seats with tables when possible. There are 2 places next to each other.
We do the same when repurchasing tickets to Rome from Naples.
Click Conferma (Confirm).
Account
If you are registered with Trenitalia.com, you just need to enter your username and password. Since registration on the Italian train website is quite laborious, we choose the Proseduo senza fare il login option – continue without registration.
A window will appear in which we enter the buyer’s data
- Nome: First name, e.g., Brian
- Cognome: Last name, e.g., Brown
- e-mail: your email – enter super carefully without typos!
- Conferma e-mail: carefully enter the same address again – this is very important.
- Telefono: mobile number, optional
Note: The ticket buyer is not necessarily a passenger. You can buy tickets for your family, friends, or clients. This is exactly the service that all the agency websites mentioned at the end of the article take money for. It is worth noting the likelihood that when buying not at the official website, you can be fooled.
If you buy a ticket for yourself or travel with a group, then choose the Sono anche un passagero del viaggio option – “I travel too.”
Passenger’s data
So, If you buy a ticket for yourself, the passenger data will be filled in automatically. If you are buying tickets for someone, then just enter the passenger details.
Choosing a payment method
On the same page below, in the Pagamento section, choose a convenient payment method.
Click Acceto – “I accept the terms and conditions” and Continua – “next.”
Payment
The last step is to enter your personal data for payment.
We press Continua and a ticket is in your email box in a few minutes.
What You Need to Know Before Buying Tickets and Planning a Trip on Trenitalia Trains
Share your feedback and experience in buying tickets on the official Trenitalia website (Trenitalia.com) in the comments. Also, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.