Italy and Greece
Approximate point-to-point one-way 2nd class rail fares in $US between the cities shown above. Add up fares for your itinerary to see whether a railpass will save you money. For 1st class rail fares, add 50%. Source: www.trenitalia.com.
Italy
Most travelers to Italy make short hops within the Milan-Venice-Florence-Rome circuit. For these trips, it's cheaper to buy point-to-point tickets in Italy as you travel. Do the math with our ticket-cost map on this page. Fares shown on the map include reservations where required for the fastest trains. Slower, unreserved trains can be cheaper. If you're buying your ticket at a major train station plagued with long lines, try the automated ticket machines instead. Or, you can buy tickets at major travel agencies (such as CIT) in city centers. During the summer, it's worthwhile to spring for first class for its smaller crowds and better air conditioning.
The Italy Pass doesn't provide much hop-on convenience, since many trains require a seat reservation in addition to the pass. You'll need to stop at a ticket window or travel agency to reserve (optional €5 for many trains, required for some IC and EC trains as indicated in timetables; required €15-20 for Eurostar Italia). You can reserve several dates at once if you're ready to commit. Fast, reserved Eurostar Italia trains provide most of the service on the main Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples line, although a few slower, unreserved options exist. For local lines like Florence-Pisa-La Spezia, reservations are neither required nor recommended.
Railpasses do not cover the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Pompei and Sorrento ($5, see www.vesuviana.it/nebula for schedules) nor Milan's Malpensa Airport Express ($14, see www.lenord.it).
See also the France-Italy Pass (on the France page) and more two-country options below.
| Italy Pass | |||||
| Type of Pass | 1st Class Individual | 1st Class Saver | 2nd Class Individual | 2nd Class Saver | 2nd Class Youth |
| 3 days in 2 months | $237 | $201 | $189 | $161 | $156 |
| Extra rail days (max 7) | $28-30 | $23-27 | $23-25 | $19-22 | $19-20 |
| Saver price per person for two or more. Youth = under 26. Kids 4-11: half adult or saver fare, under 4: free. Prices subject to change. | |||||
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| Italy - Spain Pass | |||||
| Type of Pass | 1st Class Individual | 1st Class Saver | 2nd Class Individual | 2nd Class Saver | 2nd Class Youth |
| 4 days in 2 months | $339 | $296 | $296 | $262 | $223 |
| Extra rail days (max 6) | $39 | $34 | $34 | $30 | $26 |
| Does not cover travel in France! Saver price per person for two or more. Youth = under 26. Kids 4-11: half adult or saver fare, under 4: free. Prices subject to change. | |||||
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Italy and Spain can be connected by Grimaldi ferry service (20% discount with pass), or you can fly, but if you plan to travel by land, you should include France on a Selectpass for three or more countries.
Greece
Approximate point-to-point one-way 2nd class rail fares in $US between the cities shown above. Add up fares for your itinerary to see whether a railpass will save you money. For 1st class rail fares, add 50%. Source: www.ose.gr.
Train travel is cheap in Greece, but limited to the mainland. Even there, you may find buses to be faster, cheaper, or more frequent.
| Greece-Italy Pass | |||||
| Type of Pass | 1st Class Individual | 1st Class Saver | 2nd Class Individual | 2nd Class Saver | 2nd Class Youth |
| 4 days in 2 months | $332 | $282 | $265 | $224 | $220 |
| Extra rail days (max 6) | $34 | $29 | $28 | $25 | $21 |
| Saver price per person for two or more. Youth = under 26. Kids 4-11: half adult or saver fare, under 4: free. Covers deck passage on overnight Superfast Ferries between Patras, Greece and Bari or Ancona, Italy (starts use of one travel day). Or 25-50% discount on Hellenic Med. Line ferry with basic cabin Patras-Corfu-Brindisi (does not use a travel day). Does not cover travel to or on Greek islands, except a 30% discount on Blue Star Ferries. Prices subject to change. | |||||
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| Greece Pass | ||
| Type of Pass | 1st Class Adult | 1st Class Youth |
| 3 days in 1 month | $131 | $111 |
| 4 days in 1 month | $173 | $153 |
| 5 days in 1 month | $203 | $171 |
| 6 days in 1 month | $243 | $213 |
| 7 days in 1 month | $283 | $255 |
| 8 days in 1 month | $327 | $294 |
| 9 days in 1 month | $367 | $338 |
| 10 days in 1 month | $409 | $380 |
| Youth = under 26. Kids 4-11: half adult fare, under 4: free. Prices subject to change. | ||
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