Italy Regional Rail Pass Tip
Nov 14th, 2023, 05:32 AM
#1
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Italy Regional Rail Pass Tip
Last year, 2022, Trenitalia, had a 50% off Black Friday sale on its "Discover the Italy on Tour promo Unlimited travel for 3 consecutive days for €29 and 5 days for €49" rail passes. My wife and I bought "three each" of the 5-day passes and used them consecutively for a 15-day tour of Sicily, the Phlegrean Peninsula, and Rome with zero problems. I have no idea if these passes will be on sale this year but it's worth keeping an eye on the Trenitalia webpage which you can find by searching on "promo-italia-in-tour". -john
To purchase the promo:
The Italia in Tour 3 or Italia in Tour 5 travel ticket is nominative and non-transferable. It is not possible to make changes, request refunds or upgrade class and service.
You can travel for 3 or 5 consecutive days throughout Italy on all regional, fast regional and metropolitan trains of Trenitalia and Trenitalia Tper, including the Leonardo Express.
- click on Advanced Search directly from the purchase form on the home page or click on the " Buy" button on this page
- access the Promo/Regional Services section ;
- choose your favorite promotion from the drop-down menu;
- select the number of securities you want to purchase;
- set the validity date from which you want to start traveling.
The Italia in Tour 3 or Italia in Tour 5 travel ticket is nominative and non-transferable. It is not possible to make changes, request refunds or upgrade class and service.
You can travel for 3 or 5 consecutive days throughout Italy on all regional, fast regional and metropolitan trains of Trenitalia and Trenitalia Tper, including the Leonardo Express.
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:11 AM
#2
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Want a tip? Don't buy train passes.
Regional tickets are relatively cheap. Even at €49 you'll be hard pressed to get value out of them.
The pass does include the express from FCO. That can make it worthwhile but most regional trains are less than €10 per trip. Often quite a bit less.
Regional tickets are relatively cheap. Even at €49 you'll be hard pressed to get value out of them.
The pass does include the express from FCO. That can make it worthwhile but most regional trains are less than €10 per trip. Often quite a bit less.
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:32 AM
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Traveler_Nick is right. It costs less than €10 to travel by regional train from Florence to Pisa, a typical touristic trip. If you made a trip like that every day, the pass still wouldn't pay off.
On longer trips, where there are high-speed alternatives, you probably wouldn't want to take a regional Train. On many routes, for example Florence to Rome, or Florence to Venice, there are almost no regional trains. (Maybe there are none at all by now.)
On longer trips, where there are high-speed alternatives, you probably wouldn't want to take a regional Train. On many routes, for example Florence to Rome, or Florence to Venice, there are almost no regional trains. (Maybe there are none at all by now.)
Nov 14th, 2023, 10:52 AM
#5
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We love to ride the train and €24.5 for a 5-day pass, that's less than €5 per day, is quite a bargain. Looks like I was not clear enough in my first sentence that the normal prices are 3 days for €29 and 5 days for €49" and last year they were 50% off on Black Friday making them €14.5 and €24.5 respectively. -john
Nov 14th, 2023, 07:10 PM
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The point is those are cheap rides. Most people aren't making very many of them. One place you might is Bologna but
Bologna to Modena is €4.30
Bologna to Parma is €8
An expensive ride would be all the way to Verona at about €10
In Rome maybe somebody goes to Anzio for the day? That's €4
Bologna to Modena is €4.30
Bologna to Parma is €8
An expensive ride would be all the way to Verona at about €10
In Rome maybe somebody goes to Anzio for the day? That's €4
Nov 15th, 2023, 06:30 AM
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The point is those are cheap rides. Most people aren't making very many of them. One place you might is Bologna but
Bologna to Modena is €4.30
Bologna to Parma is €8
An expensive ride would be all the way to Verona at about €10
In Rome maybe somebody goes to Anzio for the day? That's €4
Bologna to Modena is €4.30
Bologna to Parma is €8
An expensive ride would be all the way to Verona at about €10
In Rome maybe somebody goes to Anzio for the day? That's €4
Nov 15th, 2023, 07:13 AM
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No because it's not unlimited rides.
I don't know where the English version of the page is but the five day is five rides. If you round trip on a day trip that's two rides or 40% of the five day pass.
The suggestion above to take the regional train from Florence to Venice would be at least two trips and possibly three depending on which you book. Each change being a new trip.
Con la Promo ITALIA IN TOUR 5 viaggi illimitati per 5 giorni consecutivi dalla data scelta ai seguenti prezzi:
The suggestion above to take the regional train from Florence to Venice would be at least two trips and possibly three depending on which you book. Each change being a new trip.
Nov 15th, 2023, 09:18 AM
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The words "viaggi illimitati" literally means "unlimited trips". I don't see anything on the website that would indicate otherwise. In fact, the conditions of use indicate"unlimited trips over the course of 3 [or 5] days".
You have to belong to the loyalty club Carta Freccia, or the new similar program for regional and intercity trains called X-Go. It seems that anyone can join the X-Go program, but you have to have an Italian taxpayer number to join the Carta Freccia program.
I can see that the 3-day pass might make sense for someone who was staying on the outskirts of a city and traveling back and forth every day by train, or for someone who planned to make daily day trips from a central base, but only if the one-way trip cost more than €5. Otherwise I don't see any reason to get this pass. I can't imagine any circumstance where I would want to do that much train travel for five days straight.
You have to belong to the loyalty club Carta Freccia, or the new similar program for regional and intercity trains called X-Go. It seems that anyone can join the X-Go program, but you have to have an Italian taxpayer number to join the Carta Freccia program.
I can see that the 3-day pass might make sense for someone who was staying on the outskirts of a city and traveling back and forth every day by train, or for someone who planned to make daily day trips from a central base, but only if the one-way trip cost more than €5. Otherwise I don't see any reason to get this pass. I can't imagine any circumstance where I would want to do that much train travel for five days straight.
Last edited by bvlenci; Nov 15th, 2023 at 09:39 AM.
Nov 16th, 2023, 12:03 PM
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Thanks just_tina ! This is an awesome deal. And we used our passes just like you mentioned; to cruise up and down the coast between Barletta and Otranto with no need to buy any tickets, just make sure the train is a REG, hop on, and show the pass pdf to the conductor if asked.
Also if one reads the fine print, you can use the pass on the Leonardo Express.
Also if one reads the fine print, you can use the pass on the Leonardo Express.
Nov 17th, 2023, 01:41 AM
#12
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The Leonardo Express costs €14, so if you made similar trips on the following 2 days, it would pay off. Here are some of the other trips people often take from Rome.
Rome-Tivoli €3.60
Rome-Orvieto €9.15
Rome-Nettuno €3.60
Rome-Naples €13.60
Rome-Florence €23.50
If someone took the Leonardo Express from the airport into central Rome, and within the next 2 days, took a regional train to Florence, the ticket would pay off. However, the regional train to Florence takes over 3 1/2 hours, while the Frecciarossa takes an hour and a half. Furthermore, buying ahead and choosing to travel midweek outside of rush hours, you can get a Frecciarossa ticket for as little as €20 (Frecciadays offer) which is cheaper than the regional train.
A more realistic option would be taking the Leonardo Express from the airport (€14) and making a day trip to Orvieto (€18.30) on one of the two following days. With this, you would save a little money (€3.30) with this offer. However, there are few of these scenarios. I don't know what trips in Puglia were made, but if they amounted to more than €10 a day, then great. But I don't see any huge advantage to the offer.
Rome-Tivoli €3.60
Rome-Orvieto €9.15
Rome-Nettuno €3.60
Rome-Naples €13.60
Rome-Florence €23.50
If someone took the Leonardo Express from the airport into central Rome, and within the next 2 days, took a regional train to Florence, the ticket would pay off. However, the regional train to Florence takes over 3 1/2 hours, while the Frecciarossa takes an hour and a half. Furthermore, buying ahead and choosing to travel midweek outside of rush hours, you can get a Frecciarossa ticket for as little as €20 (Frecciadays offer) which is cheaper than the regional train.
A more realistic option would be taking the Leonardo Express from the airport (€14) and making a day trip to Orvieto (€18.30) on one of the two following days. With this, you would save a little money (€3.30) with this offer. However, there are few of these scenarios. I don't know what trips in Puglia were made, but if they amounted to more than €10 a day, then great. But I don't see any huge advantage to the offer.
Last edited by bvlenci; Nov 17th, 2023 at 01:43 AM.
Nov 17th, 2023, 09:50 AM
#13
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Another thing I like about any sort of pass, apart from the saving, is that you can just hop on and off trains without having to worry each time about buying a ticket, convalidating it, swapping it if the train doesn't turn up or you get late or change your mind.
Apr 17th, 2024, 12:38 PM
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Thanks just_tina ! This is an awesome deal. And we used our passes just like you mentioned; to cruise up and down the coast between Barletta and Otranto with no need to buy any tickets, just make sure the train is a REG, hop on, and show the pass pdf to the conductor if asked.
Also if one reads the fine print, you can use the pass on the Leonardo Express.
Also if one reads the fine print, you can use the pass on the Leonardo Express.
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by alineparreira7753; Apr 17th, 2024 at 12:46 PM. Reason: adding details
Apr 17th, 2024, 02:15 PM
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On Trenitalia website regional trains are listed with an R.. The other types (not regional) are shown as Frecciarosa or InterCity. You can see that on longer routes like Florence to Rome the regional trains take far far longer than high speed trains.
