Though multiple airlines are opening up new routes to and from Italy for next year, flying is no longer the preferred option of travel for many people.
Fortunately, travelling from Italy to destinations around Europe is doable without needing to pass through airports. And it often makes for a scenic journey.
With this in mind, we've rounded up a non-exhaustive guide to the major direct train routes from Italy to destinations in neighbouring countries and beyond.
Monaco
Travellers looking to have a quick day trip or a whirlwind weekend can hop across the border to Monaco's capital Monte Carlo on a direct train from the Ligurian town of Ventimiglia.
The journey with France's national state-owned rail company SNFC lasts around 30 to 45 minutes between the two cities. Trains run twice per hour starting at 5.15am from Ventimiglia, with the last train to Italy leaving Monte Carlo's station at around 10pm. One-way ticket prices start at €5.
There are multiple daily express trains to Ventimiglia from Milan and regional trains from Genoa.
READ ALSO: The new direct flights to and from Italy in 2025
France
From Ventimiglia, passengers can also venture onwards with SNFC into French Riviera destinations such as Nice, Cannes, Menton and Antibes. Trains run daily between the destinations, but some are direct whilst others make stops at Monte Carlo.
Antibes and Nice then have direct trains to Lyon, Marseille and Paris.
Speaking of the City of Light, there's one daily service departing from Milano Porta Garibaldi to Paris Gare de Lyon, which passes through Turin and the town of Oulx before reaching French destinations Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Arvan, Chambéry - Challes-les-Eaux, and Mâcon Loche and then heading to Paris.
The service is direct. However, due to a landslide in August 2023 that led to the closure of a key rail tunnel, rail company SNFC advises passengers that part of the rail journey is by bus between Saint-Jean de Maurienne and Oulx and vice versa. Things will likely remain like this until at least March 2025.
There are alternative train routes between Milan, Turin and Paris via Switzerland but they involve a change and are more expensive.
Austria and Germany
There are several options to reach cities in Austria and Germany by train, especially from Italy's northern South Tyrol region.
Travellers can reach Innsbruck via a direct S-Bahn train with Austrian rail company ÖBB in just under 40 minutes from Brennero (or Brenner). Brennero is easily reached via Bologna, Trento or Bolzano. The trains run daily and frequently with costs starting at around €10 for one way.
Passengers looking to reach Vienna can then do so by taking a direct train running between the capital and Innsbruck.
Alternatively, travellers may also take the once-a-day ÖBB Railjet service to Vienna from Bolzano which leaves at 7:50am. It also stops at Bressanone, Fortezza, Vipiteno and Brennero, then moves on to Austrian destinations such as Innsbruck, Salzburg , Linz, and St. Polten, before arriving at Vienna's main station.
Travellers can take a EuroCity ÖBB train from Bologna that goes through Verona, Trento, Bolzano, Brennero, and on to Innsbruck and Munich.
There are direct ÖBB Railjet services daily between Venice and Munich (departing at 11.35am on weekdays and 3.35pm over the weekend) calling at Padua, Verona and Trento, before passing through Austria and going to Munich.
Venice to Vienna (departing at 9.56am) is also served by the same company and calls at Treviso, Pordenone and Udine, before stopping at multiple Austrian destinations such as Villach.
There are further direct sleeper trains to Vienna run by ÖBB Nightjet departing from Roma Tiburtina, La Spezia Centrale (which stops at Milan Rogoredo) and Venice Santa Lucia. Find out about which stations the trains pass through here.
Switzerland and Germany
A large number of EuroCity trains leave every day from Milan to Lugano and Zurich, stopping at Como and several Swiss towns and cities.
Other trains to Zurich start in Venice (calling at Padua, Vicenza, and Verona, among other towns), Genoa and Bologna.
There's also a twice-daily EuroCity service that goes from Milan to Basel via Como, Lugano and Luzern, and hourly 'Ticino' regional train services from Milan to Locarno via Como and Lugano.
A daily train service from the Milan Centrale train station ferries passengers all the way to Frankfurt, stopping at Bern, Basel, and various other Italian, Swiss and German towns and cities along the way.
There are also multiple daily trains from Milan to Geneva via Domodossola, Brig and Lausanne, as well as daily services from Milan to Basel via Domodossola, Brig and Bern.
Belgium and Netherlands
Night train company, European Sleeper, is launching a new route from February 2025, connecting Venice to Brussels in Belgium. The train is set to run once a week each from Venice and Brussels and last until March, though no exact dates have yet been given.
The route will include stops in various cities such as Antwerp, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Munich, Cologne and Innsbruck. The train stops at Verona and Bolzano before heading out of Italy.
Slovenia
A daily ÖBB train service goes from Trieste goes to Ljubljana in Slovenia around midday. However, the rail company has advised the timetable may change for 2025.
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