How to Buy Italy Train Tickets

Anyone planning to take the train in Italy - whether that’s your only mode of transportation or not - needs to know some critical information before that can happen. Specifically, one of the first things to figure out is how to buy train tickets and reservations.
>> Confused about what the difference is between those two things? Read my article about train tickets vs. reservations in Italy.
You have two options to buy tickets and reservations - you can either do it ahead of time from home, or you can do it once you get to Italy.
>> Learn more about when to buy Italy train tickets - before you leave home or on the ground in Italy.

How to Buy Train Tickets & Reservations Before Arriving in Italy

Both train tickets and reservations can be purchased online from anywhere in the world, and the simplest way is to buy straight from the train companies. Italy has two: the state railway, Trenitalia, which runs everything from the Frecciarossa high-speed trains to the slow regional trains, and Italo, a private company that has run its own high-speed trains between the big cities since 2012. Both sites (and their apps) sell to foreign visitors, and both sell cheaper advance fares on the high-speed trains, so it pays to compare the two for routes they both serve. Note that an Italo ticket is only good on Italo, and a Trenitalia ticket only on Trenitalia.
If you already have an Italian Rail Pass and you don’t need tickets, you can purchase just seat reservations to pair with your Rail Pass (rail passes aren’t valid on Italo).
There are other online sellers of Italian train tickets too, but they usually add a booking fee.

How to Buy Train Tickets & Reservations in Italy

Buying train tickets and reservations as you travel through Italy can be done a few different ways, depending on where you are and how big the train station is.
If you’re not sure what you might need to buy or want to ask some questions before purchasing anything, you can go to a ticket window and talk to a Trenitalia ticket agent. In the high season, expect long lines - especially in popular cities, where the lines can be extremely long and slow-moving even outside the high season.
You’d be smart to give yourself plenty of time to wait in said line in order to get what you need, rather than arriving at the station 20 minutes before your train is supposed to leave and assuming you’ll have time to get what you need accomplished.
If you know what you need to buy or you’re a little more familiar with the Italian train system, you can buy tickets and reservations from the automated machines in the stations (Italo has its own machines in the stations it serves). They’re plentiful in big stations, less so in smaller ones, and although there are sometimes lines for even those machines they move far more quickly than the lines for the ticket windows.
A few things to note about the ticket machines:

• Almost all the machines have the option right at the start to change the language from Italian to whatever language you’re most comfortable using. Make the switch and the transaction is simple.
• Be considerate of the travelers waiting in line behind you for the machines, especially at peak travel times - be as prepared as you can be to make whatever decisions you need to complete your transaction before it’s your turn. You can consult printed train schedules in the station before you get in line.

Also remember that if you have a Rail Pass already, that is the same thing as having a ticket without a reservation. You may still need to buy a reservation for a given trip, and not all machines offer the “reservation only” option. If in doubt, go to a ticket window with your Rail Pass and buy your reservation there.
In some cities you can also get tickets for the slow, regional trains at the tabaccaio, or tobacconist’s shop, in or near the train station. While you are there, pick up some postcards and stamps (francobolli), too, so you can write home while you watch the countryside drift past your train window.
High-speed tickets go on sale months ahead of your trip, and the cheapest fares sell out first, so if you are in a busy city during the peak summer travel season, buy online or pop into the train station a couple days before your actual travel date rather than waiting until the morning you leave. If you buy a paper ticket for a regional train, validate it in one of the machines on the platform before you board; digital tickets and high-speed tickets don’t need it.
photos, top to bottom, by star5112, Jessica Spiegel (and may not be used without permission)