Italy is a small country with a big appetite and can be found in Southern Europe. Italy has a very distinct flavour, with its flare for design and architecture, interesting heritage, rural landscapes, cafe culture and nightlife and its food and drink.

Ground and air traffic is heavy, due to its dense population, although its shape makes it easy to navigate for the inquisitive traveller: from Lombardia down to Calabria, its heart is worn on its long and narrow sleeve.  With this in mind, one of the most relaxing ways to travel this compact country is by train as the country boasts an extremely efficient railway system that connects all the main cities and towns and allows you to sit back stress-free and take it all in.

Getting from the UK to Italy by train is now pretty easy, with the Eurostar into Paris, then direct trains from there into the major cities.  The main services available are Eurostar, Intercity, IntercityPlus, CIS Cisalpino, Eurocity and Espresso which can be pre- booked online.  The Trenitalia Eurostar Italia trains (ES AV or ES) operate the very modern high speed Frecciarossa & the tilting Frecciargento, which are the main trains to service Italy. You can walk straight from a city centre with all its main attractions onto a train if you have pre-booked your tickets.  The main hub can be found at Rome’s central Stazione Termini to destinations such as Bologna Tutte le Stazione and Florence Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN) in the centre of the country which takes a little more than an hour and a half.  You can head to the North via Turin’s Porta Nuova and Porta Susa, the Milan Centrale or the Venezia Mestre on the outskirts of Venice in less than 4 hours, and also down to the city centres of Naples Centrale or Salerno in the South in just over an hour.  EC Eurocity is the International service and the InterCity IC express trains used in domestic service, must be pre-booked and are also managed by Trenitalia. The EXPR Espresso trains mostly offer a sleeper service, while the CIS Cisalpino covers central and Northern Italy.

You can hop from city to city while taking in some of the picturesque Italian countryside and for some of its other gems; you can change to the Circumvesuviana Railway to visit Sorrento or Pompeii, catch a Moby Lines train to Piombino Marittima in Elba, jump on a ferry at Naples to reach the Ischia or the island of Capri, or pick up a bus from Salerno to take you along the dramatic scenery of the Amalfi coast and its charming towns of Praiano and Positano.

If you are on a budget, a rail pass for sleeper trains is a great idea as it will save you money on both accommodation and exploration time, allowing you to make even better use of your time. It is also worth mentioning that, for your convenience and comfort, most of the long-distance train services have facilities including snack trolleys, restaurants or bars – but you are also welcome to bring your own food and drink on board.  Also, unlike air travel, you won’t be penalised for the weight of your baggage, meaning you can pick up plenty of souvenirs along the way.

If you’re thinking of getting away from it all, you can find great travel deals with hotels.com voucher codes.