How to make the journey by rail from Milan to Bari
Share this journey with a friend...
Milano / Milan / Mailand to Bari by train
Travelling by day has two ticks in the box over taking the overnight trains:
(1) the night trains are usually scheduled to arrive in Bari before 08:00
(2) South of Rimini, this is one of Europe's most lovely coastal rail journeys.
Routes you can take to go from Milano / Milan / Mailand to Bari (for ferries to Patras, on to Athens)
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 faster Fecciarossa trains
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
6hr 57min - 7hr 14 min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
5 x trains per day from Milano Centrale
1 x train per day from Milano. P. Garibaldi
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.
Save A Train Guide
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.
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.
Travel Information
The Frecciarossa 5000 trains from Milano Centrale station to Bari have taken over the departures on this route from other types of Frecce train, despite some of the trains on this route not travelling on a high-speed line.
Though the departures which typically leave at 15:35 and 17:30 have a faster journey time by around 25 - 30 mins as they do use the high sped line between the edge of Milano and Bologna.
One departure at 10:13 now leaves from Milano Porta Garibaldi station and this train does take that high-speed line, so it is faster than the other morning departures, but only by around 15 mins.
Final Destination:
Bari or Lecce
These trains also call at: Ancona and Pescara
Connecting to Greece:
On Mondays to Saturdays the usual 08:05 departure from Milano will be typically scheduled to arrive in Bari at 15:27 and the ferry to Patras (connect for Athina/Athens) will be typically scheduled to depart Bari at 19:30.
The ferry company request that passengers should be at the port terminal two hours prior to departure in time to check-in, so by taking this train, there will be time enough for both contingency in the event of delay and a stress-free transfer from the the railway station to the port.
On Sundays the ferry to Patras will typically be scheduled to depart at 13:30, too soon for a connection to be available from a daytime train, so the only option is to take the second of the two night train departures (see below, though it will be due into Bari more than four hours before the ferry departure.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
There is also a daily Frecciarossa 1000 train from Milano to Bari, but it takes an entirely different route via Roma/Rome, so it's journey time is around an hour longer than any other daytime train.
It also tends to be more expensive, so is best avoided, but if you'll need to arrive in Bari around 14:30, you can take that train.
This is a journey of contrasts.
Between Milano and Rimini between the numerous towns and cities the train will travel mainly across flat farm land.
However, there are then some fabulous views of the Adriatic Coast to be enjoyed from the left of the train, particularly between Rimini and Pescara.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
**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 faster (AV) train services between and Milano and Bari is provided by
(1) these Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia and
(2) alternative Italo trains (which take a different route)
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.
Route Information
Option 2: taking the slower, but cheaper IC trains
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
10hr - 10hr 16min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
Mon-Fri: 1 x train per day
Saturday: 2 x trains
Sunday: 1 x train
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.
Travel Information
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
If you have a rail pass you can save by €10 by taking these trains and opting not to reserve seats, but if the timings don't suit it can be worth heading to Bologna on an IC or RV train and connecting there for the IC trains on from Bologna Centrale, which typically depart from there to Bari at 14:00 or 16:00.
Final Destination: Lecce or Taranto or Bari
These trains also call at: Ancona, Pescara
The service of direct trains between Milano and Bari is split between
(1) These Inter city trains
(2) alternative departures by Frecciarossa trains - fastest of all, but also usually the most expensive
(3) alternative departures by Frecciabianca trains - more frequent, faster and can be booked online
Italo trains don't operate on this route
If you are new to travelling by train in Italy, we also recommend taking a look at our Italian Train Travel Guide.
It is packed with info and useful links to help ensure you’ll have a stress-free trip.
The journey:
Type of Scenery: Coast
Star Rating: **
If your seat is on the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) there are some fabulous views of the coast south of Rimini.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date - usually
Rail pass users:
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.
How to book these optional pass reservations online is including on our guide to using rail passes in Italy - though this is one instance, when the only option may be to book the reservations at ticket desk at the station.
Route Information
Option 3: taking an Italo train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
8hr 30min - 8hr 37min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
2 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
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.
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.
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: Bari Cle.
These Italo high speed services are typically scheduled to depart from Milano Centrale at 07:40 (arrive Bari at 16:10); and from Milano Centrale at 13:40 (arrive 22:17).
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
These Italo trains are slower than the Frecce trains as they take the longer route via Roma.
These Italo trains from Milano to Bari take a completely different route after Bologna to that followed by the Frecce trains, as these trains remain on Italy's north to south high speed route and don't leave it until shortly before Napoli, from where they then follow the route taken by the Rome to Bari trains.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
**Online bookings open: around 3 months ahead of the travel date
The faster (AV) train service between Milano and Bari 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 Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Eurail and InterRail passes can't be used on Italo trains.
Route Information
Option: 4 travelling overnight
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
9hr 43min - 9hr 47min
Frequency
Nightly
Travel Info
2 x trains per night
Purchase Tickets
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.
Travel Information
Unusually for an overnight European rail service there are two nightly departures to choose from on the Milano to Bari route:
- The first train of the evening typically departs from Centrale station at 21:15 and is due into Bari shortly before 07:00
- The second train typically departs at 21:50 and is sue into Bari shortly before 08:00
Final destination: Lecce (both trains)
On Sundays the ferry to Patras (connect for Athina/Athens) will be typically scheduled to depart Bari at 13:30, so that 21:50 departure will allow time for a leisurely breakfast in Bari before heading to the port for the 11:30 check-in
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date - usually
See the 'Train Guide' below for info on the type of accommodation available and the how tickets can be booked.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
- Austria by train
- Innsbruck
- Salzburg
- Wien / Vienna
- Belgium by train
- Bruxelles / Brussels
- Czechia by train
- Praha / Prague / Prag
- Denmark by train
- København / Copenhagen
- France by train
- Lille
- Lyon
- Marseille
- Paris
- Germany by train
- Berlin
- Frankfurt (Main)
- Hamburg
- Köln / Cologne / Koeln
- München / Munich
- Great Britain by train
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- London
- Manchester
- Hungary by train
- Budapest
- Italy by train
- Bologna
- Firenze / Florence
- Milano / Milan / Mailand
- Roma / Rome
- Torino / Turin
- Venezia / Venice / Venedig
- Verona
- Netherlands by train
- Amsterdam
- Norway by train
- Oslo
- Poland by train
- Warszawa / Warsaw
- Spain by train
- Barcelona
- Madrid
- Sweden by train
- Stockholm
- Switzerland by train
- Basel / Bâle
- Bern
- Genève / Geneva
- Zürich / Zurich
- No Matching Cities
- List is empty.
- No Matching Cities
- List is empty.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
TOP