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TRAIN TRAVEL

Five clever ways to save money on train tickets in Italy

Train tickets in Italy aren't always cheap, especially in the case of longer, interregional journeys. Here are five essential tips to get the best available deal.

Published: 7 July 2023 17:23 CEST
Freccia Rossa train in Milan
A high-speed Freccia Rossa train in Milan's Centrale station. Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

Though images of decrepit trains slowly trundling across the Italian countryside may still be vivid in the minds of many, rail travel in Italy is now much different from what it once was.

Some areas of the country are still significantly underserved, but overall national rail services have improved significantly over the past two decades. 

With nearly 1,500 kilometres of high-speed line, trains are now faster and more comfortable than ever before.

READ ALSO: Five easy day trips to make from Rome by train

This better overall service has however resulted in higher fares for passengers. And, while train tickets are nowhere near the sky-high prices recently seen in the air travel sector, they can be fairly expensive, sometimes exceeding €100 per trip.

Book well in advance

While you may be thinking ‘Gee, thanks for the eye-opener, The Local’, this is the single most essential piece of advice you’ll want to follow when booking your train journey in Italy and we can’t stress enough how important it is – and how much money you can save.

Purchasing tickets at least one month before the date of your trip will not only give you access to lower fares but will also allow you not to miss out on deals or special offers as these are often time-limited or have limited availability. 

Take advantage of deals, but beware the ‘terms and conditions’

Booking in advance will allow you to snap up the best offers, and you’ll find no shortage of those, especially in the warm months.

Deals offered by national rail operators Trenitalia and Italo may include anything from heavily discounted fares for families or groups of friends to discounts of up to 60 or even 70 percent for people under 29 or day trippers.

But, before going full steam ahead with the purchase, it’s always advisable to check the relevant offers’ ‘terms and conditions’ (termini e condizioni in Italian). 

Milan's centrale station

A view of Milan’s Centrale, one of Italy’s biggest train stations. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

In fact, while some promotions may appear to be incredibly advantageous on paper, they may ‘hide’ fairly unfavourable caveats. For instance, a certain offer may be non modificabile and non rimborsabile, meaning you won’t be able to change the time or date of the journey (not even by paying a penalty), nor will you be reimbursed in the case you can’t make the trip.   

These conditions can generally be found on the same website page as the deal they refer to and are definitely worth checking beforehand.

Use price comparison websites to snap up the best fare 

Comparing prices and promotions from different companies is technically something that you could do on your own, but why go to such trouble if someone or, in this case, something else can do it for you. 

READ ALSO: The best websites for cross-Europe train travel

Train fare comparison websites have mushroomed in recent years, with Trainline and Omio being generally considered the most reliable ones in Italy. 

They both are intuitive, easy to navigate and are available in a number of different languages, including English.

Loyalty cards and travel packs

While this may not be as valuable a tip for short-stay visitors, it’s advisable for residents or those on longer stays to get the loyalty card of the company they travel with more frequently.

Besides getting immediate access to discounts on future journeys and special membership offers, you’ll also have loyalty points added to your card after every trip, which you’ll be able to cash in in exchange for a free journey after some time.

Freccia Rossa train in Rome

A view of the first class area on a Freccia Rossa high-speed train in Rome’s Termini station. Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

People travelling frequently between the two same destinations can also buy 10- or 20-ticket travel packs (known as carnet in Italy). These can allow for savings of up to 50 percent. 

However, it’s always best to check how long the relevant travel pack will be valid for before purchasing. 

TrovaunPosto for last-minute tickets

Life is known to throw the odd curveball every now and then, which means you may at some point find yourself having to buy a train ticket at the very last minute. 

In that case, TrovaunPosto may be your only possible chance of getting a cheap (or cheaper) eleventh-hour ticket.

READ ALSO: Yes, train travel across Europe is far better than flying – even with kids

TrovaunPosto (‘Find a seat’) is an online marketplace where people who can’t make their planned trips sell their tickets at prices which, under website regulations, must be lower than the price they originally bought them for.

You might not get lucky, but it’s definitely worth a shot.

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TOURISM

Flights, hotels, beaches: How the cost of travel to Italy is rising this summer

Inflation may now be falling but the price of a summer holiday in Italy has risen again - by up to 20 percent compared to last year.

Published: 24 June 2024 10:53 CEST
Flights, hotels, beaches: How the cost of travel to Italy is rising this summer

Italian consumer rights groups said last year that the summer of 2023 would be remembered as “the most expensive ever” for travel. But 2024 has already smashed that record, according to the latest price surveys.

The rising cost of air fares, ferry tickets, hotels, restaurants and beach clubs add up to mean a holiday in Italy will be 15-20 percent more expensive this summer compared to last year, according to a survey conducted by the Assoutenti consumer research centre in June.

While price rises in recent years have been attributed to Covid and rising inflation, which is no longer thought to be a factor, this year Assoutenti said high demand was pushing up prices amid the post-pandemic tourism boom.

Prices in Italy were “out of control as a consequence of the resumption of tourism, after the stop imposed by Covid, and the record number of foreign visitors recorded in the last year,” the survey’s authors wrote, calling on the government to take measures to contain price increases.

READ ALSO: ltaly set for summer tourism boom as bookings increase again

They warned that more Italian families were likely to “give up the summer holidays this year, not being able to face an expense that increases from year to year,” and that those who do travel may book shorter trips to keep costs down.

Some 6.5 million Italians say they won’t be going on holiday this summer at all, with half citing economic difficulties, according to a separate survey commissioned by price comparison website Facile.it.

Meanwhile, there had been a nine percent increase this year in applications for personal loans for travel purposes, the survey found.

Flight prices

One of the biggest factors was the cost of air fares, as both domestic and international flights to and from Italy were found to be more expensive again this year.

While the cost of flights between European countries had fallen slightly following inflation-driven price hikes in 2023, Italy was bucking the trend.

Italy’s flight costs had risen instead, according to recent analysis in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, with the average price of a summer flight between Italy and the rest of Europe up by seven percent and domestic flights by 21 percent.

READ ALSO: Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

Industry sources suggest the price increase is again down to unprecedented demand, while consumer groups say the main culprit is a lack of competition on the Italian market.

Transport costs

There were price hikes too for those using other modes of transport, with the rising cost of fuel and motorway tolls in Italy named as another contributing factor in the Assoutenti survey.

Ferry tickets were also more expensive, it found, with the average increase this August at +6.3 percent compared to 2023.

Hotels and B&Bs

For a family of four, the Assoutenti survey found the most expensive place to stay in Italy this summer was Porto Cervo, Sardinia, where the average price of a week’s three-star accommodation in August came to 3,500 euros.

The cheapest options were found to be Bibione, outside Venice (872 euros) and Rapallo in Liguria (909).

READ ALSO: Tourist tax: How much is it increasing in Italy’s cities this year?

The cost of accommodation at coastal destinations had risen by 23 percent on average overall, a separate survey by consumer group Altroconsumo found.

Hotels in cities were found to be a less expensive option, with most Italian families heading for the beach or mountains to escape the heat.

Restaurants

Adding to the overall cost, prices also continued to rise this year at restaurants in holiday resorts and at beach clubs: Assoutenti recorded an average increase for the catering sector of +3.5 percent on 2023.

Beaches

Renting sunbeds and umbrellas at Italy’s beach clubs is seen as a necessity by many Italian families – and often by international visitors too, given the lack of free options in many areas.

This too was becoming more expensive in 2024, with the average daily rate for a slot at one of Italy’s private beach clubs up by more than five percent on last year. Prices had also risen by as much as 11 percent between 2022 and 2023.

Beachgoers can now expect to pay around €30-35 for two sun loungers and a beach umbrella for the day on average, though prices can rise as high as €90 in Salento and €120 in parts of Sardinia.

Both private and free-access beaches in Italy also increasingly require advance booking due to higher demand.

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