Travelling round Italy by train or plane

DanielDeronda

I'm planning to visit Italy around Easter 2026.

I want to visit 4 or 5 different destinations around the country, so maybe Milan, Turin, Rome, Naples, Sicily & Florence. If also like to be able to do day trips.

I'm looking at cities that offer a mix of culture, good food & being able to watch sporting events ideally football but like most sports 

I've done inter-railing before, so is there an Italian only equivalent? My trip would last around 2wks.

Is going via train going to be any cheaper than flying?

And anyone got ideas of any other destinations worth visiting?

Not tied to a tight budget but want value for money on travel & hotels 

eskbanker

The Man in Seat 61 is always a good source of information about European train travel:

https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm#railpasses

daveyjp

Friends did this last year over three weeks.  Flight to Milan, trains to major cities, flight home from Sicily.

gwynlas

Only used Italian rail once but very impressed with seating and pricing.

Good food and wine found everywhere in Italy

bagand96

Trains in Italy are reliable and good value to travel on. The main intercity lines are high speed and convenient. 

The state rail operator is Trenitalia and they have an English website https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

On the high speed Intercity routes there is a second operator Italo who are also worth checking out https://www.italotreno.com/en

skycatcher

We did a trip a couple of years ago... Flew to Bergamo stayed a couple of days then flew on to Bari (€15 on Ryanair, so much cheaper than the train) and did day trips by local trains from Bari to other places in Puglia... It was a fabulous trip and loved Bari!

jbrassy

Trains in Italy are good value and very comfortable (often better than the trains in the UK). As someone above mentioned, the Man in Seat 61 website is a good resource for planning train travel abroad. I've used the train quite a bit in Italy and have no complaints. Flying may be cheaper than the train sometimes, but people often don't factor in the costs of going to and from the airport (which can be miles from town) and the time wasted getting to and from the airport and time spent in the airport. 

Siebrie

We interrailed from Brussels to Rome vv. Excellent trains, some delay on the train between Milan and Rome due to a cow on the tracks.

Make sure to book your seats on time! It's still the normal connections, and normal fares, but you need to book a seat; there are no standing places. The stations staff were very helpful making these bookings, even though their English was so-so (at the main station in Rome).

twopenny

One thing, you say Easter. Check out local holidays because it will be based around religious observance and could affect transport.

I've always found that the best Italian food is found just a little away from the tourist centers. We ate once in the main plaza to find it was expensive and a poor version of English food.
 

HobgoblinBT

I haven’t been to Turin so don’t know enough to recommend it or not.  Milan to Verona by rail is under 2 hours by fast train.  Verona as well as being an attraction and destination in its own right is a good base to day trip to Venice, Bologna and Lake Garda.  Naples has a rough reputation, but is a brilliant city to visit.  If you stay near the station, you can easily reach Herculaneum, Pompei and Sorrento as well as the incredible sights and tastes of Naples itself.  Rome is good, but beware of pickpockets, especially on the underground, and can be very crowded.  Florence is my favourite Italian city for its Renaissance history.    There is so much to see in the destinations that you have listed you will be taking on a lot with only 2 or 3 days in each destination.  Hope that helps.

victor2

We used Pisa as a base for day trips around Italy a few years back. Nothing much to see in Pisa apart from the tower, but as others have said, the train service is great - except when they're on strike, which is quite common I was led to believe!