Italy has a large high-speed rail network, with many comfortable and quick trains covering all corners of the country. This means that you can cover large distances in short periods, but it also means that a lot of trains require a seat reservation. While the costs of Italian seat reservations are rather modest (approximately 10-15 euro's), they can add up when taking multiple trains during your trip. Therefore, here are some tips to either avoid seat reservations, or use them as efficiently as possible:
- If your destination is within a few hours of travelling distance, use the ‘no seat reservations required’ filter in the DiscoverEU Travel App. Italy has a big network of frequent regional trains, which often don't require a seat reservation. For short to medium distances, you could hop on these for free instead of using a high-speed train. For more information on how to find these trains, check out this article.
- Try and book direct trains as much as possible. If you only travel on one train, you only have to pay for one seat reservation (even if you travel a very large distance on that train).
- If no direct connections exist, check if you can get close to your destination by a direct high-speed train. To do this, check Google Maps for the closest major city to your destination. Then, check if there are train connections without seat reservation requirements between this city and your destination. You can do this by entering this route in the DiscoverEU Travel App, and using the ‘no seat reservation required’ filter. If this works, then save both the high-speed and the local train to your Pass, and make the necessary seat reservation.
- Seat reservations tickets are fairly flexible for domestic Italian high-speed trains. This means that, should your plans change, you might be able to change the time or date of your seat reservation free of charge (subject to availability) up to 24 hours before your train's departure. To do this, please contact Trenitalia at a train station for assistance.
- Be sure to check out Italy's night trains. Please check out this page for their route network. Their reservations are relatively affordable, and travelling overnight will also save you money on accommodation costs. For more information about travelling overnight with your DiscoverEU Interrail Pass, check out this article.
In addition to seat reservations, you will also need to have your Pass’ QR-code ready when travelling on Italy's high-speed or overnight trains. For more information on seat reservations, please check out this article.