Day Trips
Pompeii vs Herculaneum: Two Cities, One Volcano, and Why You Should Visit Both
Pompeii and Herculaneum are both within an hour of Naples by train. The same volcano buried both in 79 AD — but differently. Here's how to reach both and what to expect.
Day Trips
Genoa by Train: Italy's Most Overlooked City
Genoa is one of Italy's most overlooked cities — a UNESCO merchant quarter, extraordinary food, medieval alleyways and a harbour redesigned by Renzo Piano. Genoa is around 90 minutes from Milan by train and almost entirely free of tourists.
Milan
6 Day Trips from Milan by Train: The Best of Lombardy and Beyond
Milan is one of the best-placed cities in Italy for day trips by train. Bergamo, Lake Como, Pavia, Oltrepò Pavese, Verona and Switzerland — all without a hire car.
Day Trips
Verona by Train: Day Trip Guide from Milan, Venice and Bologna
Verona is up to an hour and fifteen minutes from Milan, Bologna, and Venice by fast train — a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre still hosting opera under the stars, medieval piazzas, Shakespeare's balcony and some of the best wine in Italy. One of the most rewarding day trips in northern Italy.
Day Trips
Lake Como by Train from Milan: Day Trip Guide and How to Get There
Lake Como is less than an hour from Milan by train — beautiful in any weather, and one of the easiest escapes from the city. This guide covers the circular Varenna–Bellagio–Como route, the villas worth seeing from the water, and whether a day trip is enough.
Day Trips
The Bernina Express from Milan: Switzerland by Train in a Day
Less than two hours from Milan, the Bernina railway crosses into Switzerland and climbs to 2,253 metres through glaciers, frozen lakes and the high Alps. A UNESCO World Heritage line, and one of the most spectacular train journeys in the world.
Day Trips
Oltrepò Pavese by Train from Milan: A Wine Region Nobody Told You About
Just outside Milan by train, Oltrepò Pavese is Italy's largest wine-producing area in Lombardy — and one of its least visited. Rolling hills, medieval castles, native grape varieties you won't find anywhere else, and wines at a fraction of Tuscany's prices.
Day Trips
Bergamo from Milan by Train: Day Trip or Airport Stopover
Less than an hour from Milan by train — or 15 minutes from Orio al Serio airport by bus — Bergamo's medieval Città Alta is one of the most rewarding day trips in northern Italy. Cobbled lanes, Venetian walls, extraordinary food, and views to the Alps.
Day Trips
Pavia Day Trip from Milan by Train (What to See + Is It Worth It?)
Just 25 minutes from Milano Centrale, Pavia is one of northern Italy's most rewarding train trips — medieval towers, a covered bridge over the Ticino, a university older than the Renaissance, and one of the finest monasteries in the country.
Florence
What to Do in Florence: Beyond the Uffizi and the Duomo
Beyond Florence’s headline sights lies a quieter, more intriguing city, where a short detour reveals hidden corners, overlooked masterpieces, and a far richer sense of place.
Day Trips
Orvieto by Train from Rome — Day Trip Guide with Funicular, Tickets and What to See
An hour from Rome by train, Orvieto rises from the Umbrian plain on a plug of volcanic rock. Here's how to get there, how the funicular works, what to see — and whether the Carta Unica is actually worth buying.
Planning
How Italy's train network works
Two operators, five train types, city transport in every major city, and ferries to the islands — the complete reference guide to Italy's train network.