Czechia to Italy by train

Imagine you want to go to Italy in two months, on Friday July 12th, around five o'clock from Pardubice (from Prague a bit earlier and from Brno a bit LATER).

The prices mentioned in the article are therefore an example of summer prices when planning two months in advance.

Last updated: May 17, 2024

Note 1: This article is not for quick seekers of the cheapest flights, but for lovers of slow travel, ideally on rails. What motivates someone to travel by train I already wrote about in the article By Train to Spain.

Note 2: Similarly, if you prefer bus transport, consider buses from RegioJet and read no further. To Italy they go:

• from Prague (at 23:00) to: Como and Milan (from 1999 CZK).
• from Brno (at 21:30) to cities: Udine, Venice, Padua, Bologna, Florence and Rome (from 1999 CZK).

Czechia to Italy by train

For planning, it's advisable not to use idos (occasionally surprises with wrong train arrival dates, which then allows creating connections that don't actually connect), but the search engine of German railways, or Austrian railways. Austrian connections can then be purchased (both tickets and seat reservations) on their e-shop.

Interrail

Global Pass valid across Europe

I pulled the information from the official pages about the Global Pass. Here are some Interrail variants:

• 283 EUR (about 7000 CZK) allowing 4 days of travel on any days within one month.
• 318 EUR (about 7900 CZK) allowing 5 days of travel on any days within one month.
• 381 EUR (9500 CZK) allowing 7 days of travel on any days within one month.

Country Pass valid only in Italy

I again pulled the information from Interrail pages. Here are some variants limited only to Italian territory:

• 165 EUR (about 4000 CZK) allowing 3 days of travel on any days within one month.
• 223 EUR (5500 CZK) allowing 5 days of travel on any days within one month.
• 292 EUR (about 7200 CZK) allowing 8 days of travel on any days within one month.

Is Interrail worth it when traveling by train to Italy? Let's have a look.

How to get from Czechia to Italy by train?

Venice by train from Pardubice

You can find a connection to Venice (the Vienna-Venice connection only runs in July), but for some reason it can't be purchased (yet?).

Note: As a taste of Venice, you can use Honza's article from birdies (primarily focused on traveling with children, but many tips are naturally of general character).

The price for the Pardubice - Vienna connection is lower than usual (I think around 700 CZK). Probably due to early purchase.

By train to Milan from Pardubice

Let's go for the sure thing then. The Pardubice-Vienna route is the same, but then we head west to Zurich. I've already taken this connection, but in the opposite direction, when we were returning from Spain to Pardubice by train. Turn off data in Switzerland (roaming isn't cancelled there).

We'll just fly through Switzerland while observing picturesque scenery, and for lunch you can already bite into cotoletta alla milanese (Italian schnitzel, if you're not too tired from the train 😀) in Milan.

The price for the journey is approximately 140 EUR (3500 CZK). If the return trip costs the same money, then we're "in it" for 7000 CZK, which works out cheaper than a 4-day Interrail (7000 CZK + seat reservations: 2*720 = 8440 CZK).

So is there a variant where Interrail purchased without discount pays off for traveling by train to Italy?

Hey, those are curious questions. To answer, let's look at connections and prices for train travel around Italy. Besides that, you'll at least learn how to move around Italy by train.

By train around Italy

Arriving in Milan opens up the entire Italian railway network for us. Including high-speed trains, which you can boldly use. After all, from Milan to Reggio Calabria (all the way down opposite Sicily) it's around 1300 km by car.

Blue lines are high-speed trains that rush through Italy at speeds up to 250 km/h. Dark green are regular intercity trains and light green are regional trains.

To get an overview of the Italian railway network, you can study the following image, which is from the pages of italiarail.com. For planning connections, use the trenitalia website directly, where tickets can also be purchased.

Shorter and medium-length transfers by train around Italy

I'm only listing 2-3 connections, but more always run. Just for an idea of times and prices.

Train Milan - Florence

Train Milan - Rome

If you were saving up to see Pompeii by train before pilots from stupid orders (part of the song lyrics "Obelisk" by Myšík), then this table will interest you:

Long transfers by train around Italy

Train Milan - Bari

Anyone who read The Story of a Well-Ordered Family wants to go to Bari, that's clear. So let's see if you can find the Subverter moored in the port.

On this journey you can use night trains for the first time (from the connections listed for train travel around Italy). You'll save on accommodation and be at your destination in the morning.

To mafia territory - Reggio Calabria & ferry to Messina

If you're in a hurry, you can take the second afternoon one and find accommodation (or catch the last ferry in Messina). A cheaper, and probably more sensible solution is to put your luggage in storage at Milan station and set off to Reggio Calabria only on the night high-speed train.

After arriving in Reggio Calabria, hop on a ferry and in 30 minutes you'll be in Messina on Sicily (price up to 4 EUR).

Is Interrail worth it for train travel to Italy?

If you don't catch any discount, probably not.

But it depends on how you approach the trip. If you want to move from Milan the same day to, say, Florence/Rome, then we're at 7000 CZK for tickets + 2*900 = 8800 CZK. The cheapest European Interrail is 7000 CZK + seat reservations. Here it will be even.

If you go all the way south, you won't make it in 4 days and will have to choose a 5-day Interrail.

On the other hand, I dare to guess that ticket prices will rather rise as summer approaches. With Interrail you fix the prices. But it can also happen that trains will be fully booked and you won't be able to buy a seat reservation.

With Interrail you also get more peace of mind - if some connection escapes you, you only lose the cost of seat reservations for the following ones, not entire tickets.

We all have differently mixed needs. Someone wants certainty, while too much certainty suffocates others. So plan in accordance with yourself.

Alright then. Now "just" to put the plan into practice. 🤪 Ciao!