Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre: Best New European Train Routes To Reach Italy In 2023

Travelers are increasingly choosing flight-free options in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint.

It’s also becoming much easier to ditch the plane as European rail operators have announced a host of exciting new train routes.

Several new schedules launched on December 11 so you can already book for an epic rail adventure next summer.

Three of these sleeper trains now link some of Italy’s most popular destinations to other cities around Europe.

Soak up culture from Stuttgart to Venice and Croatia

An overnight train now departs every evening from the German city of Stuttgart and whisks passengers to some of Europe’s cultural hotspots.

The route is one of Austrian national rail operator ÖBB’s Nightjet network.

The sleeper leaves Stuttgart at 8.29pm and connects to magnificent cities including Vienna, Venice, Budapest and Zagreb.

Over Christmas and Easter and from mid-May to early October 2023, sleeper cars will continue on to the Croatian coastal jewel of Rijeka.

The overnight journey from Germany to Venice costs around €85 for a sleeping berth.

Arrive in style in Milan and Rome

Another neat Nightjet number now links Zurich in Switzerland with the Italian cities of Milan and Rome.

The journey is around 8.5 hours. It stops in the fashion capital of Milan before speeding on to the Eternal City.

It makes for a faster and far more pleasant method of traveling between the two Italian cities.

Cruise across the continent to the Cinque Terre coast

Austria’s ÖBB also announced earlier this year that it would launch a service linking Germany to Liguria on Italy’s northwest coast.

The Nightjet will depart from Munich and speed across the continent to Genoa.

However, it won’t stop there.

The Austrian operator made a surprise announcement in November that the sleeper train would continue on to the famed villages of the Cinque Terre coast.

Passengers boarding the train at Munich can enjoy an early dinner before settling down in comfortable cabins on the way to Italy.

The following morning, there is the option to alight at the colorful cliffside hamlet of Rapello at 10.14am or Levanto at 10.46am.

Finally, the train cruises into La Spezia at the civilized time of 11.10am.

A ticket from Munich or Vienna to any Ligurian destination will cost €50 for a couchette and €70 for a sleeping car.