Italy Rail Passes and Train Tips

By Rick Steves

Are rail passes a good value for Italy?

Not for most people think carefully before buying a rail pass, especially if your trip doesn t extend beyond Italy. Most train travelers in Italy spend each rail-travel day taking relatively short rides on the Milan Venice Florence Rome circuit. For these trips (most of which cost less than $60 for a second-class ticket), it s cheaper to buy point-to-point train tickets than a rail pass (since most cost more than $60 per day). Furthermore, a rail pass doesn t provide much hop-on convenience in Italy, since many trains require paid seat reservations. as indicated in train schedules (see below for more Italy-specific reservation advice).

All that said, keep in mind that per-day costs are lower for longer-term rail passes so if you ll be doing a lot of Italian train travel, a pass may indeed pencil out (especially if you re venturing beyond Italy on a larger European trip).

Train Fares: Italy