Italy Scenic Train Rides: The Short Journeys Under Two Hours That No Travel Guide Bothers to List
Autore: La Redazione di www.tourleaderpro.com
Last updated: April 2026. Short scenic rail journeys on regular Trenitalia services — no special booking required, standard regional tickets, extraordinary landscapes.
The distinction between Italy's long scenic train routes (covered in our Italy Scenic Train Routes guide) and Italy scenic train rides is one of duration and accessibility. A week-long rail journey through the Dolomites is one thing; a forty-minute regional train from Genova to Camogli that runs along the cliff face above the Ligurian Sea at eye level with the fishing villages is quite another. The second kind requires no advance planning, costs under €5, and can be slotted into any day's itinerary without reorganizing an entire trip. These are the Italy scenic train rides this guide covers: short, standard-service journeys on regular Trenitalia regional trains that happen to pass through some of the most extraordinary landscapes in Europe.
The key principle: Italian regional trains (Regionale and Regionale Veloce services) use infrastructure built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, before motorway and tunnel engineering made the mountain and coastal routing decisions of the rail network obsolete. This means the rail lines go through landscapes that the modern road network bypasses — through coastal cliffs, along valley floors, across high mountain passes — and the view from the window is often completely inaccessible by car. The Cinque Terre line between La Spezia and Levanto is the most famous example; the others in this guide are less well known and all worth knowing.
The Ten Best Short Italy Scenic Train Rides
1. Genova to Ventimiglia (Ligurian Riviera) — 1h 45min
The most consistently spectacular coastal train ride in Italy. From Genova Brignole, the line follows the Riviera di Levante then di Ponente all the way to the French border at Ventimiglia, alternating between dramatic cliff-face passages and exposure to the Ligurian Sea twenty meters below. The key section is between Nervi and Sestri Levante on the Levante side — the train emerges from tunnels onto viaducts directly above the water at multiple points. On the Ponente side (west of Genova), the section between Celle Ligure and Spotorno passes through some of the most densely populated but scenically arranged coastline in Italy.
Sit on the sea side (right going from Genova toward the French border, left returning). Standard regional ticket approximately €8-12 depending on stop. Trains run roughly every 30-60 minutes.
2. Bolzano to Merano (Alto Adige) — 40min
The Adige Valley north of Bolzano opens into the Merano basin, and the short regional train between the two cities passes through the heart of the South Tyrolean apple orchards, with the Ötztal Alps visible to the north and the Texelgruppe above Merano to the west. In October, the apple harvest and the valley colors make this one of the most beautiful forty-minute train journeys in northern Italy. Standard regional ticket approximately €3.50. Trains run every 30-60 minutes.
3. La Spezia to Levanto (Cinque Terre Line) — 25min
The classic short Italy scenic train ride. The line between La Spezia and Levanto serves all five Cinque Terre villages, plunging through tunnels and emerging at each village station above the sea. The open sections last only seconds at speed but are extraordinary — cliff-face views at sixty kilometers per hour. The Cinque Terre Express (summer) has reserved seating; regular regional trains use the same route at lower cost. Ticket approximately €4-6.
4. Palermo to Trapani (Sicilian Coast) — 2h
The coastal line from Palermo along the northwestern Sicilian coast to Trapani passes through some of the most dramatic and least-developed coastline in Sicily: the Golfo di Castellammare, the saltpans near Marsala (visible from the train approaching Trapani), and the headland of San Vito lo Capo visible to the north from specific sections of the line. The train is slow and old and stops everywhere; it is also the only way to see this stretch of Sicily from the water side. Regional ticket approximately €8-10.
5. Reggio Calabria to Taranto (Ionian Coast) — 3h
Technically longer than two hours but included because this stretch of the Calabrian and Basilicata Ionian coast — some of the least visited in Italy — cannot be seen any other way at a useful pace. From Reggio Calabria, the regional train hugs the Ionian coast north through Locri, Siderno, Caulonia, Monasterace (where the Greek theater of Kaulon is visible from the train window), Soverato, and up through the Calabrian and Lucanian coast to Taranto. This is genuinely remote southern Italy: Greek archaeological sites between the track and the beach, abandoned Norman towers on headlands, the sea close enough to smell through the open window.
6. Verona to Brennero (Adige Valley) — 1h 30min
The Verona-Innsbruck international line follows the Adige River gorge north through the most dramatic section of the Adige Valley: the Chiusa di Verona near Dolcè, the terraced vineyard cliffs of the Valdadige, the gorge narrowing as it approaches Trento, and the progressive shift in architectural character from Venetian to Tyrolean as the train moves north. The section between Trento and Bolzano is the most scenic; Bolzano to Brennero continues through the upper Isarco valley with the Dolomites appearing to the east. Standard Intercity or Regionale ticket approximately €8-15.
7. Naples to Sorrento (Circumvesuviana) — 65min
The Circumvesuviana commuter railway from Naples to Sorrento passes along the base of Vesuvius, through the Pompei and Herculaneum stations, and eventually onto the Sorrentine peninsula through orange and lemon groves. Not conventionally scenic in the way of a mountain railway, but an authentic immersion in Neapolitan suburban reality — the same journey Neapolitan commuters have been making since 1904. The final section approaching Sorrento has glimpses of the Bay of Naples through the orchards. Ticket approximately €4-6.
8. Catania to Riposto (Circumetnea) — 1h 30min (partial)
The narrow-gauge Circumetnea circles the base of Mount Etna. The partial section from Catania to Riposto (or shorter sections within the circle) passes through lava fields, vine yards on volcanic soil producing Etna DOC wine, and views of the summit that shift angle continuously. The Circumetnea is partially operated as a metro in the urban Catania section and as a traditional narrow-gauge line in the rural sections. Regional fare approximately €3-5 for the urban section, more for rural continuation.
9. Cagliari to Iglesias (Sardinia) — 1h
The Trenitalia regional line from Cagliari to the mining capital of Iglesias in the Sulcis-Iglesiente passes through the limestone karst landscapes of the Campidano plain and the Cixerri valley, with the characteristic Sardinian macchia maquis vegetation visible from the window and the first mining heritage sites visible approaching Iglesias. Not spectacular in the Ligurian coast sense, but an authentic journey through an undervisited part of Sardinia. Regional ticket approximately €4.
10. Turin to Aosta (via Ivrea) — 1h 30min
The Torino-Aosta regional line follows the Dora Baltea River through the pre-Alpine foothills, past the medieval city of Ivrea (home of Olivetti and the winter Carnival of the Battle of the Oranges), through the first Alpine gorges of the Aosta Valley, and arrives in Aosta with the Roman amphitheater and the Alps visible from the station platform. The most varied of the short Italy scenic train rides in this guide — urban, suburban, pastoral, then genuinely alpine over seventy minutes. Regional ticket approximately €7-9.
Q&A: Italy Scenic Train Rides
Do these short Italy scenic train rides require advance booking?
No. All the journeys described use standard Trenitalia regional (Regionale or Regionale Veloce) services with open seating — you buy a ticket and board any available train on that route. No reservation is required or possible for regional services. The exception is the Cinque Terre Express (summer only), which has reserved seating but is not the only train option on that route.
Which side of the train should I sit on for the best view?
Genova-Ventimiglia: sea side (right going west). Cinque Terre (La Spezia to Levanto): sea side (right going north). Adige Valley (Verona-Bolzano): either side has valley views, but right going north gives the better Dolomite glimpses. Palermo-Trapani: sea side (right going south). The train apps and journey descriptions on Trenitalia's website sometimes include passenger notes on optimal seating direction.
What is the cheapest way to buy regional train tickets in Italy?
Regional train tickets in Italy are not dynamic-priced — the fare is fixed regardless of when you buy. You can buy at the station machine (preferably), online at trenitalia.com, or on the Trenitalia app. The app is the most convenient for multiple short journeys. Validate the ticket before boarding by stamping it at the platform validators (green machines) — unticketed or unvalidated tickets on regional trains result in fines.
Are Italy scenic train rides dog-friendly?
Small dogs in carriers travel free on Italian regional trains. Dogs over 10 kg need a muzzle and leash and a half-price ticket. All dogs are allowed on regional services. Check the specific Trenitalia pet policy (trasporto animali) for current details.
Can I hop on and off the Cinque Terre train at each village?
Yes. The Cinque Terre Card (day ticket, approximately €18-20) covers unlimited regional train travel within the La Spezia-Levanto zone plus trail access. Individual tickets for single journeys between villages cost €4-6. For a day exploring all five villages by a combination of hiking and train, the day card is better value than multiple point-to-point tickets.
The History of Italy's Regional Rail Network
The coastal and mountain regional rail lines that produce the best Italy scenic train rides were built between approximately 1860 and 1930 — the period of unified Italy's infrastructure expansion. The Ligurian coastal line was completed in the 1870s; the Circumvesuviana in the early 1900s; the Circumetnea in 1898; the Bolzano-Merano line in 1906 under Austro-Hungarian administration of the Trentino. Each was built with the technology of its era: steam locomotives, modest gradients, extensive tunneling through the rock and cliff sections that made coastal and mountain routing possible.
The route choices made in this period reflect the geography of the Italian landscape and the limitations of nineteenth-century engineering: you followed the coast closely because mountain tunneling was expensive, you followed the valley floor because gradients were limited, you built stations in village centers because the journey between them was the point. The routes that resulted are scenic precisely because they could not take shortcuts.
What Nobody Tells You About Italy Scenic Train Rides
The most scenic sections of most Italian regional lines are between stations rather than at them. The Ligurian cliffside viaducts appear and disappear in seconds; the Etna lava fields open and close between tunnel portals. Knowing roughly where the best sections are — which section of the route to watch for — significantly improves the experience. For the Ligurian coast, watch between Nervi and Sestri Levante; for the Cinque Terre, watch at every tunnel exit; for the Adige Valley, watch from Rovereto north through Trento to Bolzano.
Italian regional trains in the south and in Sicily can run significantly late. The timetable is aspirational; the actual departure time on a hot Tuesday in August in Calabria may be 15-20 minutes after the listed time. Factor this into any connection planning.
Internal Links
- Italy Scenic Train Routes: The Major Journeys
- Cinque Terre Complete Guide: Hiking, Train, and Logistics
- Italy Transportation Guide: Trains, Buses, Ferries
- Bergamo Alta: The Walled City Above the Plain
- Aosta Roman Ruins: The Alps' Ancient Capital
- Modica: Sicily's Baroque Chocolate Capital
- Cefalù: Sicily's Norman Cathedral and Beach Town