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'.
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.
5hr 33min - 6hr 2min
Daily
Mon to Fri = 11 x trains per day
Sat/Sun = 12 x trains per day
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.
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 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
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.
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:
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.
Final Destination: Napoli or Salerno or Reggio di Calabria
All of these trains also call at: Roma Termini
Some trains also call at: Napoli Afragola take care not to leave the train here if you will be heading to Napoli/Naples city centre.
Departing from Torino/Turin:
The trains on this route from Torino to Napoli commence their journeys at Torino Porta Nuova station.
They depart from there around 10 mins before they depart from Torino Porta Susa.
If you will be commencing your journey on the Torino Metro, it can make sense to head to Porta Susa in order to take these trains.
As all seats are reserved, including yours, you won't have to worry about no spare seats being available if you board at Torino Porta Susa.
The city centre Metro stations are Re:Umberto and Vinzaglio.
Though if you will be travelling with luggage, it can be a better idea to board these trains at Porta Nuova, you'll increase your chances of being able to find an optimum space in which to store your bags.
Though whether you travel from Porta Susa or Porta Nuova stations makes no difference to the ticket price.
Most departures reverse direction three times when making this journey, when they call at Milano Centrale, Firenze S.M.N, and Roma Termini.
The first two departures of the day are faster because don't divert off the direct route to call at Firenze / Florence (so they also reverse direction only twice, in Milano and Roma).
This is one of the longest European high speed train journeys - the only part of the journey which isn't at high speed occurs when the trains pass through Milano city centre.
It's also a journey of five distinct phases.
(1) The trains speed past the cars on the parallel autostrada for most of the journey between Torino and Milano.
(2) Between Milano and Bologna the trains are at their fastest on this stretch of high speed line; which is fortunate as there's nothing much to see.
(3) Between Bologna and Firenze 99% of the journey is in tunnels,
(4) The high speed lines between Firenze and Roma isn't quite as fast as that between Milano and Bologna, but pleasing distant views of hills can be seen from either side of the train.
This is the most scenic part of the train journey
(5) The trains will once again attain their top speed on the high speed line between Roma and Napoli.
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 train service between and Torino/Turin 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.
5hr 43min - 6hr 4min
Daily
Monday to Saturday 9 x trains per day
Sunday 8 x trains
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 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
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.
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.
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 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.
Final Destination: Napoli or Salerno or Reggio di Calabria
All of these trains also call at: Roma Termini
All but one of these trains also call at: Napoli Afragola take care not to leave the train here if you will be heading to Napoli/Naples city centre.
Departing from Torino/Turin:
The trains on this route from Torino to Napoli commence their journeys at Torino Porta Nuova station.
They depart from there around 10 mins before they depart from Torino Porta Susa.
If you will be commencing your journey on the Torino Metro, it can make sense to head to Porta Susa in order to take these trains.
As all seats are reserved, including yours, you won't have to worry about no spare seats being available if you board at Torino Porta Susa.
Though if you will be travelling with luggage, it can be a better idea to board these trains at Porta Nuova, you'll increase your chances of being able to find an optimum space in which to store your bags.
Though whether you travel from Porta Susa or Porta Nuova stations makes no difference to the ticket price.
The first departure of the day is fastest because it is non-stop between Milano and Roma, so it doesn't divert off the direct route to call at Firenze / Florence; so it reverse direction only once, in Milano.
The other departures reverse direction three times when making this journey, when they call at Milano Centrale, Firenze S.M.N, and Roma Termini.
These trains take the same route as the Frecce trains.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open:: around 3 months ahead of the travel date
The train service between Torino 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 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.
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