LUNGOCOSTA TRAIN GUIDE – High-speed trains

High-speed trains: Frecce and Italo

How to choose, buy and use high-speed trains in Italy: fares, seats, stations and what to do when things go wrong.

The main guide starts with Regionale and Intercity trains, the trains that reach most of the country. This page covers the others: Trenitalia’s Frecce and Italo trains, which link the major cities quickly. It sets out the official rules of the two companies, with sources at the end of each chapter, and what is worth knowing in practice, from choosing your train to standing on the platform. It is reviewed at every timetable change, in June and December.

How to use this page. Read it before you buy: the fare, how far ahead you book and the company decide how much you can change your journey. At the station and on board, you need the sections on the platform, your seat and what to do if something goes wrong. If you are doing LungoCosta 0, you only need this page to reach or leave a major city on a high-speed train: along the coast you travel by Regionale.

BEFORE YOU GO


At a glance
Frecce or Italo
Classes and service levels
Fares and buying

DURING YOUR JOURNEY


At the station
On board
If something goes wrong
Luggage, bikes, animals

Rights, passes and tools · Dedicated pages


Children and families
Disability and reduced mobility
Passes and abroad
Checklist
Frequently asked questions
← A guide to the Italian railway system

How They Work, at a Glance

  • You buy a seat on a specific train, not a journey between two stations: the coach and seat are printed on your ticket. ↓
  • The price changes with the date, how far ahead you buy and demand, for every fare. ↓
  • The fare decides how much you can change: Base, the most expensive, can be changed even up to an hour after departure; Super Economy never. ↓
  • The Frecce and Italo are two different companies: a ticket from one is not valid on the other’s trains, and neither is responsible for a connection with the other. ↓
  • You do not validate the ticket: you show the QR code on your phone, at some large stations already at the gates before the platform. ↓
  • A Freccia and a Regionale sold as a single booking cover your journey, not the connection: the Regionale does not wait, but if you miss it because the Freccia was late, you take the next available train to your destination at no extra cost. With tickets bought separately rather than as a single booking, you do not. ↓
  • If the train is cancelled or more than an hour late, you can get a refund, whatever your fare. ↓
  • With Interrail, the Frecce require a paid reservation; Italo is not included. ↓

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Frecce or Italo: how to choose

  • Frecce, run by Trenitalia: Frecciarossa (FR), Frecciargento (FA) and Frecciabianca (FB).
  • Italo, run by a different company, with its own website, app, fares and rules.

The high-speed network is concentrated mainly on the Turin–Milan–Bologna–Florence–Rome–Naples axis, with extensions to Brescia and Salerno. From there, many high-speed trains continue on the conventional network to Venice, Trieste, Bari, Reggio Calabria and other cities.

FrecceItalo
Where they gothe high-speed axis and many cities on the conventional networkthe high-speed axis and several routes to the north-east, Puglia and Calabria
Where to buyTrenitalia website and app, ticket offices, ticket machinesItalo website and app, Italo ticket offices and ticket machines
With an Interrail passvalid, with a paid reservationnot valid
Connection with a Regionalecan be bought as a single bookingseparate tickets
If something goes wrongTrenitalia staff and customer serviceItalo staff and customer service

On the same route, compare the times and prices of both: Italo often costs less, while the Frecce reach more cities. If you have a pass, or if your journey continues on a Regionale, the Frecce are simpler: everything in a single booking.

Journey times, on the fastest trains: Turin–Milan about 1 hour, Milan–Bologna about 1 hour, Bologna–Florence about 40 minutes, Florence–Rome about 1 hour 30, Rome–Naples about 1 hour 10, Milan–Rome about 3 hours, Milan–Venice about 2 hours 30. Many trains make more stops and take longer.

They usually leave from the same stations as other trains; some cities also have stations built for high-speed services, such as Reggio Emilia AV or Napoli Afragola: always check the station printed on your ticket. → 05

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Official sources for this chapter

Classes and Service Levels

On high-speed trains you choose not only the train but also where you sit. Trenitalia calls these choices service levels, and Italo calls them ambiences. From the simplest to the most comfortable, the space, the seats and the on-board services change.

If you think in terms of classes. Service levels do not correspond exactly to first and second class: the space between seats and the services also change. In my experience, as a rough guide:

  • Frecciarossa: Standard is a second class; Premium a first; Business an upper first; Executive the highest level.
  • Italo: Smart is a second class; Prima Business a first; Club Executive an upper first.

It is generally agreed that, class for class, comfort is a little higher on the Frecce, while Italo often costs less.

On Intercity trains, by contrast, first and second class are the familiar ones, as in the rest of Europe. → 01

TrainService levelIn practice
FrecciarossaStandardfour seats per row, power and USB sockets; a Silence Area on some trains
FrecciarossaPremiumsame layout, leather seats and a welcome service with a snack and a drink
FrecciarossaBusinesswider seats and a welcome service; a Silence Area and private four-seat lounges (salottini)
FrecciarossaExecutivea few single seats, at-seat dining, FRECCIALounge waiting rooms
Frecciargento, Frecciabiancasecond and first classin first class, wider seats, three per row
ItaloSmartthe basic level, with power sockets and vending machines
ItaloPrima Businesswider seats, at-seat welcome service, fast-track boarding
ItaloClub Executivea few seats, at-seat service, Italo lounges

The name does not guarantee quiet: even in the Silence Area, families, phone calls and crowding depend on the train that day.

The service level tells you where you sit and which services you get, not how flexible your ticket is: that depends on the fare. For almost every journey, Standard or Smart is enough. → 01

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Official sources for this chapter

Fares and Buying

Fares

On the Frecce each service level has its own prices, and within each level there are three fares. The price of all three is dynamic: it changes with the date, how far ahead you buy and demand.

  • Base: the most expensive and the most flexible. You can change it before departure and, once, up to an hour after departure, for €8; it can be refunded with a deduction.
  • Economy: a discount with limited seats; you can change it once, before departure, by paying the difference; it cannot be refunded.
  • Super Economy: the biggest discount, with limited seats; it cannot be changed, and it cannot be refunded if you cancel.

Discounted seats are allocated to each service level separately: the same train can cost much less on a quiet weekday or when you buy well ahead. So a Business seat on an Economy or Super Economy fare can cost less than a Standard seat on a Base fare: before you buy, compare the service levels, not just the times. The exception is Executive, which is sold only at the Base fare.

Italo has its own fares:

  • Low Cost: the cheapest. You can change the date and time up to 72 hours before departure, by paying 60% of the ticket price plus any fare difference.
  • Economy: unlimited changes of date and time up to 3 minutes before departure, by paying 20% plus the difference; if you cancel, you get a 40% refund.
  • Flex: changes of date, time and name as often as you like up to 3 minutes before departure (name changes are charged); if you cancel, you get an 80% refund. If you miss the train, you have one hour of “Extra Tempo” (extra time) to find a seat on the next available train, subject to availability.

On some Italo offers you can add, for a fee, the Opzione Rimborso (refund option: 80% up to 72 hours before departure) and Extra Tempo (€10 plus any fare difference). With Parti Ora (“leave now”), for €15, on the day of travel you can take an earlier train, up to 2 hours before the time you booked, on some trains and subject to availability.

If the train comes straight after a flight or another part of the journey that may be delayed, a flexible fare can be worth the difference. → 17

When to buy

Tickets for the Frecce go on sale many months ahead: in 2026, tickets up to December were already on sale at the end of March. Discounted fares have limited seats and can sell out; at busy times, such as summer, long weekends and holidays, buy as soon as your journey is decided.

If the train shows as sold out or not available

On the Frecce and Italo the ticket includes a seat: if there are no seats left to sell, the train can really be sold out. “Not available”, however, can also mean that sales have not opened yet or that the timetable is being updated. If the date is far ahead, check again before deciding there are no seats.

Where to buy

From the website or app of the company that runs the train, at a ticket office or at a ticket machine. You do not need to plan your journey around the app: you can also buy from the company’s website in your browser. On Trenitalia you can buy without an account; always keep the email and the ticket code. Resellers sell valid tickets, but changes and refunds go through them. → 02

Train and Regionale, train and bus, as a single booking

Trenitalia sells a Freccia and a Regionale in the same booking. The Regionale does not wait for a late Freccia, but if you miss it, you can take the next available train to your destination at no extra cost. Trenitalia and Italo also sell train + bus tickets to places without a station, such as Trenitalia’s FrecciaLink, for example to Matera, and the Itabus buses connecting with Italo, for example to Sorrento or Alberobello: the bus is included in the same booking and is timed to connect with the train. That is what it is for.

Changing the name on the ticket

On the Frecce you can change the name for free, as often as you like, until departure: online, at a ticket office, at a travel agency, through the call centre or at a FrecciaDesk. This is not possible for offers already tied to a person, such as CartaFRECCIA Young and Senior or season tickets. On Italo the name can be changed only on the Flex fare, for a fee, up to 3 minutes before departure.

Advice. It is not a written rule, but I recommend it: make any change, whether of time, name or a refund, 5–10 minutes before the real deadline, not at the last moment.

Loyalty programmes

Trenitalia has a free programme, CartaFRECCIA, which is also open to people who do not live in Italy, with offers for under-30s and over-60s. Italo has its own offers for people aged 14 to 29 and over 60. The conditions change often: check them on the website before relying on them.

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Official sources for this chapter

At the Station

  • The high-speed train appears on the departure board like any other, with its category, number and final destination. → 07
  • For delays and platforms, check the station departure board and the company’s own channel: for the Frecce, also ViaggiaTreno; for Italo, the “Italo in viaggio” page on the Italo website. → 07, 16
  • At some large stations, access to the Frecce and Italo platforms is through gates where you show your ticket. In my experience it is worth getting there a few minutes early, not at the last moment: there may be a queue, and the reader may struggle to scan the code. Have the QR code already open on your phone, with the brightness turned up.
  • Your ticket shows your coach and seat. The coach number is on the side of the train. At the great majority of stations served by high-speed trains, the screens hanging above the platform show, a few minutes before arrival (usually about 5), the number of the coach that will stop at that point. Stand under the one for your coach: the stop is short. If you board through the wrong door, walk through the train to your seat.
  • Lounges: with an Executive or Business Salottino ticket on the Frecce, or Club Executive on Italo, you can use the two companies’ lounges. With another first-class or Business ticket on the Frecce, access can be bought at some large stations.

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Official sources for this chapter

On Board

  • You do not validate the ticket: you show it on your phone, with the booking code (PNR) or the QR code. It is issued in your name: the conductor rarely asks for ID, but can, so keep it to hand.
  • If your phone is flat or has no signal: on the Frecce the conductor has the passenger list on their device, so the PNR code is enough, at most with an identity document. Keep the PNR written down or a printed copy of your tickets; alternatively, save the PDF and a screenshot of the QR code. On Italo, keep the ticket code to hand in any case.
  • Your seat: if someone is sitting in it, show your ticket calmly; if in doubt, call the staff. The seat map does not guarantee the direction of travel, which can change along the way, nor which side the sea is on. → 02
  • Services: free Wi-Fi and at-seat power sockets on both the Frecce and Italo. The Frecce usually have a bar coach; Italo has vending machines. At the higher service levels, service comes to your seat. Wi-Fi can drop in tunnels: if you need to work, do not rely on it completely.

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Official sources for this chapter

If something goes wrong

If you miss your train or connection

  • Delay on the first train, two trains sold as a single through ticket by the same operator: the second train won’t wait, but you’re entitled to continue on the first available train to your destination, at no extra cost. Speak to on-board staff. → 13
  • Separate tickets, even from the same operator: these are independent journeys; if you miss the second train, the fare of the second ticket applies.
  • Frecce and Italo on the same trip: neither operator is responsible for a connection with the other. Leave a generous margin.
  • You arrive late: with a Base fare you can still change up to an hour after departure, paying €8; with Economy and Super Economy the ticket is lost. On Italo, with Flex or Extra Tempo you have an hour to find a seat on the first available train, subject to availability; with other fares the ticket is lost.

Delays, refunds, compensation

If your train is cancelled, or departs or arrives more than 60 minutes late, and you choose not to travel, you’re entitled to a full refund with any fare, including Super Economy or Low Cost. If you do travel and arrive late, compensation is 25% of the ticket price for a delay of 60–119 minutes and 50% for 120 minutes or more — the same percentages as in chapter 14 — but without the €16/€8 minimum ticket price that applies only to Regionale trains: on Frecce and Italo, compensation is due whatever the ticket price. On Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca and Intercity, Trenitalia also gives a 25% bonus for delays as short as 30 minutes — as a voucher for a future Trenitalia ticket, valid 12 months, not a cash refund. → 14

Strikes

Frecce and Italo each publish their own list of guaranteed trains: look up your train number in your operator’s list. → 13

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Official sources for this chapter

Luggage, Bikes, Animals

Luggage

  • Frecce: carry luggage that fits in the dedicated spaces, above the seats and at the end of the coach, without blocking aisles and doors or disturbing other passengers.
  • Italo: in Smart ambience, luggage over 75 × 53 × 30 cm is not allowed.

On full trains, overhead racks and end-of-coach spaces fill up fast: board as soon as you can and stow your case straight away. → 08

Bikes

On Frecce you carry one bike free of charge, folding and either closed in a bag or dismantled, up to 80 × 110 × 45 cm, in the luggage spaces; an assembled bike is not allowed. On Italo only folding bikes are allowed. → 11

Animals

  • Frecce: small dogs, cats and other small animals travel free in a carrier, up to 70 × 30 × 50 cm, one per passenger. A dog of any size outside a carrier travels with a ticket costing €5 (€1 on Saturdays), on a lead and muzzled: add it when you buy your ticket with the “Travel with your dog” service. It’s allowed in Standard, Business and Executive, and in first and second class on Frecciargento and Frecciabianca; not in Premium, the quiet area, the meeting area or the compartments. Bring the dog’s registration certificate and health record; if you’re arriving from abroad, its pet passport.
  • Italo: dogs up to 5 kg, cats and other small animals travel free in a carrier, one per passenger. A larger dog travels without a carrier, on a lead and muzzled (the muzzle is compulsory at least when boarding and alighting), in the dedicated seat next to you: add it when you buy your ticket with the “Dog” option, at a variable price, in Smart and Prima Business ambience, or through Pronto Italo (060708) or Italo Assistenza up to two hours before departure. It can’t be added to tickets bought with carnet coupons. → 12

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Official sources for this chapter

Children and Families

On fast trains the rules aren’t the same as on Regionale trains:

  • Frecce: children under 4 travel free with no seat, or at half price with a seat; from 4 up to their 15th birthday, half price on the Base fare.
  • Italo: under 3 travel free, with no ticket and no seat of their own; an adult travelling with more than one young child pays for a seat for each additional child.

Both operators have family offers — Trenitalia’s FrecciaFAMILY or Bimbi Gratis (“free kids”), and Italo Famiglia — which can work out better for older children than the standard reduction: compare them when you buy. → 03

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Official sources for this chapter

Disability and Reduced Mobility

  • Frecce: assistance is booked through RFI’s Sala Blu (assistance office), as for other trains. → 09
  • Italo: book through Pronto Italo, 060708, every day from 7am to 11pm, at least 36 hours before departure. Wheelchair spaces are in coach 8 on AGV trains and coach 3 on EVO trains, next to an accessible toilet; the wheelchair can measure up to 700 × 1200 × 1090 mm and weigh up to 300 kg fully loaded. RFI staff will meet you at the agreed meeting point at least 30 minutes before departure.

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Official sources for this chapter

Passes and Abroad

  • Interrail: valid on Frecce trains with a compulsory paid reservation; not valid on Italo, where you need an Italo ticket. Boarding without a reservation or a valid ticket counts as travelling without one: you risk paying the full fare plus a penalty, or being asked to get off at the next stop — see the FAQ. → 15 · → FAQ
  • Crossing the border: with Trenitalia France, the Frecciarossa connects Milan with Lyon, Marseille and Paris. Eurocity trains run to Switzerland, Austria and Germany, with their own conditions.

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Official sources for this chapter

Checklist

Before you buy

  • ☐ Compare Frecce and Italo on the same route: timetable, price, service level. ↑
  • ☐ Choose your fare thinking about how much you might need to change: after a flight, a flexible fare is safer. ↑
  • ☐ If your journey continues on a Regionale train, buy everything as a single Trenitalia through ticket. ↑
  • ☐ With Interrail, book your seat on the Frecce; on Italo you need a ticket. ↑
  • ☐ Dog, bike, children, assistance: add or book them when you buy. ↑

On the day of travel

  • ☐ QR code already open on your phone, brightness turned up; PNR noted down or a printed copy of your tickets, ID to hand. ↑
  • ☐ At the gates a few minutes early. ↑
  • ☐ On the platform, under the monitor showing your coach number. ↑
  • ☐ Any change or refund, 5–10 minutes before the deadline. ↑

If something goes wrong

  • ☐ Missed a train due to a delay on the previous one, with a single through ticket: speak to on-board staff so you’re rebooked on the first available train to your destination, at no extra cost. ↑
  • ☐ Train cancelled or more than an hour late, and you don’t travel: you’re entitled to a full refund, with any fare. ↑
  • ☐ Strike: look up your train number in your operator’s list of guaranteed trains. ↑
  • ☐ Keep tickets and receipts for refunds and compensation. → 14

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FAQ

Can I board an earlier or later Freccia with the same ticket?
No: boarding a different train without changing your ticket first is irregular, on Frecce as on Italo. Change it first: with Base you can do this up to an hour after departure, paying €8; with Economy only before departure; with Super Economy it's not possible. On Italo, with Parti Ora (€15) you can bring your journey forward the same day, up to 2 hours earlier, on some trains; otherwise the usual fare rules apply. ↑
The train isn't full: can I sit somewhere else?
Your seat is the one printed on your ticket, and an empty seat may be sold at a later stop. If you want to change, ask the train manager: they can point you to free seats through to your destination, in the same service level. If you sit elsewhere without asking, when the passenger with that seat boards you'll need to get up and go back to yours.
I have an Interrail pass: can I board a Freccia without a reservation?
No: on the Frecce, a reservation is compulsory even with a pass, and adding the train in Rail Planner isn't enough. Without a reservation, the pass isn't valid for that train: on board you may be charged the full fare plus a penalty, or asked to get off at the next stop. Book before you board. → 15
Can I buy the ticket on board?
Don't count on it. If you board without a ticket you need to find the conductor straight away and pay a surcharge. Buy beforehand, even from the app while you're waiting at the station.
Does my Freccia ticket also work on a Regionale train on the same route?
No: it's a seat on one specific train, and for the Regionale you need a Regionale ticket. If your train is cancelled or badly delayed, ask staff how to continue. → 13
Can I get off partway through and continue later with the same ticket?
No: Frecce and Italo tickets are valid for the specific train shown on them. If you want to stop for a few hours in a city along the way, buy the two legs separately.
How early should I be at the station?
You don't need to arrive as if for a flight, but in large stations allow time to find your platform and get through any gates. As a practical margin, arriving around 15 minutes early avoids having to run; if you don't know the station or have a lot of luggage, allow more time.

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