by Fiona Thompson

Created on: August 16, 2010

A Eurail Pass is a special train ticket that gives largely unrestricted use of trains for a specified period for one or more named countries; they can be bought for single countries or small blocks. They differ from the better known Interrail Pass in that they are for non-European travelers only. The basic principles of the Eurail Italy Train Pass are the same as for any of the other countries for which you can buy a ticket; it is in the detail that passes for individual countries differ.

The Eurail single country pass is available for three to ten days of travel within a two month period and adult travelers have a choice of first or second class passes. If two or more adults are traveling in the same group, a Eurail Saver pass is an excellent purchase. At the time of writing a pass giving three days of travel costs €120, while one giving five days travel within the two month period costs €149; full price details can be found at http://www.eurail.com/. Passes can also be bought through this website.

Travelers under the age of twenty-five (more specifically who are twenty-five or younger on the first day of travel) qualify for the slightly cheaper Eurail Italy Youth Pass. This is great for younger backpackers who aren’t necessarily students. The passes are just over thirty per cent cheaper than the Adult Pass but they only allow for second class travel; if you desperately want to travel in first class you must buy the Adult Pass, though, to be fair, second class travel on Italian trains is perfectly fine.

You can apply for the pass on line or through specialist travel agents. It’s then sent to you by post with an issuing date; you validate the pass within six months of the issue date, and you must validate the pass at the time of the first use, so that any staff subsequently inspecting your ticket knows how long it’s valid for. When looking at train timetables it’s essential that you check whether the service demands that you have a seat reservation. If so, you must do this before you get on the train, otherwise you could be fined.

There are usually exceptions to which trains can be used and these vary between countries. You will need to pay a supplement to use Italian high speed train services such as the Frecciarossa and the Frecciargento; these fantastic trains can reach speeds of up to 360 kilometers per hour and are to be recommended if you are short of time and need to cover long distances. For example, the Frecciargento

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>