Roma Termini (Roma / Rome)

The only international rail service from Rome is the Nightjet train which serves both Munich / München and Vienna on routes which travel through the night.

Though if you are happy to make a connection you can travel by day when taking a train from Rome / Roma to Munich / München

In common with many Italian rail routes there is a choice of services when making a journey by train from Rome/Roma to Ancona:

1. If the timings suit and you want the peace of mind of a reserved seat, take the Intercity (IC) trains.
   Also because limited numbers of the cheaper 'Super Economy' tickets will be made available for the IC trains, if you book ahead, they can be money savers.

2. The RV trains are more frequent and you can book last minute at the station with the peace of mind that you won't have saved by booking in advance.
   So if you buy tickets on the travel date, these RV trains become the cheapest option.

Though this isn't a high speed route, so the Intercity trains are only marginally faster.

In common with many Italian rail routes there is a choice of services when making a journey by train from Rome/Roma to Assisi:

1. If the timing suit sand you want the peace of mind of a reserved seat, take the Intercity (IC) train.
   Also because limited numbers of the cheaper 'Super Economy' tickets will be made available for the IC train, if you book ahead, it can be a money saver.

2. The RV trains are more frequent and you can book last minute at the station with the peace of mind that you won't have saved by booking in advance.
   So if you buy tickets on the travel date, these trains become the cheapest option.

Though this isn't a high speed route, so the Intercity trains are only marginally faster.

When travelling from Milano to Bari by train during the day, travellers have a choice of three different train services:
(1) There are the Frecce services operated by Trenitalia and

(2) the competing service operated by Italo, which both spend the first part of their journeys rushing down the high speed line between Roma and Caserta.

(3) There is also the slower Intercity train which takes the non high-speed 'classic route' and also makes more station calls.

On Mondays to Saturdays this Intercity train and the second Frecce and Italo departures of the day, will all arrive in Bari in time to connect for the ferry departure to Patras; from where onward connections are available to Athens/Athina; but the ferry typically departs too early on Sundays for connections to be available.

On Fridays only, another option is to take the overnight train.

The Frecce 1000 trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Roma and Bologna, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Roma to Bologna still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

When heading to wonderful Sicily from the Italian capital by train, travellers can choose to make the beautiful coastal journey by day, or travel through the night

Europe's last remaining train ferry service is used by both the day and night trains, as they cross from the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily, so taking this route is an unforgettable experience.

The Frecciarossa trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Roma and Bologna used by these trains to Ferrara, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Roma to Ferrara still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Roma and Firenze/Florence, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Roma to Firenze/Florence, the IC and RV trains, still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

Due to its coastal location Genova is some distance away from Italy's high speed rail network, therefore the city is served by comparatively few express trains.
Though that location on the shores of the Mediterranean ensures that journeys from the south into Genova by train are spectacular!

There is now a choice of four different rail services when taking a train from Rome/Roma to Genoa/Genova by day.

1: Frecciargento trains that race up the high speed line to Firenze and then joins the 'classic' coastal route near Pisa.
2. The Frecciabianca trains don't take the high speed line, but they tilt so they can travel faster on that classic coastal route.
3. The Intercity trains take the same route as the Frecciabianca trains, but they don't tilt and they make more station calls, so they're the slowest option; therefore they're typically the cheapest option too.
4. A new evening Italo service uses the high speed line from Roma to Milano and then travels on from Milano to Genova (uniquely for this route, this train calls at Pizza Principe station in the city first and then terminates at Brignole station).

The overnight train option is best avoided, as it departs from Ostiense station in Roma after midnight and arrives in Genova before 06:00.

Something else that's good to know is that the Trenitalia trains from Rome call at two stations in Genoa; they call first at Genova Brignole station, before going on to call at Genova Pizza Principe station.
So it can be worth checking which station is more convenient for your ultimate destination.
Though if you'll be heading to the city centre, the quickest option will be to leave the train at Genova Brignole and transfer there to the Metro.

There is a choice of three different rail services when taking a train from Rome/Roma to La Spezia.
1: The early morning Frecciargento train races up the high speed line to Firenze and then joins the 'classic' route near Pisa.
2. The Frecciabianca trains don't take the high speed line, but they tilt, so they can travel faster on the 'classic' coastal route.
3. The Intercity trains take the same coastal route as the Frecciabianca trains, but they don't tilt and they make more station calls, so they're the slowest option; therefore they're typically the cheapest option too.

There are no Italo trains between Rome and Genoa.

On any day of the week except Fridays, the only option for taking a direct train from Roma/Rome to Lecce is to board one of the daily 'Frecce' services, but on Fridays there is also the option of taking a train through the night.

Europe's last remaining train ferry service is used by the direct trains as they cross from the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily.
Also once the train is south of Salerno, this becomes Europe's most stunningly beautiful coastal railway journey!

Though an alternative to taking the direct trains is to use a combination of a train and a fast ferry, and taking this option has become easier recently, thanks to an increase in the number of rail + sea connections.

A sequence of two high speed railways enables high speed trains to rush from Rome/Roma to Milan/Milano
This high speed route is shared by 'Frecce' services operated by the national rail operator, Trenitalia, and competing Italo services.

For those who favor cheapest price over journey time, there is also the opportunity to save money by taking the much slower Intercity trains which still snake their way along the older 'classic' railway line.

Connections are available in Milano Centrale station for locations with no direct trains from Roma including towns in northern Italy such as Como and Stresa; and for Swiss destinations including Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, Luzern and Zurich.

Modena was by-passed when the Bologna to Milano high speed line was constructed, so all but two of the Frecce trains between Roma and Milano inevitably take that line, so don't call in Modena.

Hence when looking up a Roma to Modena journey on the ticket booking websites, nearly all of the options you will see, involve connecting between two trains in Bologna.
However, if the timings suit there are two daily direct Frecce trains, plus two slower Intercity trains, which avoid the need to make connections.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Roma and Napoli, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Roma to Napoli still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

From Rome to the Pompeii ruins or Sorrento by train:

It's a straightforward journey from Rome to Pompeii or Sorrento by train and you can avoid the Neapolitan traffic.
The first step is to take a train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale and it's worth taking the high speed trains; as they will save you more than two hours of travel time.

Napoli Centrale station is linked by a passage way to Napoli Garibaldi station, which has departures to both Pompei Scavi (the nearest station to the ruins) and Sorrento by Circumvesuviana trains.
It's not a particularly complicated interchange, but you will need to purchase tickets for the Circumvesuviana trains on arrival in Napoli.

The journey time from Napoli to Sorrento is around 1hr 5 mins, and to Pompeii S. Villa Misteri by Circumvesuviana trains takes only around 35 mins.
Check the Napoli Centrale station guide for more info.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the route, which is high speed between Roma and Bologna, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between the two services are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Roma to Padova/Padua still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

It's a long journey by train from Rome/Roma to Palermo hence both day and night trains being an option on this route.
A tick in the box for taking the day train is the hour after hour of fabulous coastal scenery, which can be enjoyed for the majority of the train ride; though the night train also travels along the northern coast of Sicily after dawn.

The night train becomes the journey to take if you need or want to be in Palermo before evening; the first train of the day isn't due into the city before around 19:30.

Both the day and night trains are loaded on special ferries so that they can be transported from the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily.

Parma was by-passed when the Bologna to Milano high speed line was constructed, so all but one of the Frecce trains between Roma and Milano inevitably take that line, so don't call in Parma.

Hence when looking up a Roma to Parma journey on the ticket booking websites, nearly all of the options you will see, involve connecting between two trains in Bologna.
However, if the timings suit there is a daily direct Frecce train, plus two slower Intercity trains, which avoid the need to make connections.

In common with many Italian rail routes there is a choice of services when making a journey by train from Rome/Roma to Perugia:

1. If the timing suit sand you want the peace of mind of a reserved seat, take the Intercity (IC) train.
   Also because limited numbers of the most 'Super Economy' tickets will be made available for the IC train, if you book ahead, it can be a money saver.

2. The RV trains are more frequent and you can book last minute at the station with the peace of mind that you won't have saved by booking in advance.
   So if you buy tickets on the travel date, these trains become the cheapest option.

Though this isn't a high speed route, so the Intercity trains are only marginally faster.

There is a choice of three different rail services when taking a train from Rome/Roma to Pisa.

1. The Frecciabianca trains don't take the high speed line, but they tilt, so they can travel faster on the 'classic' route.
2. The Intercity trains take the same route as the Frecciabianca trains, but they don't tilt and they make more station calls, but they're typically the cheapest option when booking head.
3. Slowest of all are the Regionale Veloce (RV) trains, but when booking tickets last minute at the station, they become the cheapest option.

There are no Italo trains between Rome and Genoa.

When looking up this journey on the ticket booking websites there will be dozens of journey options available

All but four of which involve taking a Frecce high speed train from Rome to Bologna and then connecting into a Bologna to Rimini train.

The journeys with the shortest connections win Bologna, are quicker than taking the daily direct Frecce train operated by Trenitalia and much faster than the IC trains.

However, Italo has recently introduced a direct train which takes the route via Bologna, where it reverses direction.
It also provides a direct option for travelling from Rome to Rimini in the mornings.

Look at the railway map of Europe and there is a railway which tantalizingly is either close to or right by Italy's Mediterranean Coast, but there is only direct train per day, which makes its way along the northern half of this route, all the way from Rome to the Italian Riviera.

When heading to wonderful Sicily from the Italian capital by train, travellers can choose to make the beautiful coastal journey by day, or travel through the night

Europe's last remaining train ferry service is used by both the day and night trains, as they cross from the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily, so taking this route is an unforgettable experience.

A sequence of three high speed railways enables high speed trains to rush from Rome/Roma to Turin/Torino.
This high speed route is shared by 'Frecce' services operated by the national rail operator, Trenitalia, and competing Italo services.

For those who favor spectacular scenery over journey time, there is also the option to travel along a spectacular coastal route, though these non-high speed trains are inevitably much slower.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed section of the route between Roma and Bologna, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between the two services are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Roma to Venice/Venezia take an entirely different and much longer cross-country route.
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users; but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed section of the route between Roma and Bologna, with Italo trains.

They have similar speeds, so the differences between the two services are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance

There are two options for taking a 'train' from Rome to Sicily.
(1) Taking the IC and ICN trains which get loaded on a train ferry, so that they continue their journeys on from Messina to Palermo and Siracusa.
(2) Taking a train to the port town of Villa San Giovanni and connecting there for a fast ferry to Messina.

The day and night trains which take the ferry call at Villa S. Giovanni, but trains heading to Reggio di Calabria also call there.
It is these trains heading to Reggio di Calabria, which all have good advertised connections, at Villa S. Giovanni into the fast ferries on to Messina.

However, as will be seen from the options below, there is a wide choice of train services which operate on the route to Reggio di Calabria.
So when looking up a trip on the booking websites factor in the journey time as well as the ticket price.
The longer the rail travel journey time, the cheaper the tickets are likely to be.

The journey times below are for the rail journey from Rome to Villa S. Giovanni, but the end-to-end journey times to Messina are also dependent on the ferry connections, which can range from 10 mins to around an hour.
So look out for the end-to-end journey times, using a combination of the train and ferry timetable (see the links below).
Paying a more expensive price to travel on a faster train, won't be such good value for money if you then have to spend 45mins or more, awaiting the departure of the ferry.

The only direct train from Roma / Rome to Vienna / Wien is the overnight Nightjet service
Though the optimum daytime journey involves making only one connection between trains - and if you set off early in the morning from the Italian capital, you can enjoy the stunning scenery on the Austrian part of the route!

Trieste is the most distant city in northern Italy from Rome/Roma which explains the comparative lack of daily departures.
Though despite that there is a wide choice of options for making this journey from Roma/Rome to Trieste by train, however when travelling by day, it isn't possible to be in the city on The Adriatic until after 18:30.

1. The daily 'Frecce' train operated by Trenitalia is the fastest option.
2. The daily Italo service shares the high speed route as far as Bologna with the 'Frecce' train.
3. The two daily IC services are a slower, but typically cheaper option.
4. There is also an overnight train, which is typically due to arrive in Trieste at around 09:00.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Bologna and Rome, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, the Intercity (IC) trains still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Firenze/Florence and Rome, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Firenze/Florence to Roma, the IC and RV trains, still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services

A sequence of two high speed railways enables high speed trains to rush from Milano to Rome/Roma.
This high speed route is shared by 'Frecce' services operated by the national rail operator, Trenitalia, and competing Italo services.

For those who favor cheapest price over journey time, there is also the opportunity to save money by taking the much slower Intercity trains which still snake their way along the older 'classic' railway lines.

Typically the only direct train service between München/Munich and Roma/Rome is provided by the overnight Nightjet train, but it's also a straightforward and stunningly beautiful journey by day.

Take one of the daily EC trains through the mountains to Bologna and connect there for a high speed train on to Roma

Despite the distance and lack of direct trains, the journey from Paris to Rome is comparatively straightforward.
A combination of two high speed trains and a station purpose-built for high speed rail travel designed around providing step-free access to /from the trains.
Or if you opt to take the route via Milano Centrale, all you will have to do is walk from one train to the other.

Travelling overnight isn't an option worth considering on this route, it's possible to depart Paris on the TGV train to Torino, which typically departs Paris at 14:43 and connecting into an InterCity Notte train on to Roma, but the transfer time is only 18 mins.
Therefore as it's a connection that can't be guaranteed, separate bookings for each train are required, so it's quite a gamble!

Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia compete with Italo trains on the north to south high speed rail route in Italy.
The two services take the same route so have similar journey times, so the key differences are; the ticket prices, the agents which sell them and the on-board facilities on the trains - hence it's worth taking a look at the 'Train guides'.

For those that favor scenery over speed, there is also a daily Frecciabianca service which takes the non high-speed 'classic' route by the Mediterranean coast.
An Intercity train also takes this coastal route and it provides a cheaper option for both ticket purchasers and rail pass users.

The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed section of the route between Bologna and Roma, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between the two services are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.

However, some trains from Venice/Venezia to Rome/Roma take an entirely different and much longer cross-country route.
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users; but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.

Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia compete with Italo trains on the north to south high speed rail route in Italy.
The two services take the same route so have similar journey times, so the key differences are; the ticket prices, the agents which sell them and the on-board facilities on the trains - hence it's worth taking a look at the 'Train guides'.

The only direct train to Rome / Roma from Vienna / Wien is the overnight Nightjet service
Though the optimum daytime journey involves making only one connection between trains and also inevitably allows travellers to enjoy the stunning scenery on the Austrian part of the route!