7 autumn train trips in Italy with kids

Leave the car at home, hop on a train and watch the scenery change outside the window: autumn is one of the best seasons to plan a train trip in Italy with kids.

We have picked 7 autumn train journeys for families, taking you through colourful forests, chestnut festivals, lakes and mountains. Some are heritage trains, while others are regular or special train services that make it easy to reach festivals and small towns without driving. They all have one thing in common: the journey is part of the experience.

And if one day isn’t enough, why not turn your train trip into a car-free weekend in Italy? With Intercity Notte overnight trains, you can leave in the evening, sleep on board and wake up at your destination. Families travelling with children under 15 can also take advantage of the Family Night offer. We’ll explain how it works later in the article.

7 autumn train trips in Italy with kids

From Piedmont to Calabria, here are seven ideas for an autumn day trip or weekend by train. Keep an eye on the dates: while some trains run throughout the year, heritage services operate only on selected days and usually need to be booked in advance.

1. The Foliage Train from Domodossola to Locarno

Let’s start with one of Italy’s best-known autumn railway journeys: the Foliage Train along the Vigezzina-Centovalli railway, connecting Domodossola in Italy with Locarno in Switzerland via the Vigezzo Valley and the Swiss Centovalli.

Every year from mid October to mid November, the route is at its most spectacular. Colourful forests, valleys, small villages, bridges and streams unfold outside the window as the train makes its way towards Switzerland.

The special Foliage Train ticket also allows you to make one intermediate stop, so you can get off along the route and turn the train journey into a full-day excursion.

2. From Milan to Lake Iseo on the Sebino Express

For an easy autumn escape from Milan, board the Sebino Express at Milano Centrale and travel all the way to Lake Iseo. This heritage train features 1930s Centoporte and 1950s Corbellini carriages and is hauled by electric and steam locomotives.

The route heads towards the Bergamo area, crossing the Oglio River Regional Park between the rolling hills of Franciacorta and the foothills of the Alps. After Palazzolo sull’Oglio, the train follows the final stretch of the historic railway to Paratico-Sarnico, on the shores of Lake Iseo.

Once you arrive, you can spend the day strolling along the lakefront, exploring Sarnico and Paratico or discovering traces of the area’s railway history, including the old docks once used by barges carrying railway freight across the lake.

There’s another feature that makes this trip particularly appealing for families: bikes can travel free of charge in the dedicated luggage carriage, subject to availability. So you can step off the heritage train and continue exploring the lake on two wheels.

Special services are scheduled during autumn. As this is a heritage train with limited departures, check the Fondazione FS calendar and book ahead.

3. Take a heritage train from Milan to Alba

Autumn in the Langhe means vineyards, hills turning shades of gold and red, and the unmistakable aroma of truffles. And in October, you can reach Alba from Milan aboard a special heritage train.

Fondazione FS operates the Milan-Alba service on Sundays in October. The train leaves Milano Centrale in the morning and arrives in Alba around lunchtime, before heading back to Milan in the evening.

The journey takes place aboard the iconic Gran Confort carriages, with spacious interiors and tastings of local products along the way.

Once in Alba, there is no need for a car. The historic centre is easy to explore on foot and these dates coincide with one of the city’s most exciting times of year: the International Alba White Truffle Fair.

4. Ride the Renon Railway in South Tyrol

This is one of our favourite car-free family trips in Italy, because getting there is part of the fun: you’ll use three different forms of transport along the way.

First, take the train to Bolzano. From there, ride the cable car up to Soprabolzano, where you can board the historic Renon Railway for the journey across the plateau to Collalbo.

In autumn, the meadows, forests and mountains are transformed by seasonal colours, and the slow pace of the little train gives you plenty of time to enjoy the views. Once you get off, you can continue your day with a family-friendly walk across the plateau.

The Renon Railway runs all year round, making this one of the easiest trips on our list to organise without having to plan around a specific weekend.

5. Take the train to Marradi for the chestnut festival

On Sundays in October, you can travel to Marradi without a car and arrive just as this small Apennine town fills with the scent of roasted chestnuts.

Marradi, on the Tuscan side of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, is famous for its Marron Buono di Marradi chestnuts and hosts a traditional autumn market celebrating its best-known local product.

To make it easier to reach the festival by public transport, Tuscany’s regional authorities and Trenitalia have introduced additional regional trains on the Faentina railway, both from Tuscany and from Emilia-Romagna. One of the main additions in 2026 is a direct connection from Ravenna to Marradi.

From Firenze Santa Maria Novella, a train departs around 10.00 am, stops at Borgo San Lorenzo in less than a hour and reaches Marradi before midday. For the return journey, the 18:00 departure from Marradi arrives back in Florence at 19:42. Additional services also operate between Borgo San Lorenzo and Marradi.

From the Romagna side, you can leave Ravenna at 13:11, travel via Faenza at 13:44 and arrive in Marradi at 14:31. The return train leaves Marradi at 15:59 and reaches Ravenna at 17:17.

The festival takes place every Sunday in October. From Marradi station, the town centre is within easy walking distance, so you can spend the day browsing food stalls and markets, tasting chestnut specialities and enjoying activities for families, including a children’s village.

The journey itself is another highlight: the Faentina railway crosses the Apennines between Florence and Faenza, offering plenty of autumn scenery to enjoy from the window.

6. Autumn aboard the historic Ferrovia dei Parchi in Abruzzo

One of the most scenic autumn train journeys in central Italy is the Ferrovia dei Parchi, a historic railway that leaves Sulmona and crosses the Apennines through Abruzzo and Molise. The line covers 128 kilometres through high plateaus, forests, small villages and protected landscapes.

Autumn is an especially beautiful time to travel here, when the forests change colour. There are two main heritage train itineraries to choose from.

The Sulmona-Castel di Sangro route runs on the weekend in October and early November. Leaving Sulmona in the morning, the train crosses the Altipiani Maggiori d’Abruzzo before reaching Castel di Sangro.

The second route continues as far as Carovilli in Molise and runs on the weekend in October and early November. Once again, the journey starts in Sulmona and takes you slowly through the landscapes of the central Apennines.

You can experience the Ferrovia dei Parchi as a day trip, booking a return journey on the heritage train, or make a weekend of it. Packages combining an overnight stay in Sulmona with the train journey are also available.

And you don’t necessarily need a car to reach the starting point. Sulmona can be reached by regular train services from several Italian cities, although some journeys require a connection. The heritage train departs from the same station used by regular passenger services, making it possible to organise the entire trip by rail.

7. Ride the Treno della Sila in Calabria

Autumn train journeys aren’t limited to northern and central Italy. In Calabria, the Treno della Sila takes you through one of the region’s most beautiful mountain landscapes, surrounded by forests, high plateaus and small towns.

Travelling in vintage carriages is also a chance to discover a very different side of Calabria from the one most visitors associate with summer holidays. In autumn, the mountains take centre stage, with the forests of the Sila changing colour and cooler temperatures making it a great time to spend a day outdoors.

The calendar includes special autumn services on selected Sundays in October.

Bonus: spend an entire autumn weekend travelling by train with Family Night

What if, instead of a day trip, you turned your train journey into a car-free weekend in Italy with the kids?

With Intercity Notte, you can leave in the evening, sleep while you travel and wake up at your destination the following morning. When travelling long distances with children, this can be particularly convenient: you save valuable daytime hours and make the journey itself much more relaxing.

It’s a useful option for a weekend in an Italian city that is easy to explore on foot and by public transport. You arrive right in the city, without having to worry about hiring a car or finding somewhere to park. More info on the

Need an idea for your next trip? We suggest Turin.

Turin in autumn by overnight train

If you’re travelling from southern Italy, Turin can feel a long way away. But leave Salerno in the evening on an Intercity Notte, sleep on the train and you’ll wake up the next morning in the heart of the Piedmontese capital. For us, this is one of the biggest advantages of travelling overnight, especially when covering long distances.

And once you arrive, you won’t need a car. Turin is an excellent city to explore with kids using public transport and on foot.

Not sure where to start planning? Pack our Turin guide for kids. It’s designed as a game book that encourages children to explore the city, spot hidden details and discover stories and mysteries along the way. Instead of simply following the adults, the kids can help decide where the family goes next.

Autumn is a great season to visit Turin with children. You can combine outdoor walks through Valentino Park and the historic centre with museum visits, from the Egyptian Museum to the National Museum of Cinema. And if it rains, there are plenty of indoor family activities to choose from.

If you’re planning a trip in Turin, read also Free Things to Do in Turin with Kids.

Tips for travelling by train in Italy with kids

Travelling by train turns the journey itself into part of the day out. Children can watch the landscape change outside the window, move around more freely than they can in a car, read, play and perhaps even make new friends along the way.

For heritage trains and special services, our advice is to plan ahead. Seats are limited and many journeys operate only on selected weekends. Always check the latest timetable, booking requirements and any changes to the programme before setting off.