Start here and scroll down to Overnight Trains: http://seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm#What%20are%20Italian%20trains%20like

Thanks!

Even if you end up with a cabin to yourselves, I suggest you take all manner of precaution you can with security on that route. Sleep wearing passports and other important credit cards, etc. Put your camera or Ipads in bed with your.

Personally, unless the cost savings are truly dramatic, I would fly.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187791-i22-k4771619-Night_train_to_Sicily-Rome_Lazio.html

I took the night train the other direction, Taormina to Milan via Rome - it is not a fancy night train - not a Hotel Train so expectd simple compartments unless new rolling stock recently. Keep your compartment locked from the inside always as conductors will exhort you to do and there should be no problems as even the conductor cannot open the bolt lock you should have on the inside of the compartment - and always leave someone inside when the other goes to the loo, etc.

Great sites for info on overnight trains - in addition to www.seat61.com (even though obnoxious banner ads are popping up everywhere still great info; and www.ricksteves.com and
http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id12.htlm

And buy that ticket as soon as possible as night trains on this route do sell out far in advance IME sometimes. As for flying consider taking the night train saves both time and money - time because you travel at night - flying even on short flights takes about a half a day all told - getting out to the airport, waiting for flights, bags, possible delayed planes, getting into town, etc. Train is seemless - drops you off at Taormina not some airport in Catania or Messina, still a ways out and you save on the cost of a hotel.

There are no beds on trains - just bunks - which are upper and lower (if the compartment is for 4). I'm not aware if they have compartments for just 2 - double check that you are not just getting 2 bunks in a compartment for 4 and sharing with 2 strangers.

If it were me I would fly and get a decent night's sleep in a real bed in a hotel.

Or take the day train instead. There are two night trains and one day train with no changes.

There are actually two Trenitalia daylight trains between Siracusa-Catania-Taormina-Messina and Salerno-Napoli-Roma Termini. Fares as low as 9 Euros with the SUPER ECONOMY fare.

I took the day train from Naples to Taormina. It was very slow, and the scenery on the mainland became very repetitive. I am a train fan, and I wanted to ride the train onto the ferry, but if you are not a train fan I would not recommend the day train.

I am not sure what nytraveler means about bunks as opposed to beds. You get to lie flat, with bed linen. This night train has couchettes, for four people, and sleeping compartments, for three. You could buy all three berths in a sleeper if you insist on privacy. As a solo traveler I have traveled in three person sleepers and four and even six person couchettes, sharing with strangers, without problems. In Europe you share with people of the same sex, so as a couple I suppose you would be better off buying all three berths in a sleeper.

There is also a night ferry from Naples.

The OP asked about one bed for two people (which would be a double bed) or two beds. Beds and bunks are NOT the same. I don't know what the OP is thinking - only what they said. If you have not been on a train overnight - you might think you get actual beds (which are way bigger than berths).

This is no an issue if you are a small person - but if you are tall and/or large you might want to know that this is more like sleeping on someone's sofa than like a double bed.

And sorry - the OP is going from Rome to Taormina - not the reverse.

>>>Do we pick the "posto doppio comparti. intero"? <<<

I only see four person couchettes as an option. What is the train number?

Not sure where you're looking, kybourbon, but on trenitalia I see more than that.

I picked a random date in Feb, and the Intercity night train, 1955, leaving Roma Termini at 21:20 shows Compartimento 3 letti - male, female or "intero". I believe the OP should book the latter, three times (having started by specifying three adults), but I would read what seat61.com has to say on the subject.

Hi

Another vote for flying. I had a look at www.kayak.com. Around $110 one way for 2 adults. Don't know how if that's more expensive than the train but the difference would be a few "arancini rice balls" in the scheme of things . It's a 1.5 hour flight approx. I would rather spend an extra night in Taormina rather than a train carriage!

Go to www.trenitalia.com and swicth it to English.

Run the enquiry, and find and select the direct ICN sleeper train from Rome to Taormina.

Now change the accommodation type to 'Double seat compartment' which is a poor translation but it means a 2-bed sleeper. You'll get one to yourselves. See if there's a cheap fare by selecitng cheaper frae types in the More fares box.

These 1, 2 and 3 bed sleepers do indeed have proper comfortable beds and a washbasin, it's cosy and safe, with a security lock on the door that cannot be undone from outside even with a staff key. There's CCTV in the corridor, too, if it's working, on these refurbished sleepers.

Never fly when visiting somewhere if you actually want to see and experience it, flying robs you of all experience, as well as doing unnecessary harm to the environment. Flights are for business travellers in a mad rush.

This will be an interesting experience, especially the whole train is shunted onto a train ferry for the crossing to Sicily. I wish I was going, and this opportunity again!

I loved the night train from Milano to Palermo. The conductor woke me up to tell me we were on the ferry and led me upstairs to see the view. I felt like I was returning to the old country, even though I'm not from there

>>>Not sure where you're looking, kybourbon, but on trenitalia I see more than that.<<<

Not sure either. I've tried a couple of ways on the Trenitalia website. They upgraded the site two weeks ago and it's not easy to find what you want. A lot of pages are still Italian only (even ones that were English before the upgrade).

>>>Now change the accommodation type to 'Double seat compartment' which is a poor translation but it means a 2-bed sleeper. You'll get one to yourselves. See if there's a cheap fare by selecitng cheaper frae types in the More fares box.<<<

Except Trenitalia is not letting it book that way. Perhaps you haven't navigated this on the upgraded website. The wording choice is posto doppio. With that choice you can pick either uomo, donna, compart.intero or singola. If you have selected your cities, date, number of travelers and select compart.intero, Trenitalia tries to book two compartments. It also has you select whether you want communicated apartments, but that appears to book two separate ones with connecting doors.

>>>Never fly when visiting somewhere if you actually want to see and experience it, flying robs you of all experience, as well as doing unnecessary harm to the environment. Flights are for business travellers in a mad rush.<<<
>>>This will be an interesting experience, especially the whole train is shunted onto a train ferry for the crossing to Sicily.<<<

I would fly (cheaper/faster), but I'm not obsessed with trains and would rather spend my limited vacation time actually at my destination. It wouldn't be interesting to me to have all that noise and commotion while I'm trying to sleep.

There is indeed a posto doppio choice. But if you scroll down you get to Compartimento 3 letti.

If you have a compartment to yourselves there shouldn't be much noise and commotion, at least until you get to the ferry. And if you're asleep you're not wasting vacation time.

IF you have a compartment to yourselves. It dosn;t sound like the OP wants to share a compartment with a stranger. And I don't know if you can buy all 3 berths for 2 people - even if you are willing to pay for accommodations for 3 people.

Three letti means 3 beds. And I suggest the OP have a look at the compartment images to see what the "beds" are like.

Why would you look at a 3 bed compartment if you only need two (doppio = double)?

These are the selections:

Posto Doppio - Uomo
Posto Doppio - Donna
Posto Doppio - Compart. Intero
Posto - Singolo
Cuccette C4 Comfort-Promiscuo
Cuccette C4 Comfort - Donna
Cuccette C4 Comfort-Compart. Intero
Compartimento 3 letti - Uomo
Compartimento 3 letti - Donna
Compartimento 3 letti - Intero

If you select either doppia compartment intero or 3 letti intero, you then get this:

***Reservation change allowed before departure. Refund not allowed. Limited seats [Complete compartment service can be acquired or modified only if the travelers number is equivalent to the compartment seats number]***

It doesn't seem to let you add the 2nd person to either choice. It adds another compartment.

After rereading seat61.com it does look like they want Posto Doppio - Compart. Intero. (Am amused by Cuccette C4 Comfort - Promiscuo, although it only means mixed sex.)

If you book using www.fsitaliane.com you get more English, and a specific option to book the entire compartment. On trenitalia, if you start by specifying two passengers, and select PD-CI for both, you get the second passenger for less, and from the seat assignment I believe they are both in the same compartment. However, trenitalia is notably cheaper for what appears to be the same accommodation.

I think we need more help from Man_in_seat_61

thursday - What date are you searching? I've tried looking at the old version. In some instances, it's rolling over to the new version. It's not showing that these can be booked after the first of the year (shows N/A).

Thanks everyone. We wanted to do the train experience. We have been going to Italy for many years and wanted to try the overnight experience but many of the reviews and your suggestions make us question that choice. We may just fly to Catania from Rome. We will be renting a car in Sicily and driving back to Calabria when we leave Sicily and will experience the ferry from Messina then. Thanks again. Happy Holidays!

kybourbon - Feb 14.

Doppio is a double (2-bed) sleeper, and intero means 'whole' or 'entire', so that's what you want.

I've been on at them for years to change the 'double seat compartment' mis-translation, so that's good if they've simplified it, but not so good if it's now in Italian!

I find Google Chrome's built-in automatic translationa facility fab for understanding foreign websites. Youll never be stumped by a site in a foreign language again!