Decide on a pass or a rail ticket. If you will be visiting several cities or multiple countries, you may want to purchase a rail pass. Rail passes are good for a specific number of stops within a given time frame, whereas a point-to-point ticket is good for a single trip. If you aren't sure what your plans will be when you arrive, start with a point-to-point ticket. You can always purchase a rail pass once you are there.
Purchase your tickets and reserve your seats. Tickets may be purchased from the Italia Rail website (the U.S. portal for national railway Trenitalia) at Italiarail.com, or from the English language version of the Trenitalia site at Trenitalia.com. Check both before you purchase, as they don't always reflect the same deals and special offers. Keep in mind that purchasing a ticket or pass does not guarantee you a seat on the train. You will also need to reserve a seat if getting on a specific train is important to your itinerary. Seats can be reserved at the time you make your online purchase.
Choose the paperless eticket option. Once you have completed your purchase, a ticket will be sent to your email that you can print and take with you. When you board the train, simply give the printout to the conductor.
Choose your destination and ticket type. You will need to choose between a rail pass or a point-to-point ticket.
Purchase your ticket and reservation. Tickets and reservations may be purchased in any rail station and from most travel agents. It is a good idea to write down, in Italian, your destination address to show the agent at the time of purchase. Fluent English is not always an option, and having a written memo of your itinerary will help you and the ticket agent. If you are concerned about communications issues, you are more likely to get English language help from a travel agent than in a train station.
Present your ticket to the conductor when asked. Tickets need to be validated twice, once on purchase and once on the train. The conductor will do this for you when you present your ticket.
