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How to travel from Bologna to Naples/Napoli by train
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Bologna to Napoli / Naples by train
A sequence of three connected high speed railways enables high speed trains to rush from Bologna to Napoli.
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.
Routes you can take to go from Bologna to Napoli / Naples
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
Choose one of the following options:
Looking for connections?
Route Information
Option 1: taking the high speed Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
3hr 15min - 3hr 42min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
1 - 3 x trains per hour
Purchase Tickets
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Trainline Guide
Exclusive for New Customers: Receive a 10% discount by using the code 24NOV on any purchase with a maximum total price of £100, until 28 November 2024 (11:59 pm CET). Limit one coupon per qualifying booking. Cannot be combined, transferred or exchanged.
Omio Guide
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
- it offers prices in multiple currencies
- it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
- when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
Other Ticket Providers
Trenitalia Guide
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
- Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
- Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
- The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Italia Rail Guide
Italiarail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.
Though Italiarail will charge a booking fee, typically of around €3.
The Early Bird service
Italiarail has launched an 'early bird' pre-booking service for journeys by Frecce trains.
Tickets can be booked up to a year ahead of travel at a flat-rate price per route, before the tickets have been released for sale by Trenitalia.
If when they are placed on sale, the price is cheaper than what you have already paid to Italiarail, it will automatically refund the price difference.
Conversely, if the price is more expensive, you won't be charged the price difference.
You can also have the peace of mind of securing your seat(s) on the Frecce train(s) when you are first planning a trip.
If before the tickets are placed on sale, you decide to change your plans, you can request a refund; but once the tickets are released for sale, you will then be bound by the terms and conditions of the ticket(s) you have booked.
Save A Train Guide
Travel Information
Final Destination: Napoli or Salerno or Reggio de Calabria or others
All trains also call at: Roma Termini
These trains reverse direction on departure from Roma Termini station.
Some trains also call at: Napoli Afragola; take care book tickets to Napoli Centrale if you're heading to the city centre.
All of these trains will depart from the AV binari/tracks/platforms (16-19) at Bologna Centrale,
So if you will be heading to Bologna Centrale by taxi, tell the driver to drop you at the AV station.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
When looking up this journey it's worth paying attention to the journey times as there are in effect two different service patterns used by these 'Frecce' trains.
- Fastest are the trains which only make one station call at Roma Termini, where they reverse direction, so are non-stop between Bologna and Roma (there are fewer of these fast trains on Saturdays).
- Slower are the trains which divert off the direct route to call in Firenze/Florence, where they also reverse direction.
This diversion to the main station in Florence/Firenze adds around 10-15 mins to the journey time.
The Frecciarossa 100 trains are more likely to be used on the faster services, but when you look up the journey on Trenitalia or ItaliaRail, you'll be able to see which specific type of train will be used on each departure.
Italo high speed trains operated by NTV, compete with the Frecce trains operated on Trenitalia on this route, but they aren't sold by Trenitalia.
This is a journey of three parts:
(1) From Bologna to Florence the train will be mainly travelling through tunnels.
(2) The high speed line between Florence and Rome more scenic than most, it's not a beautiful journey, but there is a wow factor of travelling across the rolling landscape at more than 240 km/h*.
*The direttissima between Florence and Rome was the first high speed railway line to be built in Italy, so it has a slower maximum speed than the other Italian high speed lines.
(3) The fastest part of the journey is when the train travels on the high speed line between Roma and Napoli.
Tickets
Save by booking in advance: Yes, for more details on how to obtain the cheapest prices for Frecce trains see the guide to Italian rail tickets.
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; though the booking period will be typically be shorter when looking up journeys for travel after the second Sunday in December.
The high speed (AV) train service between Bologna and Napoli/Naples is provided by:
(1) these Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia and
(2) alternative Italo trains
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed up to 6 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are typically made available around 3 to 4 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you will need to reserve prior to boarding these trains, either at the station (using a Trenitalia ticket machine or ticket desk) OR by booking them online.
How to book the rail pass reservations online is included on our guide to using rail passes in Italy.
If you will be travelling with a rail pass, it's worth targeting the faster trains, as the reservation fees are the same regardless of which Frecce service you travel by.
Route Information
Option 2: taking the Italo high speed trains
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
3hr 33 min - 3hr 40min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
11 x trains per day
Purchase Tickets
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Trainline Guide
Exclusive for New Customers: Receive a 10% discount by using the code 24NOV on any purchase with a maximum total price of £100, until 28 November 2024 (11:59 pm CET). Limit one coupon per qualifying booking. Cannot be combined, transferred or exchanged.
Omio Guide
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
- it offers prices in multiple currencies
- it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
- when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
Other Ticket Providers
Italo Guide
Italo trains compete with the Frecce services, provided by the national rail operator, Trenitalia, on the high speed routes which link major cities in Italy.
The Italo booking site only sells tickets for journeys by its trains.
Happy rail Guide
Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.
Travel Information
Final Destination: Napoli or Salerno
All trains also call at: Roma Termini
These trains reverse direction on departure from Roma Termini station.
Some trains also call at: Napoli Afragola; take care book tickets to Napoli Centrale if you're heading to the city centre.
All of these trains will depart from the AV binari/tracks/platforms (16-19) at Bologna Centrale,
So if you will be heading to Bologna Centrale by taxi, tell the driver to drop you at the AV station.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Travellers have a choice of train services on the Bologna to Naples route:
(1) These Italo trains, which compete with Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia on the high speed route between the two cities,
Tall divert off of the direct route in order to call at Firenze S.M. Novella and Roma Termini stations.
They reverse direction on departure from both stations.
(2) Frecce trains, which take the same route as these Italo trains.
(3)Less frequent, but faster Frecce trains, which only make one station call in Roma/Rome.
(4) Much slower, but cheaper Intercity trains which don't use the high speed lines.
These Italo services take the same route as the Frecce trains, which travel via Firenze/Florence and Roma/Rome.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open:: around 3 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between Bologna and Napoli is provided by:
(1) these Italo trains
(2) alternative Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 6 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 3 to 4 months ahead.
However, Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Eurail and InterRail passes can't be used on Italo trains.
Route Information
Option 3: taking the Intercity trains
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
6hr 11min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
Monday to Friday: 2 x trains per day
Saturday: 3 x trains
Sunday: 2 x trains
Purchase Tickets
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Trainline Guide
Other Ticket Providers
Trenitalia Guide
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
- Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
- Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
- The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Italia Rail Guide
Italiarail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.
Though Italiarail will charge a booking fee, typically of around €3.
The Early Bird service
Italiarail has launched an 'early bird' pre-booking service for journeys by Frecce trains.
Tickets can be booked up to a year ahead of travel at a flat-rate price per route, before the tickets have been released for sale by Trenitalia.
If when they are placed on sale, the price is cheaper than what you have already paid to Italiarail, it will automatically refund the price difference.
Conversely, if the price is more expensive, you won't be charged the price difference.
You can also have the peace of mind of securing your seat(s) on the Frecce train(s) when you are first planning a trip.
If before the tickets are placed on sale, you decide to change your plans, you can request a refund; but once the tickets are released for sale, you will then be bound by the terms and conditions of the ticket(s) you have booked.
Travel Information
These trains don't depart from the AV station at Bologna Centrale, instead they use the main part of the station, so are most easily accessed from the main entrance.
Final Destination: Napoli
These trains also call at: Roma Tiburtina
These Intercity trains don't use the high speed lines between Bologna and Naples, but they do save time by not diverting off of the direct route in order to call at the city centre stations in Florence or Rome.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
If you will be booking tickets, then these Intercity trains are a cheaper alternative to the faster Frecce and Italo services.
If you will be a using a rail pass, the rail pass reservation fee, will be €7 cheaper than on the Frecce trains.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
These IC trains to Naples are usually scheduled to depart from Bologna Centrale at 09:18 and 17:18, so target those times when looking up this journey, if you want to travel by these trains.
Take these Intercity trains from Bologna to Roma and you can save at least €15 in comparison to taking the faster Frecce trains also operated by Trenitalia.
Though to compare prices with both the Frecce AND the Italo trains, you can can look up this journey on the Trainline.
Using rail passes
Target these IC trains if you want to save €10 on rail pass reservation fees.
Though if you'll want the peace of mind of being able to remain in the same seat for the entire journey, paying the optional €3 reservation fee is virtually essential.
However, this is a route on which the balance can tip in favour of paying the more expensive rail pass reservation on the Freece trains; you can save more than 3 hours by taking the Frecce trains and the journey will also be more comfortable.
If you do so target the faster Frecce trains they won't cost you any more than the slower Frecce trains and will save you around a further 20-25 mins when taking the journey.
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