There’s a greater sense of ‘going native’ on holiday when you take the decision to travel like a local, not to hire a car or join a package holiday, but to let the train take the strain. Of course, it all looks straightforward, but occasionally things can go wrong – and even if the challenge is quite fun, a few tips can save confusion and frustration.

First, an up-to-date summary about rail travel this year, then a few suggestions, both popular destinations and curious less well-known journeys. First, long distance travel Italy has two rail companies, the state-run Trenitalia with its high speed Freccia Rossa /Bianco (red and white arrows) and privately operated Italo trains.