How to use trains in Italy: companies, routes, schedules and tickets. How to get around Italy How to get around Italy between cities

There are three main types of trains - they differ in speed and routes.

Express (Frecce) - These are trains of the French company Eurostar. You will recognize them immediately - the carriages are painted white, red and gray. Traveling on them is two to three times faster and more comfortable than on others. These trains reach speeds of 180 to 360 km/h and pierce Italy like arrows (frecce is Italian for arrow), so you quickly cover long distances between major cities.
Intercity trains are simpler and cheaper, running between small and nearby cities. There are two types: daytime and nighttime. The compartment has either four beds or six seats.
Regionale - these are electric trains, but more comfortable when compared with Russian ones. They can be used to travel between small towns and populated areas, where the distance from one to another city does not exceed 300 km. Trains are inexpensive and comfortable.

I've traveled on all kinds of trains. The high-speed Eurostar took me from Padua to Naples (700 km) in five hours. Even my ears felt blocked, like on an airplane. I was traveling back on an intercity train from Naples to Padua, changing in Rome in a compartment with six seats. The compartment was full, and the train was at night - I was very exhausted, since there was little space between the seats, it was uncomfortable to sit, and even more so to sleep.

Advice: if you want to get to your destination faster and are willing to spend money, your option is a high-speed train. When you buy an intercity ticket, choose sleeping berths for an overnight trip and seating berths if you're traveling during the day.

This table shows that high-speed trains save you time, but, alas, not your budget. A fast and comfortable train can be more than three times more expensive.

On the Milan-Venice route, a high-speed train is 14 € more expensive, and if you take a train from Rome to Naples, the price is already 27 € higher.

Beep second: find out the schedule and buy a ticket

I usually look at the schedule on the website trenitalia.com (there is a version in English) or on the electronic board right at the station. Timetable stands are also installed on the platforms; train numbers and stops are indicated there.

Where can I buy a ticket

I buy tickets on the same website trenitalia.com , just keep in mind that this can be done a maximum of two months before the departure date. If you check the box next to the phrase “All trains”, the search engine will display all possible ticket options from expensive to budget and will offer the fastest route. If you want to save money, I advise you to immediately choose regional trains - “Regionale”.

Search form on trenitalia.com. Here you select the type of train, indicate the dates, the number of passengers and the type of ticket - one way or round trip.

You can also buy a ticket from a machine at the station. The menu is in English; you can pay for the ticket in cash, including coins, and by bank cards. True, these machines let me down a couple of times. Some did not accept change (and I did not want to pay with a card), others did not accept paper money (there was no change), others did not work at all, despite the fact that there was only one machine at the station - this happens at small stations. So be prepared for such a turn. If anything goes wrong, contact the Trenitalia staff, they speak English fluently: when I did not speak Italian, I had no problem asking questions in English and received detailed and clear answers.

What benefits and discount cards are there?

A child under 4 years old can travel for free, sharing one bed with an adult, and children from 4 to 12 years old are entitled to a 30% discount.
A passenger under 26 years of age can use the Green Card (Carta Verde) - this is a discounted travel pass for 26€ , under which you can buy train tickets with a 15% discount throughout the year. There are also discounts for those over 60.
“Family” travel card (Italian Kilometric Ticket) costs 117–181€ and gives a discount for trips up to 3,000 kilometers with 20 transfers.
The Amicotreno card for travel throughout Italy costs 50€ and gives a 50% discount on regional trains and 10–20% on intercity trains.
Special offers are constantly appearing on the Trenitalia website. You can also ask about discounts at the ticket office at the station. I don’t specifically look for discounts and promotions, but once a train ticket from Padua to Naples cost me 50€ instead of 100. We bought tickets as a group of 12 people, and they gave us a group discount of 50%.

Special offer on trenitalia.com: ticket for three for the price of two.

What types of tickets are there?

Some tickets are valid only on travel dates, others are valid for 90 days from the date of purchase. Before boarding, such a ticket must be validated in the yellow machine so that the date appears on it.

If you didn’t have time to buy a ticket at the station or in a hurry forgot to validate it, immediately go to the ticket inspector and explain the situation. Say that it was your first time in Italy and you were in a terrible hurry. This way you won’t be considered a hare and won’t be fined.I rode as a hare a couple of times, but abandoned this practice after talking with the controller, who interrogated me for an hour. Even if you don’t meet the controller, you will probably be nervous the whole way instead of enjoying the trip.

What to do if you ride like a hare and collide with a controller

Do not give up your passport, driver's license and other documents - they will definitely be taken from you, and you can only return them at the police station after you pay a fine of several hundred euros.
Pretend to be a tourist who doesn’t understand anything: “It’s my first time in Italy,” “I couldn’t figure out the tickets,” “I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to buy.”
Speak broken English and even Russian! Russian tourists are loved in Italy - they bring significant income to the country.
Be friendly. As a last resort, say that you will get off at the next stop, buy a ticket and take another train.

The third beep: to while away the transfer

If I have a ticket with a long night layover, I book a hotel or hostel. Large stations operate around the clock, there are many cafes and shops there, but this saves you for a couple of hours - you won’t be able to sit all night. But in small towns, train stations generally close at night, so the issue of a roof over your head is acute.On Ostrovka you can choose a hotel near the station so you don’t have to travel far and don’t have to wander through unfamiliar streets. If there is a metro in the city, use the filter by metro station - as a rule, stations are always close to train stations.

Here you can specify the metro station near which you want to find a hotel.

The exact distance can be seen on the hotel card. We show not only the distance to the metro, but also to the city center.

If there is no metro in the city, use the search on the map. Enter the name of the station or the nearest object (museum, theater, cathedral) and see what hotels are nearby.

If there is no metro or it is simply important for you to find a hotel near a specific attraction, indicate this object in the search engine, and we will show all the hotels nearby.

If you have not booked a hotel in advance, you can use the Ostrovka mobile application and search by location. The app will show accommodation options near you.

During the day's layover, I leave my things in the storage room and walk around the city. However, it happens that there is no storage room or it is too expensive. I once wanted to leave my backpack at Santa Lucia station in Venice - five hours cost 6€. For comparison: in Helsinki, several bags can be checked in for a day in just 4€ . I immediately Googled the problem and found an impromptu storage service in a hotel nearby and much cheaper than at the station.

Tip: if luggage storage is expensive or is not available at all, look for cameras at bus terminals; as a rule, they are located near the station. The more popular the city, the more likely it is that you will be able to find a place to store your things - the Internet can help.

Piazza San Marco, Venice. Photo: Yulia Grigoryeva

Beep number four: don't miss the train

The main thing is to carefully look at the transfer time: it may turn out that you only have 7–10 minutes to get your bearings at the new station and run to the desired platform.I have never been late for a train; on the contrary, trains were late. In Italy, trains are often delayed, and sometimes do not leave at all - the reason may be technical faults or strikes.

In my practice, the largest breakdown occurred in Padua and took three hours. All this time, the other passengers and I were waiting in the carriage. The departure was postponed several times, which was announced over the loudspeaker - of course, in Italian. I managed to keep the situation under control only because I know the language a little.

Tip: don't worry, even if you don't speak Italian or English, they won't leave you in the lurch. Italians are sociable and noisy people. They react emotionally to any misunderstanding, so if suddenly the whole train is on their ears, you will guess that you have to go somewhere.

Central Station in Milan. Photo: Yulia Grigoryeva

What to do if you miss your connection

Wait for the next train if time permits.
View train schedules from neighboring cities and travel there by bus. Bus stops are often located near the station.
Ask for a ride to a neighboring city. The driver can be found through the BlaBlaCar application. Communication will take some time, but it's still better than nothing.

Beep number five: find forgotten things

On my first trip on an Italian train, I forgot my bag in the carriage: I had three of them and one was left lying on the top shelf. When I realized that the bag was missing, the train had already left. Fortunately, I was able to return the bags a couple of days later in another city. So if you ever find yourself in such a situation, do not rush to give up and say goodbye to things forever.

What to do if you forgot things in the carriage

Write down your departure and arrival stations and the train number - you can find it on the timetable stand on the platform.
Indicate how much time has passed since you left the train.
With this information, contact the police department, the lost items storage room, or the duty officer. If no more than two hours have passed since the loss, there is a chance that the items are still on the train. The police will call the driver and ask the controller to go through the train in search of the loss. If things are found, they can be picked up within two or three days, or you can arrange for them to be handed over to you in the city where the train arrives.

Beep six: save cheat sheet

There are three types of trains in Italy: high-speed, intercity and regional.
You can buy a ticket on the website trenitalia.com, from ticket machines at the station or at the ticket office.
You can leave your things in a storage room at the station, but it is usually expensive - it is better to find other options on the Internet.
If you have a long overnight layover, book your hotel or hostel in advance. It is better to choose accommodation near the train station so as not to get lost in an unfamiliar city.
If you miss the train, wait for the next one. You can also leave by bus or car using the BlaBlaCar service.
You can try to return things forgotten on the train by contacting the police department at the station, the ticket office or the duty officer.
On spontaneous trips, use the Ostrovka mobile application - this way you can find a hotel by your current location.

Coming to Italy, tourists are often faced with the problem of choosing transport for the best sightseeing, so in this article I would like to talk about 10 methods of transportation, you just have to make a choice.

1. Urban transport

Buses are the most common means of public transport in most Italian cities. Usually a ticket costs about 1 euro. Urban transport covers most cities very well. But you should keep in mind that if it is a small town, the wait for the bus can be long.

2. Metro

Many Italian cities, with the exception of Rome, do not have a metro, and even Rome only has two lines (they are under construction). Compared to other European countries, Italy lags behind in the use of the metro. The main reason for this lag is the political and bureaucratic red tape that is so common in Italy, and in the case of Rome, the difficulties of digging a tunnel between ancient Roman architectural monuments.

3. Cars

A car is recommended in rural areas, because in large Italian cities there are terrible traffic jams in which idle time is a true nightmare. Petrol stations in Italy close for lunch and then again around 7pm and throughout the night. In the evening and at night it is difficult to withdraw cash and credit cards are accepted only during business hours. Although there are self-service stations which are a plus from all of the above.

4. Taxi

The most convenient way to get around the city is by taxi, but this method is not the fastest or most economical. In some cases, you will need to pay extra for luggage. There are private taxi services that are often found at the airport, but when using their services, make sure that the car has a special permit (checkers) that is placed on the roof. If this is not the case, then most likely the taxi is operating illegally and it is better to find another one.

5. Boat transport

Some cities, such as Rome, offer a boat as a means of transportation along the river. The operating scheme of boats is the same as that of buses or metro with its own, like a regular bus or metro, the boat floats along the river stopping at various points in the city. This type of transport is a great way to avoid traffic jams and see the city streets in a different way. If you go to Venice, don't miss the opportunity to ride a gondola, it will leave unforgettable memories in your memory.

6. Bicycle

You can rent a bicycle for an hour or a day, the advantage of this transport is that you can ride around the city without traffic jams, especially in central areas where there are traffic restrictions and narrow streets. Climate in Italy, as a rule, is moderately warm, especially in the south, so a bicycle will be very useful. Bike stations throughout Italy are very common and will be very easy to find.

7. Cars for rent

Car rental offices are, of course, located in all cities of Italy, including at airports, so I think it will not be difficult for a tourist to find them. The rental process is the same as in any other country. But you need to take into account two things, as a rule, most cars have a manual transmission, second, make sure that the car is in good working order.

8. Walks

Perhaps for traveling around Italian cities, the best choice would be to walk. All you need is a pair of sneakers and a good mood.

9. Excursions

Every major city offers city tours in open double-decker buses. There is even a restaurant-bus in Rome, by visiting which you can have a full meal and ride around the city in one go, enjoying its beauty at night.

10. Friends in Italy

If you have Italian friends, this is in my opinion the best way, you will spend time with people who are interesting to you, you will be taken to the best places in the city, this applies to restaurants and attractions, you will get an unforgettable experience, and this is guaranteed to be a great vacation.

That you want to drive along it endlessly. How can you avoid wasting all your money and time? At a minimum, look for tickets in the right places. Let's figure out why the railway is so popular in Italy, where they sell cheap tickets from the north of the country to the south, and how to find a fellow traveler on a scooter in Rome.

BY PLANE

Low-cost airlines and Italy are inseparable for many. Even those who have not yet managed to fly to Rome, Milan or Venice for € 20 have at least already looked at such tickets. But low-cost airlines work well precisely for flying to or flying from Italy. There are few cheap flights around the country. Yes, and there is no particular need. If we are talking about a distance of about 600 kilometers, it is easier to take a high-speed train and reach the desired city in a few hours, like from Milan to Rome in three hours, for example. And there is no need to wait at the airport or in the city.

It’s another matter if you want to go to the very south, bask in or in Puglia. Then it’s worth browsing the websites of low-cost airlines in search of cheap ones. In any case, start with some aggregator site, the same Skyscanner, but don’t forget about the airlines that may especially please you.

Ryanair

More suitable for flying to or from Italy. But there are also enough flights around the country, especially from north to south. Tickets for €15 from Rome to Palermo or from Milan to Sardinia are available even in August. Here at this link you can spend hours exploring destinations at the lowest prices. You write “from Milan anywhere and anytime” and build a route depending on where they offer to fly for € 15.

Wizzair

And another very useful aggregator site is GoEuro. It is good because it compares prices for trains, planes and buses. And in any case, if some small carrier has better prices or conditions for bus tickets than Flixbus, here you will find it.

By car

Rent a Car

It’s quite easy to get one in Italy, but you’ll have to forget the word “cheap”. The approximate cost of a car for a day with insurance is € 60-80, but you also need to take into account fuel, toll roads and parking if you don’t find free places.

A liter of gasoline will cost € 1.6, diesel fuel is cheaper, but the price of the car will be higher. There are a lot of toll roads in the country - on average, € 7 per 100 kilometers. And so, to travel from Milan to and back (145 kilometers), you need to pay more than € 20 for the journey. By the way, you can calculate how much the trip (fuel and travel) will cost on this website, so you can know for sure. If there is no rush, you can try to bypass toll roads on small and not so high-quality roads.

You must also have at least several hundred euros in your account, which will be frozen while you use the car. Also, before traveling around Italy, it is worth remembering all the parking lessons. In resort towns, during the season or on weekend evenings, there is practically nowhere to park in the center of any city. And even if there is one, it will not be easy to make the maneuver.

There are car rental offices at any Italian airport. You can book a car immediately when purchasing an air ticket on some websites or when searching for accommodation on Booking. But here are a few other sites to check out.

Colleagues, greetings!

Everyone dreams of traveling through the Italian expanses. Visit Venice, spend the night in Florence and fly from the cheapest airport in Italy - Bregamo, with a preliminary overnight stay in Milan.

Can you only dream of such a vacation? Or is it still possible?

It may seem at first glance that such freedom of action will be given rental car only . Yes and no.

In terms of flight of thought, a car cannot be replaced. But still, gasoline, fatigue while driving, toll roads and searching for parking take up energy and time. Plus, you won't feel completely comfortable holding your credit card access hostage to rental companies.

What to do?

It's simple... ride Italian trains. With knowledge, it will cost you even cheaper than by car, and even airplane passengers can envy the speed of your movement.

In Italy, trains are the cheapest and best option to explore the entire country.

In this article we will look at Italian trains, the official website and companies that will sell us tickets and rides to both Rome and Milan.

On my first visit to Italy, I had an insidious plan in my head to conquer the cities of Italy one by one, deftly driving along paved paths in a rented car.

But immersion in the topic and advice from friends discouraged me from such an idea:

firstly, you can easily exhaust yourself and tire out your family members;
secondly, Italian landlords prepared their own surprises for those who came in large numbers. I wrote about them in an article dedicated to.

As a result, we chose only 4 guidelines for ourselves: Brescia, Peschiera del Garda, Milan and Bergamo . And the means of transportation between them is the train.

The second trip is planned to be more global, and the beads on the necklace should be Rome, Florence And Venice. You can’t do this without purchasing tickets online in advance!

Trains in Italy

With my usual meticulousness, I began to study the topic. High-speed, regional, intercity, pink and green trains rode in my imagination, taking me away from the places I had already explored.

What you need to initially know about trains in Italy is that there are 2 official state carriers Trenitalia and private Italotreno .

But! Their competition begins only on long-distance transport, since high-speed trains and high-paying tickets are used there.

If you only need short dashes to explore space over a distance of 1-2 hours, then regional trains companies Trenitalia it will be quite enough for you.

Regional trains are an analogue of our electric trains. Their fares are fixed and there is no need to buy a ticket in advance. I came to the station and bought it. No savings!

Railway map of Italy

The railways of Italy, as probably in any other European country, are a key type of transport communication in the country.

The history of the Italian depot began back in 1839 and today has more than 16,000 km of railway tracks, including high-speed ones between 10 cities: Turin, Milan, Venice, Padua, Verona, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Salerno.

Railways are the pride of Italy. This is why the largest amount of 268 million euros is invested in their development and welfare among all EU countries.

Today the railway map of Italy looks like this:

The company delivers passengers to each designated and unmarked settlement on this map Trenitalia. Along with low-speed regional trains, the company also uses high-speed trains between the cities mentioned above.

The route network of the second company Italotreno much smaller and only covers the main cities of Italy.

So, if you are planning to travel around the 25 most authentic towns in Italy, then this company will not help you out.

Train schedule

To view the company's train schedule Italotrenoyou need to go through via this link. There you will find both a schedule between cities and options for trips from a specific city.

This is very convenient if you decide to take a 1-2 day trip from your location.

Return Ticket from Italotreno gives you a 50% discount if you promise to return on the same day and 10% if you promise to return on another day.

For example, the standard price of a Milan-Roma ticket for a high-speed train is 36 euros, and for a round-trip ticket on the same day it is only 50. There are almost 30 such trains per day, which run, roughly speaking, every half hour.

To view the company's scheduleTrenitalia , you need to go to the site viaggiatreno.it. Here you can view both the timetable between specified destinations and the timetable by station.

You can immediately see whether your train is late or not.

Trenitalia company

The first company in Italy to operate on railway lines, both with its regional trains and with high-speed trains, each of which has its own name.

You can buy tickets at official website trenitalia.com .

What sets this company apart is that it is ubiquitous. If a railway is laid to any settlement. way, then the train of this company goes there. It successfully operates regional trains, which we call electric trains, even in the impenetrable wilderness.

But compared to the next company ItaloTreno, Trenitalia is still an older and more conservative company.

Train classification

Regionale- an ordinary train, which does not even always have 1st class trains. The cheapest, but not the slowest option. As they say, he bows to every pillar.
Intercity– a classification that is not entirely clear to me. Something between the Regionale and Freccia trains. Most likely they are used where high-speed trains do not stop. Slightly more expensive than regional formulations.
Freccia- high-speed trains, for which tickets are the most expensive, but they allow you to quickly reach your destination. They also have their own gradation.

Types of high-speed trains Freccia

There are only 3 of them:

Frecciarossa– the fastest trains that fly at speeds of up to 250 km/h
Frecciargento– comfortable trains running back and forth at speeds of up to 125 km/h
Frecciabianco- similar to previous trains, but less comfortable.

In addition to speed, trains are also divided according to the degree of comfort of the seats, but I can’t tell you specifically here, since I haven’t sat in them myself. Comparison from category “3 neighbors are traveling with me” or “5 neighbors are traveling with me.”

Italotreno company

This is a newer and more modern company, unlike the previous one, all of whose trains rush at breathtaking speeds 250-300 km/h, and the trains are new, comfortable and one of the most modern in Europe.

What's the catch? The problem is that the trains of this company run only on popular routes between large cities and are not exchanged for small towns and suburbs.

To be honest, if the Milan – Rome route is your life’s dream, then feel free to look at official site this company italotreno.it/en and then bomb trenitalia.com.

By the way, both companies have their own mobile applications for searching for tickets.

Types of fares

Each company has its own tariffs, which differ both in price and comfort, and in the possibility of returning or exchanging a ticket.

We will consider standard fares for 1 trip.

If you are interested in travel tickets for 3-8 days, then you need to look for them on the website eurail.com. The minimum price for a 3-day pass is 127 euros per person.

Italotreno tariffs

Italotreno trains have basic fares Smart, Comfort, Prima, Club Executive . There are also various purchase conditions and promotions, which are called Promo, Flex, Economy and Low cost.

Read more about them on the official website. But in short, this means that the earlier you make a purchase, the more options you have to buy cheap tickets. Accordingly, the cheapest fares are non-refundable, but you can change the time and date of departure for an additional 20-50% of the ticket price.

In principle, the price range, for example from Milan to Venice, ranges from 10 euros to 40 euros for the same train. And we are talking about the cheapest tariff.

Trenitalia tariffs

Trenitalia has basic rates Standard, Premium, Business And Executive. And the purchasing options are Base, Economy, Super Economy. In addition to these standard options, there are also offers for young people and retirees, but they only apply to Italians themselves.

What is the difference in tariffs:

Super Economy - cannot be returned or exchanged or boarded on a different train
Economy - it is possible to change the departure date or time once
Base - such a ticket can be changed and even its cost can be returned minus a 20% commission

On the same route from Milan to Venice, Trenitalia no longer has such cheap fares at 9.90. Prices for regional trains are about 20 euros, and for high-speed trains 45 euros.

How to buy cheap tickets

Cheap long-distance train tickets can only be purchased online.
Compare prices and schedules on the websites of both companies and purchase the best tickets. It's better to check the promotional rates from the company first Italotreno. What's their specialty? The fact is that even their cheap tickets are direct, but Trenitalia transplants are not excluded.
To save even more, you can register with both companies and expect waste paper to arrive in your mailbox. Sales and special offers are not uncommon here. Do not miss!
It’s better to buy tickets in advance, and in order not to dig through the websites of both companies, then use the Omio search engine. The prices here are the same as on the official website, but they charge 1-2 euros for registration. It's a small price to pay for what they do. More details
From observations, morning trains at 6-7 am are the cheapest.

When should you buy tickets at the station?

If you do not plan to make forced marches across half the country, but just jump from city to city, then simply buy tickets from the machines installed right at the station.

Prices for regional travel Brescia - Milan, for example, will be fixed, as it depends on the mileage. Therefore, it makes no difference to buy a ticket a month in advance or on the day of departure - the price will not change.

Here are examples of our regional train tickets, which we bought right at the station right before departure.

Peschera del Garda - Milan(60 minutes journey):

Brescia - Peschiera del Gards(30 minutes on the way):

If you are traveling during the season and are afraid that there may be no train tickets left, then just buy your ticket a little in advance. For example, in the evening before leaving the next day.

Although, all tickets for 2nd class on regional trains are sold without seats, and standing passengers are not uncommon.

You can buy a train ticket either from a machine or from a cashier.

Well, if you plan to travel between big cities and over long distances, then a train station is no longer enough. We'll look at how to buy train tickets online

How to buy a ticket from a machine?

You don't need any special preparation here. Just find the company's device Trenitalia or Italotreno and have euros or a card ready for payment.

A! I almost forgot. If the name of your destination is not as trivial as Verona or Milano, then it is better to have it at hand. You will have to enter it into the arrival location selection field in Italian.

And it's so simple. Switch the device to English mode and enter your destination. Next, select one of the trains that suits you by time and fare and enter the number of passengers.

After paying the specified amount, tickets will be printed out from below into the window. Now to the composter!

There is no need to validate tickets purchased online, as the date and time are indicated there. Tickets purchased from a machine without a date (Data) and time (Ora) must be validated!
The standard layout for children on Italian trains is as follows:
children under 4 years old do not pay anything
children from 4 to 11 years old inclusive pay 50% of the ticket price
From 12 years old full rate applies

But, as with all rules, there are exceptions.
at the company Trenitalia on high-speed trains (Frecce, Intercity) the discount for children is valid up to 14 years (inclusive). In addition, there are various family offers in the Offerta Familia section
at the company Italotreno children are called everyone under 14 years of age (not inclusive) and give them a child rate. Also check out their offers in the Italo Family section, where under certain conditions children can be carried for free.

Please note that if a child has a free ticket, but needs to reserve a seat (the service is paid), then the child will also have to pay for the reservation.

Composting brain tickets
Train tickets without indicating the date and time of departure (purchased from a machine) MUST be validated before travelling.
In front of the entrance to the platform or on it, there must be a yellow/green ticket box. Tie yourself a knot as a keepsake, because in a hurry it’s very easy to forget to do this!
If you do not do this, your ticket will be considered invalid and you will easily be fined.
During our last trip, we got on a departing train and actually forgot to validate our tickets. All the way from Milan to Bergamo I was shaking at the thought of running into the controllers. They say they are ruthless and eat children for breakfast.
But the local Italians reassured me, showing that their tickets were not punched either. Along the way, in the pre-lunch hours, the controllers sleep soundly in anticipation of a siesta.
I recently learned the advice that if you forget to validate your tickets, you can simply write the departure time on them with a ballpoint pen. The controllers will only praise you for your scribbles)

Trains are late in Italy
Unfortunately, this is a fact and a blatant fact. 3 of our 3 trains were almost an hour late!
I would call this state of affairs chaos and bacchanalia. But, in principle, only the first delay spoiled our plans a little. The next ones were already predicted by us in advance.
So, if you looked in the schedule that the train will be at 10:05, and the next one at 11:05, then feel free to arrive at the station at 10:30. There's a good chance that the 10:05 train hasn't even arrived yet.
Especially on the railway. There are inexpensive cafes at the stations.

Flights with numerous transfers, hitchhiking, couchsurfing, house sitting and eating from supermarkets are all cheap, but damn tiring. Most people just want to take a break from everyday affairs, and not struggle for every penny. These tips will help you save on travel, but at the same time have a great rest and get a lot of new experiences.

Transport

Railway

This is the most convenient, safe and economical way to travel around the country. Italy does not have a monopoly on passenger rail services, so you can compare prices and conditions between different providers, for example on the websites of Trenitalia and Italo.

On the Trenitalia website you can find discounts on hotels and attractions, special offers for families with children and couples. Both companies have sales and offer discounts on tickets. From Italo you can buy a train ticket from Rome to Venice or Venice to Milan for just 9.90 euros. There is no catch: these trains run on time the same as regular ones. You just have to adapt to the schedule - trains depart on certain days and times.

The price of a ticket for the same route may differ by 2–3 times. It depends primarily on the class of the train. Passenger (Regionale), fast passenger (Regionale veloce) and intercity (Intercity) trains are usually cheaper than branded high-speed trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, Frecciaargento), but they are also slower. If an extra hour on the road is not significant for you, but saving 15–20 euros - yes, feel free to choose a more attractively priced option.

The date of purchase also affects the cost of the ticket. The sooner you purchase it, the cheaper it will be.

If you bought a ticket at the station at a self-service terminal or at the ticket office, do not forget to validate it in special green machines located at the station or in the transition to the platforms. Remember that traveling with a non-validated ticket may result in a fine.

By buying a ticket online, you save time and money, since you have the opportunity to choose the cheapest fare in advance. In addition, such a ticket does not need to be validated.

Taxis and scooters

Don't try to hail a taxi in Italy by waving or giving a thumbs up. The maximum that awaits you is an ironic smile. You can take taxis (which, by the way, are white) at specially designated parking lots in squares, near popular attractions and shopping centers.

Thanks to the powerful union of taxi drivers, the cost of a trip via Uber will be much more expensive than using an official taxi. However, in Italy there is the MyTaxi application, through which you can call a car at regular prices.

There is also Scooterino, an Italian startup created by a 24-year-old native of Rome. The application, which works in Rome, Milan, Genoa and Florence, will help you get from point A to point B on a scooter. Scooterino functions similarly to BlaBlaCar, meaning it's more of a way to split the cost of a trip between driver and passenger, so the price will pleasantly surprise you. Weaving through traffic jams on a cute scooter, you will certainly feel like a hero from the movie “Roman Holiday”.

Bus, metro, tram

The cost of a standard ticket in Italy for one trip (Biglietto semplice) ranges from 1.2 to 2 euros. And it doesn’t matter whether you are going to drive one stop or are going to the other end of the city. Within 90–100 minutes you can transfer from bus to tram or metro using the same ticket. This is why composting is mandatory.

There are also 24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets and a weekly pass. If you plan to travel a lot by bus, metro or tram, it will be more profitable to purchase a pass. And thanks to the Moovit program, you can build travel routes taking into account public transport schedules. The application works in Milan, Rome and Naples.

You shouldn't ride like a hare. Conductors, of course, are not found on every route, but if it turns out that you are traveling without a ticket, you will have to pay a fine of 50 euros or more. If all ticket composting machines suddenly turn out to be inoperative, you must write the date and time on the ticket with a pen.

Automobile

Compare prices on different car rental aggregators, such as Auto Europe, Economy Car Rentals, Rentalcars. It often happens that it is cheaper to rent the same car from local Italian companies (Sicily by Car, Maggiore, Noleggiare) than from international ones (Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, Dollar, Europcar). However, you need to carefully read the rental conditions and reviews.

Hotels

Large chain hotels are quite expensive. A significant part of the price is the overpayment for the brand. Luckily, Italy has a large selection of family-run guesthouses, boutique hotels, B&Bs and apartment hotels with relatively affordable prices and friendly hosts.

A little tip: first look at the hotel price on Booking or another popular booking site, and then try to find the hotel's official website and compare prices. It often happens that on the hotel website they are lower. If you write to the hotel representatives directly by email and ask for a discount, then there is a high chance of getting it.

Many people recommend booking apartments and apartments, but this option has disadvantages, so you need to weigh the pros and cons. Please note that there are no additional room cleaning fees or property deposits (this amount may be placed on your credit card).

But for a long term (from four days), an apartment with a kitchen and washing machine is the best option. Italians themselves book apartments and apartments through. For longer rental periods (from 1 month) there are local Italian sites.

Excursions

Those who recommend saving on excursions and exploring everything on their own do not value their own time. Yes, you can and should take a walk, explore different historical areas, read guidebooks and articles to broaden your horizons. But even if you read dozens of articles before your trip, without the help of those who live in Italy, you will not be able to 100% get to know and experience the country.

Modern excursions have moved far from the standards of the last century, when guides loaded tourists with memorized history, a bunch of dates and meaningless names. Generations Y and Z need a completely different approach - live communication, emotions, an element of interactivity and games. It is important for them to receive impressions, not just information.

It’s more interesting to communicate with a guide as a friend who will share life hacks, show you secret attractions and romantic spots for selfie-kissing, and tell you where the pizza is tastier and the shopping is better. As a result, by going on at least one excursion in a modern format, you will save time and see much more than if you walked on your own.