Near-Venice
Trieste by Train: A Car-Free Guide to Italy's Habsburg Port City
Trieste is reachable by direct train from Venice in 2 hours, a former Habsburg free port on the Adriatic with grand literary cafés, a seafront square, and a history that swings between Vienna, Trieste and Ljubljana.
Venice
Venice by Train: A Car-Free Guide to the Floating City
Venice is the one Italian city where car-free travel isn't a choice - it's the only option. Here's how to arrive by train, get around by foot and vaporetto, and see the city beyond St Mark's Square.
Near-Venice
How to Get to Padua by Train: Giotto’s Frescoes, a Basilica and Europe’s Oldest University
Under half an hour by train from Venezia Santa Lucia, with no booking needed - here’s how to get to Padua, which ticket to buy and what to see when you arrive.
Near-Bologna
Ravenna by Train: Eight UNESCO Sites and the Finest Byzantine Mosaics in the World
Ravenna was the last capital of the Western Roman Empire, then the seat of Byzantine power in Italy for two centuries more. Eight monuments survive from that era - the finest collection of early Christian mosaics anywhere in the world. An hour from Bologna by direct train.
Near-Bologna
Ferrara by Train: A Renaissance City the Crowds Have Missed
Ferrara has a moated Renaissance castle in the centre of the city, nine kilometres of walls to cycle around, frescoes that rival those in Florence, and almost no tourist crowds. Thirty minutes from Bologna by train.
Bologna
Bologna by Train: The Complete Guide to Italy's Greatest Food City
Bologna has three nicknames - La Rossa for the terracotta rooftops, La Dotta for Europe's oldest university, La Grassa for the food. Thirty-eight minutes from Florence by train and almost entirely absent from the standard Italy itinerary. The best food city in Italy, and one of the least visited.
Near-Milan
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.
Near-Milan
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.
Near-Milan
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.
Near-Milan
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.
Near-Milan
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.