Hi Everyone,

First post as a member of your community - but definitely not the last! My friend and I will be travelling to Europe in January from Australia. We're in the "sorting all the details out" stages at the moment. We'll be spending half of our trip in Italy. The travel agent seems to think that the best bet is to buy the rail pass that allows us to travel between x amount of cities.

We'll be travelling:

Paris to Milan (either flying or training - best option?)
Milan to Venice
Venice to Bologna
Bologna to Florence (& Daytrip to Pisa)
Florence to Rome

We'll only be staying in each place a few days, Milan 3, Venice 3, Bologna 1, Florence 4, Pisa 1, Rome 6. So all this Italian Travelling will be done within the space of 3 weeks.

What's the best way to get around? Bus or Train? And what's the best ticket to buy?

Thanks everyone!

Welcome to the BnA forums, iZack, from a fellow Brisbaneite.

BootsnAll has an excellent Italy travel guide that has a comprehensive section on getting around in Italy, including trains.

An Italian rail pass seems like your best bet. If you & your friend will be travelling together the whole time, then a 'Saver' pass will work out to be cheaper. However, if you're both under 25 then go for the youth pass. Looks like you have 4-5 days of travel lined up so you could be strict with that when you pick your pass, or give yourself the flexibility of an extra travel day or so in case your plans change.

Hi, iZach:

Since Hydro's already linked to my articles on Italy transportation and trains in Italy (thanks, Chris!), I'll just chime in long enough to say that whether a railpass is your best bet depends a little bit on what trains you'll be taking. Most of the routes you're covering are served by Italy's fastest trains, which aren't cheap - even in second class.

So if you're always going to be taking the Eurostar or the even-faster "Alta Velocita" trains, then getting a railpass will definitely save you money (this is what I did the last time I was traveling around Italy by train). If you're taking the slow trains, then buying a point-to-point ticket is probably cheaper overall, especially since many of those slow trains don't require reservations.

Keep in mind that even with a railpass you'll still need to buy a reservation on the high-speed trains, even if you get a railpass. The railpass acts as your ticket, but tickets and reservations are separate things in Italy. So just take your railpass to the ticket counter and tell them what train you want to get on, and they'll print out a reservation for you (it looks like a ticket). Have both of them ready when the ticket guy comes around, along with your passport. (There are more details about this on my Italian train travel page.)

As for getting from Paris to Milan, I think if you can find a good deal on a budget carrier in Europe (think easyJet, Ryanair, Air One, bmi baby, Germanwings, etc.) on a one-way flight you'll be happier. That's a long train ride.

Have a look through my Italy travel guide, and let me know if you've got any more questions. I love talking Italy.

Ciao,
Jessica

It sounds like a rail pass is a very good option. It meets the criteria for making it useful.

1. Many trips in a short period of time
2. expensive train travel
3.expensive routes.

Now, you should be aware that Paris-Milan will take about 6-10 hours, I'm not sure, but it may be a high speed train, and that makes it about 6-8. NIce scenic trip. It all depends on how much time you have budgeted for this leg, I suppose.

Map says its about 900-1000 miles, and the fastest trains go at 150-200mph. I love those fast trains.
Slow ones move at about 60-80mph. The tracks in europe are very good!

Like your itinerary too, for a short trip.

Definitely go by train. I'd book each ticket/leg individually. Also, stick to the regional trains - they'll be much cheaper.

Here's a video my brother put together after living in Milan for 4 months.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ho1cGrK-c

For some smaller cities you'll need to take buses, but no worries - they're great!

Thank you everybody for your replies. I think we'll get the Rail Passes and then do the reservation jazz when we're over there. Is making a reservation expensive? (On the high speed trains).

If you have a railpass, the fast trains should be a minor upgrade, if any at all.Usually, all you have to do is make the reservation and then show your pass to get the tickets.

Oh- couchettes are always upgrades, but often worth it. I love couchettes.

By the way, be prepared for the organised chaos of Italian train station, and leave at least an hour before the train arrives. It may be hard to find the reservation ticket area.

As an example, on one intercity train from Milan to Venice, My train was packed full. It was packed so full that the ticket taker didn't even bother to board. Above the seats was an interesting sign.

"Warning: Some of these seats may be reserved."

In other words, "Take any seat you want, but if someone makes a stink, you might have to get up"

That is the very spirit of an Italian train.

Your rail pass is the equivalent of your ticket, so for trains where reservations are required you'd only need to purchase a reservation so long as you have your rail pass with you when you buy the reservation (so you can show the ticket agent). The cost of the reservation will depend on the trip - what type of train you're on, how far the journey is, etc. As an example, when I made the trip from Milan to Rome on the high-speed train this past May, I had a 2nd class rail pass and buying a reservation in the 2nd class car cost me 20euro.

I've not done an overnight train in Italy, so I don't know how the rail pass impacts what you'd need to buy to get a bunk or a couchette, but if you've got your rail pass with you when you go to the ticket counter the agent will tell you what supplement (if any) you'd need to pay for whatever train you want to take.

As one poster have already mentioned, make use of the regional trains. They're much cheaper and give you opportunity to see much more.
Just an example - train ticket from Venice to Padova (another beautiful city in Italy), half an hour journey and only €2.80.

And don't think that the train from Paris to Milan is a high-speed train. It will be Alta Velocità only for the French route, becoming a normal speed train from the Alps. Italy doesn't have yet tracks supporting high-speed trains in the North of Milan. They say (!) they'll build.....one day

It is up to your budget. But in my opinion, the best way to go around Italy is by the train. Trains are quite cheap in Italy, however, it's very slow.

Not all trains in Italy are "very slow" - not by a long shot. The Eurostar trains in Italy are quite fast, and the new Alta Velocita' trains are even faster. They don't cover all routes yet, of course, but they make the routes they DO cover go by in a flash. Those fast trains aren't cheap, either...

I have a similar question, I am going to be in italy for a week...
we are planning a trip from Venice-> florence -> rome
2 days each in venice and florence and 3 in rome.... is that a good plan?

also, we are thinking of taking trains from venice to florence and to rome. would it be better to book those in advance for cheaper rates or just buy at the train station?

Are you flying in and out from Paris? Or, is your return flight from Rome?

Anyway, your best bet for Paris-Milan (and Rome-Paris) will be Ryanair, or another low fare airline.
JessieS has already mentioned that.
Just did a quick search on Ryanair - today you'd pay €12, incl. taxes, for one way Paris-Milan, flying on Jan 9th. Railpass can't beat their prices, if you pick right dates.

I can vouch for the train to Naples and Pisa. It's simple, but it gets the job done. For some reason I had CRAZY allergies on the approach to Pisa for some reason. Just a warning, in case you have a sensitive sinus.