Where to Buy Italy Train Tickets

In 2026 the best place to buy an Italian train ticket is on your phone. Both of Italy’s main train companies sell every ticket online and in their apps, they take foreign cards, and the ticket arrives as a booking code you show on your screen. Station windows and machines still work fine, and there are times you’ll want them, but you no longer need them.

Here are your options, and when each one makes sense.

>> More in the guide to Italian train travel.

First, know which company runs your train

Italy

Italy has two train companies, and they don’t sell or accept each other’s tickets:

#8217;s long-distance trains are run by two companies, and they don’t sell or accept each other’s tickets:

• Trenitalia, the state railway, runs the high-speed Frecce, Intercity trains, night trains and most regional trains. (Around Milan and the Lakes, regional trains are run by Trenord, which sells its own tickets.)
• Italo, a private company running since 2012, runs only high-speed trains, on the main routes between Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples and a few cities beyond.

On the big routes, like Milan to Rome, Rome to Florence and Rome to Naples, they compete train for train, so check both before you buy. A Trenitalia ticket on an Italo train (or the other way around) counts as no ticket.

Online and in the apps (the best option)

Go straight to trenitalia.com or italotreno.com, or download their apps. Both have English versions. Buying from the companies themselves gets you:

• the cheap advance fares on high-speed trains, which is where the real savings are,
• no booking fees on Italo’s own site,
• a ticket on your phone with nothing to validate for high-speed trains, and a regional ticket that validates itself at departure,
• changes and refunds you can make yourself, depending on the fare you bought.

Resellers such as Trainline also sell both companies’ tickets in one search, which is handy for comparing, but they can add a booking fee. I’d use them to compare and then buy direct.

>> Timing matters as much as place. See when to buy Italy train tickets.

Ticket windows in the station

Every sizable station has a staffed Trenitalia ticket office (biglietteria), and stations that Italo serves have an Italo desk too. In the big cities and tourist towns there’s usually someone who speaks some English, but a few Italian words for your destination, the date and “one way” (solo andata) or “return” (andata e ritorno) help. A small Italian phrasebook doesn’t hurt.

The window is the place to go when you have a question: a complicated route with changes, a problem with a booking, or not knowing which train you need. You can buy tickets for any Trenitalia journey at any Trenitalia window, not just trains leaving from that station, so if the line is short in Florence you can sort out your Rome to Naples trip there too.

The downside is the queue. At Roma Termini, Firenze Santa Maria Novella or Venezia Santa Lucia in summer, it can take longer than you have. Don’t arrive half an hour before your train planning to buy at the window.

Self-service machines

Most stations have Trenitalia self-service machines, and the bigger stations have Italo machines as well. Choose English on the first screen, and the machine walks you through the rest. They take cards and usually cash, and they sell both high-speed and regional tickets.

They’re faster than the window and good for last-minute decisions. Expect the occasional machine to be out of order, and step aside if your card is refused rather than holding up the line; try another card or go to the window.

The one thing to remember with a machine: a paper regional ticket must be validated in the separate stamping machine before you board. High-speed tickets are for a specific train and seat, so they don’t need it.

>> More on validating an Italian train ticket and buying tickets in Italian train stations.

Tobacco shops and newsstands

Many tobacco shops (look for the blue “T” sign) and newsstands in and near stations sell regional train tickets. It’s a handy fallback in a small station where the office is closed and the machine is broken. They don’t sell high-speed tickets.

Rail passes

Rail passes are bought online, not at the station. There are two for Italy:

• the Interrail Italy Pass, sold at interrail.com. The Eurail brand was folded into Interrail in September 2026, and anyone can now buy one.
• Trenitalia’s own Trenitalia Pass, for people who live outside Italy, from about €139 in 2026 for 3 to 10 journeys.

Neither is valid on Italo. With either pass you still need a seat reservation on high-speed trains, which you book online or at the station. For most trips, advance tickets bought online come out cheaper than a pass. Here’s how to work out whether a rail pass is worth it.

So where should you buy?

• High-speed trains: online or in the app, direct from Trenitalia or Italo, as early as your plans allow.
• Regional trains: the Trenitalia app, or a station machine on the day.
• Anything confusing: the ticket window, with time to spare.

all photos by Jessica Spiegel and may not be used without permission