Guide

Travelling to southern Italy in autumn: the best night train deals

How to get to southern Italy without flying, where seats are still available and what you’ll pay.

Timo Grossenbacher

Timo Grossenbacher

— 5 min read
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The village of Polignano a Mare near Bari (Apulia)
The village of Polignano a Mare near Bari (Apulia)

Summer isn’t quite over yet, but autumn is already knocking at the door. It’s a good time to soak up some more sun in Apulia, Calabria, or Sicily, experience the culture, and dip your feet in the sea. Travellers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France can do this with just one change in a northern Italian city. This guide shows you how. And with our up-to-date prices, you can see on which days the journey becomes a bargain aboard the comfortable Intercity Notte.

Let’s start with the good news: there are still plenty of affordable sleeping car offers (the highest travel class) from 90 to 130 euros per person. That’s relatively inexpensive, which is probably down to the off-season.

You’ll find everything about service levels, on-board service, and the booking process with Trenitalia in our ultimate Intercity Notte guide. Here, we’re focusing on just one thing: what can still be booked during the autumn period, and how much it costs.

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For the routes listed, we collected all prices for the period from 15 September to 15 November (for one person, as of 15 September). Use our handy price calendar to see the best offers at a glance. Set the appropriate filters if you don’t want to spend the night in a seating car or if you want your compartment all to yourself. Change the number of passengers to get current offers for a different group size.

Contents

Taking a daytime train to the departure stations

Milan, Turin, Bolzano, and Trieste are the four stations where the Intercity Notte trains to the south depart. You can reach all four directly from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, or France – with no change at all. You can book these offers through SBB, Bahn, ÖBB or at SNCF Connect, respectively.

To Milan

  • Zurich – 14 direct Eurocity trains daily, approx. 3h 15
  • Basel – 5 direct Eurocity trains, approx. 4h 05–4h 20
  • Geneva – 4 direct Eurocity trains, approx. 4h 20
  • Frankfurt am Main – 1 direct Eurocity train (Giruno), approx. 7h 50
  • Paris – up to 5 direct TGV/Frecciarossa trains, approx. 6h 35–7h 05
  • Lyon – 1–2 direct Frecciarossa trains, approx. 4h 35–5h

You can see all night train offers from Milan here:

To Turin

  • Paris – 3–4 direct TGV trains, approx. 5h 35
  • Lyon – around 2 direct Frecciarossa trains, approx. 4h

You can see all night train offers from Turin here:

To Bolzano

  • Munich – 5 direct Eurocity/Railjet trains, approx. 3h 50, via Kufstein and Innsbruck
  • Innsbruck – up to 7 direct trains, approx. 2h

You can see all night train offers from Bolzano here:

To Trieste

  • Vienna – 1 direct Railjet, approx. 6h 35, via the new Koralm Railway

You can see all night train offers from Trieste here:

Sicily – from Milan

The classic: just over 20 hours from Milan, including the ferry crossing at Villa San Giovanni, to Sicily. In Messina, the train splits – one part continues to Palermo, while the other goes on to Syracuse.

Ferry to Sicily. Photo: Sebastian Wilken
Ferry to Sicily. Photo: Sebastian Wilken

Milan – Palermo

  • Couchette: 60–119 euros, average 86 euros
  • Sleeping car: 121–244 euros, average 207 euros

This route can still be booked on every day during the period.

Milan – Syracuse

  • Couchette: 55–117 euros, average 88 euros
  • Sleeping car: 119–240 euros, average 219 euros

Careful: there are bookable options here on only 27 days.

Apulia – from Milan and Turin

The destination at the end of the line: Lecce, the Baroque capital of Salento. Along the way, you’ll pass Bari and various small harbour towns on the Adriatic coast.

The ancient rock city of Matera can be reached from Bari by train
The ancient rock city of Matera can be reached from Bari by train

Milan – Lecce

  • Seats: 36–74 euros, average 50 euros
  • Couchette: 55–107 euros, average 78 euros
  • Sleeping car: 113–225 euros, average 167 euros

This route can still be booked on every day during the period.

Turin – Lecce

  • Seats: 30–74 euros, average 42 euros
  • Couchette: 55–109 euros, average 63 euros
  • Sleeping car: 103–228 euros, average 149 euros

This route can still be booked on 55 out of 62 days.

Calabria – from Milan and Turin

Destinations in the south of Italy’s boot-shaped peninsula: Reggio Calabria and Lamezia Terme.

Morning atmosphere at the station
Morning atmosphere at the station

Turin – Reggio Calabria

  • Seats: 30–79 euros, average 43 euros
  • Couchette: 55–113 euros, average 63 euros
  • Sleeping car: 106–234 euros, average 148 euros

This route is not yet fully booked on 54 out of 62 days.

Turin – Lamezia Terme

  • Seats: 30–76 euros, average 42 euros
  • Couchette: 55–111 euros, average 63 euros
  • Sleeping car: 104–231 euros, average 145 euros

This route can still be booked on 49 out of 62 days.

Milan – Lamezia Terme

  • Couchette: 55–111 euros, average 83 euros
  • Sleeping car: 114–231 euros, average 198 euros

This route is not yet fully booked on 62 out of 62 days.

Campania – from Milan and Turin

Naples and Salerno, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast, are stops on the way further south – and can also be booked as separate destinations.

Milan – Naples

  • Seats: 24–64 euros, average 39 euros
  • Couchette: 47–102 euros, average 64 euros
  • Sleeping car: 94–217 euros, average 131 euros

Careful: there are bookable options here on only 35 days.

Turin – Naples

  • Seats: 26–70 euros, average 40 euros
  • Couchette: 47–102 euros, average 61 euros
  • Sleeping car: 96–217 euros, average 128 euros

This route is not yet fully booked on 57 out of 62 days.

Milan – Salerno

  • Seats: 25–68 euros, average 38 euros
  • Couchette: 47–100 euros, average 62 euros
  • Sleeping car: 96–217 euros, average 141 euros

This route can still be booked on every day during the period.

Turin – Salerno

  • Seats: 26–70 euros, average 38 euros
  • Couchette: 47–102 euros, average 61 euros
  • Sleeping car: 98–217 euros, average 123 euros

This route is not yet fully booked on 57 out of 62 days.

Rome – from Trieste and Bolzano

Two night trains take you from Italy’s north-eastern corners to Rome – handy if you’re travelling via Vienna or Munich.

Trieste – Rome

  • Seats: 27–61 euros, average 35 euros
  • Couchette: 55–93 euros, average 64 euros
  • Sleeping car (washbasin): 102–203 euros, average 131 euros
  • Sleeping car (shower/WC): 222 euros throughout

This route is not yet fully booked on 61 out of 62 days.

Bolzano – Rome

  • Seats: 21–50 euros, average 27 euros
  • Couchette: 46–88 euros, average 58 euros
  • Sleeping car (washbasin): 97–203 euros, average 126 euros
  • Sleeping car (shower/WC): 222 euros throughout

Careful: there are bookable options here on only 27 days.

Our final tip

The cheapest way to get on board the Intercity Notte is almost always a seat or a couchette – from around 30 and 50 euros respectively. For a sleeping car, you’ll pay around two to three times as much on average. In our view, though, it’s an upgrade that’s genuinely worth it. Compared with the rest of Europe, the value for money here is hard to beat. How heavily booked a connection is varies from route to route. Your best bet is to check directly what’s still available for your preferred date – and book as soon as it works for you. Here’s the booking guide.

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