Trenitalia Frecciarossa Business Class is the hidden gem of Italian rail travel. For a small upcharge over standard class you can alleviate most of your travel concerns and ride in style during your time in Italy.
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What Is Business Class Like
Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa 1000 trains all feature several classes, including standard, premiere, business, business salottino and executive. Business class is the best buy for passengers with extra luggage who are going long distances.
Business class coaches are made up of sections of 4 seats facing each other on one side, and two seats facing each other on the other side of the aisle. The four seats are in a pod like setting, which gives some feeling of privacy.
Tables flip over to provide either an extended table or more room to sit and move around.
One of the biggest advantages for us as we rode trains through Italy was the luggage space in business class. Since we each had a large suitcase it was difficult on some trains to board with them, but in business class we never had a problem.
Much of the time Business Class is pretty empty, because locals usually wouldn’t book it just to get from one place to another, as that wouldn’t justify the extra cost. So while standard and even premiere classes were packed full, business class was always pretty empty for us.
Less passengers meant less hassle getting our bags on luggage racks, and that was worth the cost.
On top of there being luggage racks at the end of the coaches, there is ample room above each seat for suitcases.
Our two large suitcases were usually the only ones in the luggage racks as any other passengers were usually businessmen without suitcases.
Additionally, there is even space between the seats designed to fit suitcases. There is almost no way that you could run out of luggage space in business class on a Frecciarossa 1000 train.
There is also a section of wheelchair accessible seats on one end of the coach.
Old vs. new Business Class coaches
We did notice in our travels that there are newer and older coaches, and you really can’t tell which one you’ll get. They are pretty much the same though, but we’ll provide a picture so you can see the difference.
The biggest difference is that the tables have built in cup slots and the leather looks different. Don’t worry at all about which one you get, they are both great.
How to buy business class tickets on Trenitalia
The easiest way to buy business class tickets for Trenitalia is to buy them on ItaliaRail. It is easy because the city names and seat types will be in English. On the Trenitalia website for instance, Florence goes by its Italian name of Firenze, so if you don’t know all the cities in Italian you could book the wrong one. The other benefit for overseas visitors is that your credit card might not work on the Trenitalia website, but it will work on ItaliaRail without any problems. For these benefits you’ll pay a $5 surcharge per ticket order, which to us is well worth it.
On Italiarail, once you’ve picked your train and picked business class you can pay a little extra to pick your seats. It is a very small fee, usually $2.33. Again, this is worth it to get the exact seats you want. On the diagram the seats facing each other have a table between them, so pick seats on both sides of the table.
On this seating chart the 4 blue seats are one pod with the grey table between them. 9A, 9B, 10A, and 10B would make up the pod. If you wanted to sit together on the other side as two passengers you could pick 9D and 10D.
Once your purchase is complete your tickets will be emailed to you. They will contain a PNR code, and you just show that to the train staff when they ask you for it.
How much do business tickets cost
Business tickets are surprisingly not much more than standard or premiere tickets. You can see the breakdown on ItaliaRail before you buy. Business tickets are usually about 25% more expensive than standard class on Trenitalia Frecciarossa trains.
Business vs business quiet
There is a special class called business quiet, which just means you need to be quiet while in that coach, and the other passengers will be quiet for you. We haven’t ever been in a loud regular business class coach, but if you wanted to sleep the whole way that might be a good ticket to get. There is no price difference between the two classes.
Is food included in business class
A welcome snack and drink is included in business class, but no meals are included with your ticket. On most trains you can go to the food car to buy a meal or a snack. Here is a look at the free snacks we were given on our last business class ride.
Can I charge electronics at my seat
Business class seats do come with the ability to charge your phone or your computer right at your seat. You’ll have power outlets and USB plugs available.
Are there seats that don’t face each other
There are seats that don’t have a table at them and face the seat back of the seat in front of it. We try to avoid these seats though, as you never know which way the train will be going, and you could end up both riding backwards the whole way.
These seats have a tray table that folds down like in an airplane and a footrest that pops up.
Do the seats recline
All business seats will recline. The older looking seats have a manual push button that activates the recline like is found on most planes. The newer seats have an electronic button that when pushed, automatically reclines the seat in whichever direction you pushed.
Business seats are our favorite way to travel on Trenitalia, and the extra cost is well it.
