Exploring Italy With a 5-Day-a-Month Global Interrail Train Pass

Italy is a beautiful country to explore, but is it a good place to travel using an Interrail pass? We had quite the epic adventure visiting Italy with our dog using only trains and other public transport while in situ. This was our last chance to get some value out of a pass, as we intend to travel only in the cheaper east of Europe for short journeys for the rest of the year. This post highlights the fun had exploring Italy using Interrail and whether the pass was good value.

Choosing a route through Italy was great fun, as there are lots of options for beautiful places to see. One thing is you will never see it all in one trip; thus, choose wisely and see it as fast or slow as you like. A bonus for the duration of our trip was that Trenitalia, the main train company in the country, was trialling free travel for dogs. This meant that interrailing here becomes much cheaper than when they charge for pets.

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What is a 5-Day-in-a-Month Global Interrail Pass?

With this global pass, you can travel on as many trains as you like on each of your 5 travel days. As a result, this option is perfect for visiting roughly 5 destinations, more if you hop on and off on your travel days. Travellers can use the 5 travel days any time within 1 month of your start date. I like to spread my journeys out to allow more time in each destination; however, these can be ideal for shorter Interrail holidays.

You can purchase passes and individual tickets on Trainline. Trainline is also great for cheap fares and easy to use, in my experience.

Other Interrail Pass Options

You can also purchase options from a 4-day to a 7-day pass that lasts a month. For longer trips, there are options like 10-15 days in 2 months, or you can opt for a set amount of days. You can find all options on their website. Interrail is valid for European residents. If you live outside of Europe, you need to purchase the Eurail pass instead.

You can order either a digital pass or a paper pass depending on your preference. The Interrail Facebook group has many debates about which is best. The digital, however, is pretty instant, with no waiting around for tickets to be posted; this is fantastic for short-notice adventures.

Trenitalia Reservations

For high-speed trains in Italy, you are required to make a seat reservation. This is a pretty straightforward affair at any railway station. Reservations cost a £10 flat fee per high-speed train. We had the added complication of travelling with a dog; thus, the ticket office had to ensure that our particular seats were suitable for travelling with a dog. You can also book reservations through the Interrail app.

My Interrail Route in Italy

My route started in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and ended in Trieste; thus, it was nearly circular. We visited Venice, Bologna, Rome, Pompeii & Trieste.

Ljubljana to Venice

The Interrail train journey from Slovenia to Italy didn’t require reservations, so I hopped aboard and found a seat. There are few trains that cover this route; thus, we took the 14:20 train from Ljubljana. There was supposed to be a change in Trieste, then in Venice. However, a breakdown put our train 1.5 hours late into Trieste, meaning we would miss the last connection to Bologna Centrale. This was our only delay in Italy, fortunately. To counteract this, we stopped for the night near the Venezia Mestre railway station.

Night in Venice

The cheap room we rented near the railway station was functional and pet-friendly. Our first night in Italy deserved some nice Italian food, so we found a lovely Italian restaurant. The highlight of the meal was a seafood pasta dish and some Moretti beer.

Venice to Bologna Train

The train from Venezia Mestre to Bologna Centrale is a pretty straightforward journey. There were lots of options to choose from, and most didn’t require an Interrail reservation.

A Week in Bologna

Bologna is a beautiful city to visit because there are lots of interesting things to see and do. Highlights of our visit were the stunning architecture throughout the city, including the countless porticoes that Bologna is famous for. The pilgrimage walk to San Luca Basilica was pretty epic, too. This church overlooks the city and the nearby countryside. The city is famous for its food, and there were lots of pleasant restaurants to try some.

Bologna to Rome

The next step of this Interrail adventure was travelling on a high-speed train from Bologna to Rome. This required an additional reservation, which we purchased for £10 per person on the day at the Bologna Centrale railway station. Booking at the ticket office included finding a suitable carriage to travel with the dog. The train was quick, and the journey ran smoothly. Once in Rome, we hopped onto a regional train to reach La Giustiniana.

18 Nights in Rome

Colosseum Rome Italy - Interrail Highlight

Rome is a fantastic city to spend time in, and there were lots of things to see and do. This includes the Colosseum, Vatican City and lots of other free sights. Getting around in Rome was good value, and the regional Trenitalia trains cost 1 euro per journey for us into the central areas.

Rome to Pompeii

The penultimate Interrail travel day was to visit Pompeii from Rome. This was a bit of a mission, with 2 buses and 4 trains in total. Once we crossed the city to Roma Termini station, we fancied brunch and ventured out of the station and had the full Termini experience. Roma Termini railway station is very busy, and the nearby neighbourhood is lively.

The train to Naples didn’t require seat reservations and was a rather pleasant journey with lots of space. From Naples it was a quick trip, and then we switched to the rail replacement bus to reach Pompeii.

A Few Days in Pompeii

Visiting Pompeii was nice and a bucket list destination; we stayed in a pleasant apartment in the countryside near the central areas. The ruins of Pompeii are rather special to visit, and some buildings are excellently preserved. It was a fantastic day out and well worth the train journey.

Pompei to Trieste

On some Interrail travel days, it’s nice to cover some serious distance, especially on the last day. Thus, we travelled from Pompeii to Trieste using a mix of rail replacement buses, regional trains, and a high-speed train. We visited the Trenitalia ticket office to purchase a mandatory seat reservation for a train to Venice. The queue was long; however, the next train meant we could grab a late brunch.

The high-speed train was pleasant, thanks to having a table to ourselves. A quick change in Venice, then onto the next train to Trieste. This was busy, and we got pulled up by the conductor for sitting in the bike carriage until they moved us on.

A few Nights in Trieste

Trieste is a beautiful city to visit in the north of Italy. It comprises a blend of Habsburg and Italian architecture, with a seaport thrown into the mix. The castle walk was one highlight of the visit, offering views from above. However, the sunset from the cruise pier was fantastic, especially the way the city’s buildings lit up during the golden hour.

Cost Analysis of a 5-Day Interrail Trip in Italy

I purchased my 5-day global pass in the sale in January to keep in my back pocket for when it was the right time for me to use it. The cost after the discount was 254 euros; thus, to make it worthwhile, the average day of travel should be worth 50.80 euros.