Train Travel

State-owned Trenitalia trains are part of the Metrebus system and also serve some destinations on side trips outside Rome. The main Trenitalia stations in Rome are Termini, Tiburtina, Ostiense, and Trastevere. Suburban trains use all of these stations. The Ferrovie COTRAL line departs from a terminal in Piazzale Flaminio, connecting Rome with Viterbo.

Trenitalia trains do not have first and second classes. Local trains can be crowded early morning and evening as many people commute to and from the city, so try to avoid these times. Be ready to stand if you plan to take one of these trains and don't arrive early enough to secure a seat. On long-distance routes (to Florence and Venice, for instance), you can either travel by the cheap (but slow) diretto trains, or the fast, but more expensive Intercity, or the Eurostar. Seat reservations are obligatory on both Intercity and Eurostar trains. This can be done directly at the station when you buy your ticket, online, or through a travel agent.

For destinations within 200 km (124 mi) of Rome, you can buy a kilometrico ticket. Like bus tickets, they can be purchased at some newsstands and in ticketing machines, as well as at Trenitalia ticket windows. Buy them in advance so you won't waste time in line at station ticket booths. Like all train tickets, they must be date-stamped in the little yellow or red machines near the track before you board. Within a range of 200 km (124 mi) they're valid for six hours from the time they're stamped, and you can get on and off at will at stops in between for the duration of the ticket's validity.

The state railways' excellent and user-friendly site at www.trenitalia.it will help you plan any rail trips in the country.

Information

Trenitalia (892/2021 within Italy; 199/892021 within Italy; 06/68475475 from abroad. www.trenitalia.it.)

Italo Treno-Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (06/0708. www.italotreno.it.)