A Guide to Interrail Italy in 10 days
/If you're looking to explore a new country, in a limited amount of time and on a budget, then this is the trip for you! For years, Italy was at the top of my bucket list but I couldn't decide which part I wanted to go to first. Then I discovered Interrail which enabled me to travel to Milan, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Naples and Sorrento all within ten days.
I did this trip in May 2015 and to be honest, I think it was the best time to travel. It wasn’t that busy and the weather was perfect - we did have 35 degrees this day in Venice though which was unexpected!
What is Interrail?
If you’re unfamiliar with Interrail then here is a quick breakdown. The Interrail Pass is a paper train ticket that allows you to travel on almost all trains in Europe. With it, you get access to 40 railway and ferry companies in 33 countries. They offer different passes whether you want to travel to many countries in one trip or discover a whole country in depth. I chose the 5 days within 1-month pass which enabled me to travel to 6 cities in Italy. I also took an extra (very rickety) train from Naples to Sorrento on the last day of my trip which was at an extra cost.
You can find out about all the different passes and other Interrail information at www.interrail.eu. I bought my Interrail pass for £134 and pre-booked the trains online a week before travelling. Italy's train network is operated by www.trenitalia.com. You can check the timings for Italian trains in the Interrail timetable and Trenitalia timetable. You can also book trains through the Rail Planner App - you'll get an e-ticket on your phone that doesn't require printing.
Just make sure to keep your Interrail pass safe! Most train ticket collectors will check them on your journeys. There is also a section to fill out on your pass for every train that you take.
These are the train routes all across Italy. The route that I will explain is just an example. There are so many ways to explore this beautiful country.
(Above Interrail train map is taken from www.interrail.eu.)
Our route through Italy
Travelling by train to discover a new country, in my opinion, is ultimately the best way. You get to pass through the most gorgeous countryside and landscapes that you wouldn’t see by flying or by car. In Italy especially - travelling through Verona, Tuscany and seeing Mt. Vesuvius in the distance was breathtaking.
We flew from London to Milan which was our first stop. We arrived in Milan at around 10am and stayed for one night. We stayed in an Airbnb apartment just a 20-minute walk away from the Duomo di Milano. The apartment was situated on the Naviglio Grange Canal which boasts many restaurants and cute picnic grassy areas. The perfect place to relax with friends on a summers evening.
The Duomo di Milano is undoubtedly the most famous tourist attraction in Milan. We bought the Duomo Pass Stairs for € 13 each which gave us access to the Cathedral, Crypt of St. Charles, Archaeological Area, Duomo Museum, Church of San Gottardo, Exhibitions and the rooftops by taking the stairs. There is also an option to take the lifts which is slightly more expensive.
The view from the rooftop was amazing. As we had only just arrived, it was a great way to look over the city and take it all in.
We stayed around the Duomo area for the rest of the day. There is a beautiful 19th-century shopping centre right next to the Duomo called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is definitely worth a visit. It’s Italy’s oldest shopping centre and has incredible glass architecture.
Here’s me drinking a strawberry slushie pretending I can afford the contents of the surrounding shops…
For dinner, we found a family-owned, traditional Italian restaurant down a quiet side street. I ordered a Margherita pizza and had a glass of red wine. The perfect end to the day!
Milan to Venice
Day 2 in Milan and we woke up looking over the canal, mirroring the beautiful blue skies. After a breakfast stop in a cafe down the road from the Airbnb, it was time to head to the first train station. We travelled from Milano Centrale Railway Station to Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia which took two and half hours. This route goes through Verona which I didn’t realise at the time! It would be a perfect extra stop as it’s halfway between Milan and Venice… next time!
We arrived in Venice late afternoon. We checked into our b&b which was just outside the main island of Venice. Luckily there was a bus stop right outside the accommodation which took us onto the island in 10 minutes. Yes, Venice is an island! Ponte della Libertà (Liberty Bridge) is a road bridge connecting the historical centre (islands) of the city of Venice to the mainland part of Venice.
Just wowwwwww! Venice is stunning. I love everything about the city. From the quirky shops selling Limoncello and Venetian masks. To the boats and Gondolas being the only form of transport - no cars!
We quickly learned that getting lost in Venice is the fun part. Every street is very similar and most of them are dead ends - leading only to the canals.
As the sun started to set, we made our way along the main part of the Grand Canal. We found a restaurant called Bar Ristorante Bucintoro which was right on the water - Gnocchi was on the menu and it was delicious!
We could have stayed there for hours just watching the sunset and the boats wizz past. Plus huge cruise ships sailed past too!
Day 2 in Venice consisted of getting lost once more, plus multiple ice creams and pizza slices were consumed. There was still one thing we hadn’t done, and that was a Gondola ride! We bought tickets for a shared boat (6 people) for € 27 each for an hour.
The whole experience is wonderful! You board the Gondola in quite a busy part of the Grand Canal but then you’re taken in between the quiet streets. The Gondolier made one part of the experience extra special. We were going down a very quiet canal when the Gondolier started whistling and singing. It was magical. You could hear a pin drop. At that moment - it was everything I imagined Venice to be.
Going in between the streets and under the small bridges.
I will never forget it.
After a long day of walking around Venice (19,000 steps to be precise!) It was time to find pasta, wine and somewhere to chill for the rest of the evening. We headed back to the b&b around 10pm by shuttle bus, ready to prepare for an early start to take the train to Pisa!
I wish we had longer to explore Venice. You definitely need 3/4 full days to see everything the city has to offer. Next time I’d like to visit Murano, Burano and Torcello which are other Venetian islands, just a ferry ride away from the main island.
Venice to Pisa
We took the train from Venice Mestre Station to Pisa Centrale Station, via Florence (Firenze S. M. Novella) where we had to change trains. The journey took around 3 hours. We got ‘slightly’ lost looking for our hotel from the train station - a half an hour walk took over an hour. When we arrived at the station, it was surprisingly quiet with no taxis waiting which was unexpected. Luckily we had maps on our phones which took us in the right direction, at least.
This is the Rosso di Sera Relais - Tuscany hotel. It was a glorious welcome. We were given a huge room with a private entrance to the courtyard and jacuzzi. Definitely one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed in plus it was only a 15-minute walk from the Leaning Tower.
It was around 5pm by the time we’d settled into the hotel. We walked to the Leaning Tower area for dinner and drinks. From the first impression, Pisa is a small, peaceful city and not very populated. Even though it’s a famous tourist attraction, it was wonderful to experience Pisa and not feel too claustrophobic.
After a little explore and dinner, we walked to the River Arno and ate our ice-creams. This is such a beautiful spot and we felt we had the whole place to ourselves.
Ugh! I’m still dreaming about this moment right here…
Day 2 in Pisa, and we headed back to Leaning Tower area and of course, we had to see the city from the highest point… it was time to climb the tower! The weather hadn’t been great during the night and all morning we were dodging the heavy showers but that wasn’t going to stop us.
It really does lean… I don’t know what I was expecting but it was a surreal experience climbing up 800-year-old, very uneven steps! The tower is also hollow, so you can see all the way to the top through the middle.
Did you even go to Pisa, if you didn’t get a photo leaning against the tower?
You certainly get a sweat on climbing the 297 steps, but it’s worth it for the view from the top. Even though we had stormy weather, we could still see for miles - including the mountains in the distance.
We stayed at the top for over an hour before coming back down to find a restaurant serving the worlds largest Calzone! Yet another super yummy dinner!
Pisa to Florence
We picked up our bags from the hotel and headed back to Pisa Centrale Station. We took the same train back to Florence which took exactly 1 hour. It was nice to have such a short travel day, plus our hostel was only a 10-minute walk away from the station. We stayed at PLUS Florence which was awesome. It has two swimming pools, a games room, a bar and a rooftop - not your average hostel! It was around 6pm by the time we got to our room so instead of wandering out, we decided to make use of all the facilities for the rest of the evening.
We woke up early the next morning ready to explore this beautiful city. We were lucky enough to have a view of The Florence Cathedral from our room. The buildings in the city are all relatively the same height, so the Cathedral still stands tall and iconic.
Like all the cities we had visited so far, Florence is very accessible on foot. We first explored the streets surrounding the Cathedral, which then led us into a Magnum shop - where we made our own ice-creams! They were delicious but probably the most expensive ice cream I’ve ever had. We were in Italy, so why not?
We then walked to the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) which was once famous for having many shops - butchers, farmers and tanners. The current tenants are now jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. When you walk over it, it doesn’t feel like a bridge at all!
From the Old Bridge, we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo which is on a hill on the south bank of the Arno River and offers a stunning view of the city. It took around 25 minutes to walk up so we rewarded ourselves with another strawberry slushie. Seriously, they’re underrated!
We stayed on the hill for over an hour, just absorbing the natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside.
On the way back down the hill, we stopped off at the Giardino Delle Rose which is home to over 200 varieties of roses. The garden was gorgeous - wedding venue goals! We slowly headed back to the PLUS hostel, picked up our bags and it was time to go to Rome!
Florence to Rome
The journey from Firenze S. M. Novella to Rome Termini station only took an hour and a half. The train takes you through Italy’s scenic Lazio and Tuscany regions. We arrived in the early evening and it was busy! It was ten times busier than the other cities we had visited so far. We went for a little explore and it wasn’t long before we found some more Gnocchi for dinner.
We weren’t expecting to see so many of the sights straight away. Just like in New York - every road, fountain and building in Rome has a history which somehow makes it a tourist attraction. The sun was still up and we had already come across the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps and Castel Sant’Angelo.
Oh and Vespa’s. Hundreds of Vespa’s!
Day 2 in Rome started with a yummy breakfast at our hotel. We then headed out into the city - it was already 30 degrees at 11am, ouchie! After walking many miles in the past week, we decided to take the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour to see more of the city - just to save our legs a little bit.
Seeing the city from an open-top bus was actually really great. What I loved the most about the city so far, were the rows of different coloured houses with window shutters. Also the quaint coffee shops on every street corner. Just being in the city, you can feel the history and the authenticity. There are ruins everywhere with bright houses built in between. It’s just amazing to think how much chaos it has endured over the years, and somehow it’s found a way to build itself back up again.
We first got off the bus at the Colosseum and Roman Forum. This was a huge bucket list tick for me!
When we arrived at the Colosseum, there were people everywhere! It was so busy to the point that it was hard to find the entrance and know where the queues started. We were approached a few times by ‘tour guides’ stating that it would take over 3 hours to get inside. They were trying to sell their tour package at a ridiculous rate - we didn’t know what was right and wrong at this point. I had a bad feeling that we were about to get ripped off, so we joined the general admission queue anyway… and waited for less than 30 minutes! Also, we only paid € 16 each which was HALF of what we were told outside.
If you’re planning on visiting the Colosseum, then I would advise booking tickets online to be on the safe side. The official website is www.coopculture.it/en/.
Overall, The Colosseum and Roman Forum were incredible. All I kept thinking about was the history and how much they’ve both endured over the years.
After spending most of the day there, we then hopped back on the bus to Vatican City. Again, it was wonderful to see such a famous place with our own eyes.
The heat definitely had got to us by this point. It reached 38 degrees at The Vatican.
After another long day of exploring, we went back to the hotel to freshen up.
We decided to go back to the Colosseum to see it at night. It was so much quieter than in the morning. We found a restaurant just outside called La Biga Ristoracaffe. I tried my first ever Aperol Spritz - when in Rome! Another perfect ending to the day.
The next morning we went back to the Trevi Fountain. Unfortunately, it was under repair so there was a huge bridge over it. It was still great to see, but I would love to see it without the construction. We wandered for a couple of hours then it was time to head to our final destination… Naples!
Rome to Naples
The journey from Rome Termini to Stazione di Napoli Centrale took around an hour and 15 minutes. Another amazing scenic route with Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. We arrived early afternoon and checked into the UNA hotel, which was across the road from the train station. It is also very close to the port. I had researched before that this area wasn’t exactly the safest but we liked how close we were to the station. We headed out just to check the surroundings. This was the first time I didn’t take out my camera or phone, as the research taught me that Naples has a high number of pickpockets. To be honest I didn’t feel safe at all, even though it was in the middle of the day. I felt all the eyes were on us which made us feel uneasy. We ended up walking down a street next to our hotel which ended up at the port. This road was terrifying. People kept approaching us - they were selling all kinds of stolen items. Ipads, phones, cameras etc. We managed to get past them and walked along the water for a while. It was a ghost town, so we decided to head back to the hotel and find a restaurant near by.
Luckily there was a row of restaurants in between our hotel and the train station which looked very safe and welcoming. This was another huge bucket list moment - eating pizza in Napoli, which is where it originates from. This was one of the best meals of my life.
We spent some time researching places that we could visit as we had a full two days left. We didn’t want our earlier experience to put us off.
After dinner, I wanted to find the famous L'antica Pizzeria Da Michele. It’s known for serving the best pizza in the world, plus it’s featured in my favourite film Eat Pray Love. Luckily it was only a 5-minute walk from our hotel but the queue was huge - even on a random Monday night!
Naples to Sorrento
For our second day in Naples, we decided to take the train from the Piazza Garibaldi station to Sorrento. This train only cost a couple of Euros - bargain! Plus the view was amazing. The very rickety train went all along the beautiful coastline and past Pompeii. Another destination you can add to this trip!
This was the view before we arrived at Sorrento Station. Stunning.
I didn’t realise how beautiful this part of Italy was. Sorrento is situated just north of the Amalfi Coast which is known for its turquoise waters and colourful houses on the hillside. It did not disappoint.
We spent the rest of the day on the beach, snorkelling with fish, sunbathing, eating pizza and drinking beer. This day was by far the best day we had! I’m already dying to go back and explore more of the Amalfi Coast.
Our final day in Naples and in Italy (insert sad face!) We wanted to see the city from its highest point. No, we didn’t climb Mt. Vesuvius, although we wanted to - we headed for the Castel Sant’Elmo instead. It took us around 30 minutes to walk through the streets to get to the Augusteo Station which is part of the Funicolare Centrale. Opened in 1928, the Central Funicular is one of the most used funicular railways in the world. It is one of four funicular lines or cable railways in Naples. Like the other three, it serves neighbourhoods on hills that are too steep for conventional transportation. The Funicolare Centrale has two counterbalanced trains, each with a capacity of 450 passengers, and it carries 28,000 riders on a typical workday. A single fare ride is € 1.10.
In about five minutes, we reached the Funicolare Centrale's upper station at the Piazza Fuga. It then took a further 10 minutes to walk to the Castel Sant’Elmo, which was very well signposted.
The entrance fee is € 18 - worth it for the view! I didn’t realise how densely populated the city was - quite scary really, but we felt safe from the top.
Castel Sant'Elmo is a medieval fortress - first opened in 1329. It’s famous for its star-shaped fortification and 360-degree views of Naples. Definitely worth a visit! There were only a handful of people there with us - awesome place to chill out and take lots of photos!
After staying at the Castel Sant’Elmo for a couple of hours, we headed back down the hillside on the Funicolare Centrale. From the station, within 4/5 minutes we came across the Piazza del Plebiscito and then onto the Castle Dell’Ovo - pictured here. Which is off Via Partenope.
