Your Packed Italy Itinerary Becomes Stress-Free With This Money-Saving Ticket

If you take a flight to Italy, it makes sense that you'd want to see as much of the country as possible. While you could certainly spend a month in Rome, a great spot to start your Italian travels, you'll likely want take in more than a single city. You have several options for accomplishing this. Some of these methods, such as booking multiple flights between destinations, will require a substantial financial investment. You could rent a car, but that means contending with potentially unfamiliar rules for driving in Italy. Plus, on vacation, no one wants to deal with directions and rental agencies. Instead, keep your trip stress-free by purchasing a Eurail Pass.

Depending on which ticket you choose, you can travel several days within a set period of time for a single price. You may choose to visit different countries, or simply get a pass for Italy. Each day you travel, you can take as many trains as you want, meaning you can stop at multiple cities close to where you started on the same ticket. While buying a Eurail Pass comes with an abundance of benefits, you'll want to consider a few guidelines as well.

A Eurail Pass allows you to pay one price for a bunch of rides. You can get a Global Pass, which covers 33 countries with a set number of days of unlimited travel, or a flexipass spanning a certain number of days in a set time period, like 10 days in a two-month window. Specific tickets cover a single country, like Italy, as well. Children from ages 4-11 ride free, and travelers age 11-27 get a youth discount. Individuals over 60 receive a better rate as well. You have to fall into the age range when you activate the ticket, not when you purchase it. You can buy a Eurail Pass up to 11 months before your travel date.

A Eurail Pass can save you a lot in Italy. For example, a random search for one-way trains from Rome to Milan revealed that the cheapest ticket cost around $50. However, a second-class Eurail Pass for three travel days in a month would cost $158 for a youth ticket or $182 for an adult over 27. Instead of paying $100 to only go from Rome to Milan and back, you could stop by a few other nearby destinations for less than double the price. According to Eurail, the most popular choice is six travel days within a month priced at $272 for adults. The flexibility means you don't have to travel every day of your trip if you don't want to.

Eurail Passes only cover non-European residents; the latter need an Interrail Pass. Some trains require a seat reservation, and those can cost additional money, as do most night trains. (Booking early can help you see what you need and if it's worth the price.) High-speed trains will almost always require an additional fee, often around $15. You do have the option to pay more for a first-class Eurail Pass, which costs adults $231 for three days of travel in a month in Italy, as opposed to $185 for second class. While you won't have a car (which means not paying for expensive petrol), buses are a great way to use the transportation system in Italy once you get to each destination.

Consider downloading the Eurail Rail Planner app to help you stay you organized. Eurail advises that you should keep an eye on which stations you pass and your scheduled stop time, as they may not be announced. You'll always find signs, though. You can bring up to three luggage items on board; however, they should not exceed 33.4 inches. Make sure you validate your Eurail Pass at a train station, which can get busy on weekends. You must fill out your pass each time you travel. While some trains have food cars, not all of them do, so you may want to bring snacks in order to focus on relaxing and watching the countryside drift by.