If you are planning to travel around Italy on your own by train and want to purchase a ticket in advance without intermediaries, this article is for you. I would like to share step-by-step instructions for purchasing a train ticket in Italy online.
Where to buy
Online train tickets must be purchased only on the official website of the Italian railway www.trenitalia.com , which not only allows you to buy a ticket remotely and in advance, but also offers all kinds of promotions and discounts.
Step-by-step process for selecting and purchasing a ticket
This site is available in two language versions: Italian and English. The main page in Italian looks like this.
To buy a ticket, we are interested in the red form, that is, a large red rectangle with the headings LE FRECCE (the name of one of the types of fast trains) and TUTTI I TRENI (all trains). Depending on the chosen direction, select one of these headings. If you select TUTTI I TRENI, the form changes color to gray.
You may have a question: “How can you determine which form to use: red or gray?” LE FRECCE serves longer distances, and TUTTI I TRENI serves any distance. But if in the red form you enter points of departure and arrival that this type of train does not serve, the site will give you the following type of error
So in this form we are interested in all the fields, let’s start with their translation.
Andata (there) and Andata e ritorno (there and back), here, respectively, everyone chooses whether they need a one-way ticket or a round trip ticket.
Da (from), that is, the point of departure
A (to), that is, the point of arrival
Andata (departure date) indicate the date and Ora (time)
Ritorno (return date) again indicate the required date and time
Adulti (adults) Ragazzi (children) up to 4 years old, children travel for free, from 4 to 14 years old on national high-speed trains at discounts. In this field, indicate the number of travelers.
- Important: on regional trains, a 50% discount is provided only to children from 4 to 11 years old; passengers from 12 years old pay the full ticket price.
Cerca (search) is the last field that interests us on this page, when you click on search, the site processes your information and displays all possible trains in the following form
Partenza (departure) Arrivo (arrival) Durata (travel time) Treno (train) Prezzi (price)
Select the line with the train that suits you best by clicking on Seleziona (select) at the end of the line, the site opens the following form
Select the class of the carriage (first or second) and the type of ticket (basic, economy, super economy), highlighting the required circle. You can also choose a seat in the carriage here.
Assegnazione autmatica posto (automatic seat assignment)
Scelta del posto (choice of place)
Posto vicino a (place next to)
After all selections, click Continua (continue)
The site goes to the ticket registration page
Select Non Sono registrato (I am not registered) and fill out the fields below.
Nome (Name)
Cognome
E-mail (Your current email to which the ticket will be sent to you)
Conferma e-mail (Confirmation of email)
Telefono (Telephone)
Next, select the type of payment (card or paypal), highlighting the required circle, check the box next to Accetto le Condizioni Generali di trasporto (I agree with the terms of transportation) and click Continua (continue)
On this page, fill out your card details or paypal and click Avanti (next)
Titolare della carta (holder of the card Nome (name) and Cognome (last name)
Tipo carta (card type)
Numero della carta (card number)
Scadenza carta (Expiration date)
Depending on the card, the site may ask you to verify the card, in my case it looks like this
Wait a few seconds while the payment is processed
And if the payment is successful, the following page appears
Click Ok and select Invia sms (send SMS) or Stampa (print)
Congratulations, you have successfully purchased an electronic train ticket independently and without intermediaries! An electronic ticket will be sent to you by email and SMS if desired. In fact, the conductor will only be interested in your ticket code, usually 5-6 digits.
What does a ticket look like?
The ticket for the Trenitalia regional train, which will be sent to you by email, looks like this:
In this example, a ticket for a first class carriage without specifying a seat. I advise you to always travel in 1st class on regional trains if possible – there is a greater chance of finding a free seat and, theoretically, the carriage should be quieter and more comfortable.