The Frecciarossa 1000 trains and most of the Frecciarossa services operated by Trenitalia on this route share Italy's fastest railway, the high-speed line between Milano and Bologna, with Italo trains.
On the high speed line, these trains 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 Frecce trains from Milano to Bologna still take the older route via Parma and Modena, 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, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.
Final Destination: Roma or Napoli or Salerno (and others)
Some of these trains also call at Milano Rogoredo and depending on where you'll be setting off from in Milano, taking the trains from this station can be time saver.
Milano Centrale is on the northern edge of the city centre, so trains initially head north and then make their way around the city, so that they can take the route south towards Bologna.
Local trains head to Milano Rogoredo from multiple stations in the city centre, including Milano Porta Venezia and Milano Porta Vittoria.
Milano Rogoredo is also on line M3 of the Milan Metro, but this line also serves Milano Centrale.
1 - 3 x trains per hour
*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 faster (AV) train services between and Milano and Bologna 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.
*Some Frecce and Italo trains depart from stations in Milano other Milano Centrale.
If you will be travelling from Milano Centrale then use this specific station when looking up tickets and prices.
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 are happy to pay the €10 reservation fees, target these trains and avoid the slower Frecce trains; as the rail pass reservation fees are the same on those trains.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
Italia rail | from €19 approx | |
Trenitalia | from €19 approx | |
Trainline | from €19 approx | |
Omio | from €19 approx | |
Save A Train | from €19 approx |
Note that the Frecce service is split between Frecciarossa 500 and Frecciarossa 1000 trains; two different types of Frecce trains.
Final Destination: Roma or Napoli or Salerno or Reggio di Calabria
Most of these trains also call at Milano Rogoredo
Monday to Friday: 14 x trains per day
Saturday: 12 x trains
Sunday: 13 x trains
Book early and save: Yes
**Online bookings open: around 3 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between Milano Centrale and Bologna 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.
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 on with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
Italo | from €9 approx | |
Happy rail | from €9 approx | |
Trainline | from €9 approx | |
Omio | from €9 approx |
Final Destination: Ancona or Lecce (or Taranto or Bari)
Most of these trains also call at Milano Rogoredo
9 x trains per day
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
These trains are around an hour slower than the alternative high speed Frecce trainsm because they don't take the high speed line between Milano and Bologna.
However, if travelling at the cheapest possible price is your primary criteria, then these trains can be worth considering.
The most heavily discounted tickets inevitably sell out faster on the faster Frecce trains, so these trains can be more than €10 cheaper.
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.
Though if you have a rail pass avoid taking these trains, as the €10 rail pass reservation fees are the same price on the alternative faster Frecciarossa trains.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
Trenitalia | from €9 approx | |
Italia rail | from €9 approx |
Most of the 'Frecce' services from Milano which take the route down the Adriatic Coast don't use the high speed line on the section of their journeys between Milano and Bologna.
Final Destination: Terni or Napoli
These InterCity trains from Milano call in Bologna on route to their distant destinations in southern Italy.
4 or 5 x trains per day
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
Trenitalia | * | |
Trainline | * |
The ticket agents won't sell tickets for these trains which are usually scheduled to depart from Milano Centrale at 05:00; 07:05; 14:48 (not Sat); 15:05 and 17:40, but if you will be travelling with a Eurail or InterRail pass they are a cheaper option for a Milano to Bologna rail journey, because they can be boarded without paying any reservation fees.
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.
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.