In a continent full of beautiful train journeys, Italy has some of the best. The country is constantly showcasing new ways to see Italy’s 20 regions by rail. Take, for instance, the expansion of the FS Treni Turistici Italiani (Italian tourist trains), which launched three overnight sleeper routes, and the highly anticipated debut of the Venice Simplon–Orient–Express in spring 2025.
Train hopping is one of the most enjoyable ways to experience a series of landscapes, allowing you to focus on the natural beauty around you instead of navigation. Whether you want to see Alpine scenery or the vast openness of Sardinia’s inland, these seven train routes give you magic, mile after mile.
La Spezia to Levanto
- Distance: 10 miles
- Time: 30 minutes
- Train line(s): Cinque Terre Express
- Book now: cinqueterre.eu.com
Still on the same coast as the Genoa to Ventimiglia route but heading south, the Cinque Terre Express takes you through the dramatic cliffs and famed cities of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Hugging the Ligurian coastline, this journey connects the five picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre, like the cliffside Vernazza (which has been recognized as one of Italy’s most beautiful villages). The Cinque Terre MS Card allows for train travel between them—but for the best experience, hop off for some of the journey and hike the Sentiero Azzurro, which connects Cinque Terre’s five small towns.
Genoa to Ventimiglia
- Distance: 78 miles
- Time: 2.75 hours
- Train line(s): Regionale and Intercity
- Book now: trenitalia.com
The standard regional and intercity trains are no-frills, but sometimes they are the most beautiful. Genoa to Ventimiglia could be one of the prettiest train rides in Italy: For two hours, the path skirts the Italian riviera, stopping at coastal towns like Savona and the pastel-colored Imperia, offering breathtaking views of the Ligurian coastline punctuated by tunnels. The route concludes at Ventimiglia, the last stop before France.
Experience plenty of bridges and tunnels on a train ride through Italy’s Vigezzo Valley.
Photo by Mor65_Mauro Piccardi/Shutterstock
Domodossola, Italy to Locarno, Switzerland
- Distance: Around 32.5 miles
- Time: 2 hours
- Train line(s): Vigezzina–Centovalli Railway
- Book now: vigezzinacentovalli.com
Also known as the “one hundred valleys” railway, this route stretches across 83 bridges and through 31 tunnels, from Italy’s Vigezzo Valley to Locarno, Switzerland. Throughout the ride, travelers will see forests and hills dipping into the Melezza River, passing through small villages that include Druogno, Santa Maria Maggiore, and Loco.
Be sure to account for any events where crowds can make the trip less peaceful: During August, the route may also be more crowded as the Locarno Film Festival makes its annual return.
Venice to Trieste
- Distance: 72 miles
- Time: About 2 hours
- Train line(s): Trenitalia Regionale
- Book now: trenitalia.com/it
This is an easy two hours on a local regional train across Italy’s northeast regions Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, and is particularly enchanting when there’s a bit of fog. Veneto’s countryside plains and vineyards flow into FVG’s looming mountains of the karst plateau region and sweeping vistas of the Adriatic Sea.
The Bernina Express became a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2008.
Photo by OkFoto/Shutterstock
Tirano to St. Moritz
- Distance: 25 miles
- Time: 2 hours
- Train line(s): Bernina Express
- Book now: tickets.rhb.ch/en/
The Bernina Express takes travelers on a train ride through the Alps from Tirano (Italy) to St. Moritz (Switzerland). The glass car train is all about showing off the snow-capped peaks, glaciers, lakes, and viaducts. It’s a trip that’s gorgeous in both the summer and the winter, where the former shows sunny green Swiss meadows while the latter puts you in a snowy winter wonderland.
Bonus: If you travel to Tirano and then on to Milan, the Trenord passes by some of Lombardia’s greatest and most beautiful lakes.
Domodossola, Italy to Bern, Switzerland
- Distance: 93 miles
- Time: 2.5 hours
- Train line(s): Trenino Verde delle Alpi
- Book now: treninoverdedellealpi.com
This trip is a slow, scenic itinerary through the Italian Alps to Switzerland on modern commuter trains by Swiss railway company BLS. The voyage winds its way through Piemonte’s landscapes and amazing backdrop of the Alps, passing and stopping in postcard-perfect towns, including Brig, Kandersteg, Spiez, and Thun. The ride’s final stop is Bern, giving you a taste of medieval charm with its historic Zytglogge, a landmark 13th-century tower with a 15th-century astrological clock.
At the Palau stop, travelers can see the Maddalena archipelago.
Photo by Vadym Lavra/Shutterstock
Various Routes, Sardinia
- Distance: 10–22 miles
- Time: 1 hour–2.5 hours
- Train line(s): Trenino Verde
- Book now: treninoverde.com
Sardinia is Italy’s second-largest island, with landscapes that include the coast, remote forests, villages, and granite mountains. The Trenino Verde has five itineraries in five locations that show off Sardinia’s beauty. Making it even more picturesque are the trains. Designs include strictly vintage like the 1931 Reggiane Steam Locomotive, the 1950s Diesel Railcar, and carriages from the 1910s to the ‘30s.
Not sure which trip to choose? One standout is Palau to Tempio Pausania, which crosses the Gallura in the northern area of the island. A kind of mountain-to-sea trip, the path also gives you a glimpse of the Maddalena archipelago. Another is Mandas to Laconi, which takes you across southern Sardinia’s Trexenta region, a hilly hinterland of villages.
