From time to time, I read inquiries from tourists about the advisability of purchasing one of Trenitalia's train passes, rather than individual tickets.
Are these passes cost-efficient?
As regards the fast reserved trains (Freccia and Intercity), the answer is usually NO, because often you can find lower fares by purchasing well in advance and selecting the Trenitalia "Frecciadays" or "Super Economy" fare (or some other deeply discounted fare). You can also purchase the partial refund option for an additional 2 Euros, which allows you to get a 90% refund if you cancel these discounted tickets before the cancellation DEADLINE of 23:59 (Italy time) two days beforehand. This is a form of travel insurance giving you partial protection if your travel plans change.
The fare structure of the train pass for the fast reserved trains is such that you would need to do quite a bit of traveling to reach the break-even point within the timeframe of the pass selected. Take a look at the fares and compare what you would spend by purchasing individual tickets:
www.trenitalia.com
Trenitalia also offers two passes for travel exclusively on its unreserved regionale trains. This pass is called "Italia in Tour" and, as contrasted to the pass for the reserved fast trains, can indeed be quite advantageous.
www.trenitalia.com
Let's give a practical example: let's say you are based in Florence for several days and want to take daytrips by train to several important art cities, e.g.: Orvieto, Perugia and Siena.
A round-trip ticket from Florence to Orvieto on the Trenitalia unreserved regionale train costs 36.20 Euros. However, the 3-day Italia in Tour pass costs 29 Euros, and you can use it for three CONSECUTIVE days on most regionale trains in Italy. Now add the cost of round-trip travel to Perugia (30.30 Euros) and Siena (20.40 Euros) and you see that the pass saves you 57.9 Euros or nearly 67% of the regular round-trip fare, if you use it for all three days. But even if you use it only to go to Orvieto, you've already saved 7.20 Euros!
Trenitalia also has a 5-day pass for the regionale trains for 49 Euros, which can give even greater savings if used to the maximum.
These passes can be purchased online through the Trenitalia website or app, or at the train station. The pass is nominative, non-transferable, non-changeable and non-refundable. You must indicate the effective date (first day of usage). You do not indicate the origination or destination city. The ticket does not need to be validated nor (in the case of a pass in electronic form) do you need to "check-in" to board the first train.
It is important to understand the rules and restrictions of these passes:
"The Italia In Tour 3 or Italia In Tour 5 ticket is booked in the name of each passenger and is non-transferable. Changes, refunds or class and service upgrades cannot be made. There is no need to select the origin or destination of your trip. Indeed, with Italia In Tour 3 and Italia In Tour 5, you can travel for 3 or 5 consecutive days throughout Italy on all Trenitalia and Trenitalia Tper regional, fast regional and metropolitan trains, including the Leonardo Express. The Promo is not valid within the territory of the Cinque Terre National Park, delimited by the stations of Levanto and La Spezia Centrale and including the stations of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, within the territory of Lombardy, the provinces of Bolzano and from Trento to Bassano del Grappa, nor is it valid aboard services operated by other transport companies, including Trenord.
The Promo is not valid for journeys in combination with other carriers."
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12 PAY HALF PRICE: 15 EUROS FOR THE 3-DAY PASS AND 25 EUROS FOR THE 5-DAY PASS.
(Children under the age of 4 can travel free without a ticket and without a guaranteed seat).
You could, if you have the stamina and desire, use this pass for UNLIMITED travel on the Trenitalia regionale trains for the time period selected (3 or 5 consecutive days) to simply tour Italy's hinterland by train without stopping to visit cities, but rather connecting between regionale trains as part of a geographically extensive itinerary involving many hours of train travel.
Are these passes cost-efficient?
As regards the fast reserved trains (Freccia and Intercity), the answer is usually NO, because often you can find lower fares by purchasing well in advance and selecting the Trenitalia "Frecciadays" or "Super Economy" fare (or some other deeply discounted fare). You can also purchase the partial refund option for an additional 2 Euros, which allows you to get a 90% refund if you cancel these discounted tickets before the cancellation DEADLINE of 23:59 (Italy time) two days beforehand. This is a form of travel insurance giving you partial protection if your travel plans change.
The fare structure of the train pass for the fast reserved trains is such that you would need to do quite a bit of traveling to reach the break-even point within the timeframe of the pass selected. Take a look at the fares and compare what you would spend by purchasing individual tickets:
Trenitalia Pass - Trenitalia
Trenitalia also offers two passes for travel exclusively on its unreserved regionale trains. This pass is called "Italia in Tour" and, as contrasted to the pass for the reserved fast trains, can indeed be quite advantageous.
Italia in tour - Trenitalia
Let's give a practical example: let's say you are based in Florence for several days and want to take daytrips by train to several important art cities, e.g.: Orvieto, Perugia and Siena.
A round-trip ticket from Florence to Orvieto on the Trenitalia unreserved regionale train costs 36.20 Euros. However, the 3-day Italia in Tour pass costs 29 Euros, and you can use it for three CONSECUTIVE days on most regionale trains in Italy. Now add the cost of round-trip travel to Perugia (30.30 Euros) and Siena (20.40 Euros) and you see that the pass saves you 57.9 Euros or nearly 67% of the regular round-trip fare, if you use it for all three days. But even if you use it only to go to Orvieto, you've already saved 7.20 Euros!
Trenitalia also has a 5-day pass for the regionale trains for 49 Euros, which can give even greater savings if used to the maximum.
These passes can be purchased online through the Trenitalia website or app, or at the train station. The pass is nominative, non-transferable, non-changeable and non-refundable. You must indicate the effective date (first day of usage). You do not indicate the origination or destination city. The ticket does not need to be validated nor (in the case of a pass in electronic form) do you need to "check-in" to board the first train.
It is important to understand the rules and restrictions of these passes:
"The Italia In Tour 3 or Italia In Tour 5 ticket is booked in the name of each passenger and is non-transferable. Changes, refunds or class and service upgrades cannot be made. There is no need to select the origin or destination of your trip. Indeed, with Italia In Tour 3 and Italia In Tour 5, you can travel for 3 or 5 consecutive days throughout Italy on all Trenitalia and Trenitalia Tper regional, fast regional and metropolitan trains, including the Leonardo Express. The Promo is not valid within the territory of the Cinque Terre National Park, delimited by the stations of Levanto and La Spezia Centrale and including the stations of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, within the territory of Lombardy, the provinces of Bolzano and from Trento to Bassano del Grappa, nor is it valid aboard services operated by other transport companies, including Trenord.
The Promo is not valid for journeys in combination with other carriers."
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12 PAY HALF PRICE: 15 EUROS FOR THE 3-DAY PASS AND 25 EUROS FOR THE 5-DAY PASS.
(Children under the age of 4 can travel free without a ticket and without a guaranteed seat).
You could, if you have the stamina and desire, use this pass for UNLIMITED travel on the Trenitalia regionale trains for the time period selected (3 or 5 consecutive days) to simply tour Italy's hinterland by train without stopping to visit cities, but rather connecting between regionale trains as part of a geographically extensive itinerary involving many hours of train travel.
Last edited: