Planning on seeing Italy by train? Then you surely need to invest in a train pass. Whether it’s for 10 days, 3 days or just a single day, buying a train pass in Italy is a great way to save money and time. Read our guide for more facts & informatio
There is no doubt about the fact that the cheapest way for inland traveling in Italy is via their train services. The country has developed a very extensive railway network that runs through the length and breath of the shoe shaped landscape. Moreover there are many different kinds of trains and train operators functioning on these networks. The trains vary according to their speed and service that they have to offer. The pricing of the tickets is pretty much relative to the kind of service you will be looking for. Although traveling by train is deemed as the most cost effective form of inland travel it’s not always that easy to get your self a seat on the perpetually busy trains of Italy.
Train Passes
To make things easier for the hoards of people traveling in Italy through the railways the train services have come up with the concept of train passes. This is a method by which you can get a ticket that is more like a pass that allows you anywhere from three to ten days of train travel either consecutive or not. The exact duration of the days may vary with time, season and service. Generally though the train passes have a validity of two months throughout which you can hop on to any of the Italian rail networks you please.
One Day Train Passes in Italy
With the rail pass you have the option of choosing the particular class that you want to travel in. The first class rail pass will obviously cost you more than the standard class ones. The good thing about the train pass is that it gives you the opportunity to travel many times to and fro within a span of twenty four hours while utilizing only one day’s pass. This means that the train pass does not work on a system of the number of times you travel rather it functions on the principles of the number of days you travel. It is however important to remember that you still have to book your seat in advance even if you have a train pass. Don’t expect to walk up to a train and get a seat by showing your train pass because the system doesn’t work this way. As it is the trains are perpetually overcrowded in Italy!
Special Train Passes in Italy
The railway services often come up with special schemes that can be very beneficial for the frequent traveler by train. This is done in order to increase the popularity of the train pass system and the promotional schemes vary from time to time. Examples include the saver pass that you can avail if you buy a train pass for two or more people who will be traveling together and you end up paying for only one person. Train travel for children under the age of four is free. Italian Top 3 is another promotional scheme that helps you save money if you are looking for a train pass for the 3 major cities Rome, Florence and Venice. The popularity of the concept of the train passes is credited to the high quality rail systems of Italy.
