There is only one train company serving the Venice-Florence route: the national railroad "TRENITALIA".

For this trip the best bet is the Eurostar service.

2nd class (which on Eurostar is quite nice) tickets will run €30 or €40 per person (depending on departure time, most departure times will be €30) for a non-refundable ticket purchased in advance.

Use the Italian train station names when buying over the Trenitalia website (Firenze S. M. Novella for Florence and Venezia S. Lucia for Venice).

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ad1ce14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD

"Mini" is a limited number of tickets for a given run that allows a 50% refund and you can change the ticket if you pay a fee.

"Base" is a regular ticket, fully refundable, and you can make one ticket change with no fee.

There is also a "Familia" ticket for those traveling with children.

If you are sure you can leave Florence at a certain time (it sounds like you can), then you should get the "Mini" ticket - it's cheaper. But you need to do it before all the "Mini" fares for your train are gone. You also get a lower price generally the earlier you purchase them so go on and buy your tickets 60 days before the date of the train ride (that's the soonest you can purchase them).

>>>There is only one train company serving the Venice-Florence route: the national railroad "TRENITALIA".<<<

That is no longer true. There is a private train company now serving the major stations in Italy with brand new, modern trains. It's Italo Rail. Since they are new, they only have limited runs currently. There are five runs per day between Florence/Venice on Italo.
http://www.ntvspa.it/en/ntv-routes-italo/254/3/high-speed-railways-italy-city-time-frequency-travel

>>>"Mini" is a limited number of tickets for a given run that allows a 50% refund and you can change the ticket if you pay a fee.
"Base" is a regular ticket, fully refundable, and you can make one ticket change with no fee.<<<

These fare structures are changing on Trenitalia as of June 10 and there will no longer be Mini fares. See this thread.
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/trenitalia-to-introduce-a-major-fare-restructuring-effective-june-10-2012.cfm

Thank you all for your advice and input. I do see a Trenitalia train on 2 October at 12:25 arriving in Venice at 14:33pm. It took me awhile (befor your assistance) to figure out Florence was Firenze and Venice was Venezia. But I do remember we parked at the Santa Maria Novella train station last time and then I looked up Santa Lucia.

This is the last step in our trip to take care of and as ususal you are all helpful.

For most of the day, there are two fast trains per hour between Florence and Venice on Trenitalia. Italo offers five runs per day.
http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx

Pat, if Muzzy is your husband's last name tell him I said "Hi Cuz" .

If so, it's a rare English name that traces back to a 1640's arrival in Mass. and it's almost a certainty everyone with that name is related.

And to the 'Battle of Lexington' (The shot heard around the World and Paul Revere's unsucessful ride) and the start of the American Revolution.

Have A Wonderful Trip! Regards, Walter

If you book the 12:25 train today on the Trenitalia site, you can get a Super Economy fare of €19.00. The Economy fare is €29.00 and the Base (standard) 2nd class fare is €43.00.

I don't think the new Italo service between Florence and Venice has started yet. When you go to the Italo booking page that route is not an option.

We just took the train last week from Venice to Florence. Bought 2nd class tickets on line - that class was perfectly fine. Station was fine, train on-time, seats comfortable - all assigned - and adequate luggage storage. We speak no Italian and had no difficulty navigating the station.

Paridise Lost/Walter - actually, it's my name. I didn't change it when I got married. So Hi Cuz. Love the information you provided and actually I knew some of it as I do live now in Massachusetts and have seen the Muzzey High School and Muzzey Street.

Tim S - Thank you and that is exactly the train I booked. The 12:25 arriving in Venice at 14:33pm and it cost the 19 euros. Any luggage advice? I reserved the 1st row seats.

Gail - very good to know. Love exploring and trying new things. Thank you.

>>>Any luggage advice? I reserved the 1st row seats.<<<

I don't like the first few seats as they often don't have tables (only drop down trays like on planes) like the other seats. Depending on which end of the train car you selected, you are either by the bathrooms or luggage bin. You can also store your luggage overhead or behind your seat (possibly not the ones with pull down trays). Here's a pic of 2nd class on the fast trains. The white area behind the seat will hold a large duffel or a 24-25" suitcase on the floor. Just slide it in the space. Otherwise, put it in the bin at the end. These trains only make one or two stops so you don't have to worry about your luggage disappearing except then.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Frecciarossainterno.jpg

Thank you for the picture. I am afraid of the train station. How to be sure to validate my tickets and then find the platform and my car and seat. Unfortunately, I already have the first row. Advice to ease my fears??

Is one train better than the other? Frecciargento vs Frecciarossa?

>>>How to be sure to validate my tickets<<<

The only tickets that need to be validated before boarding are the for the slow R trains. The faster trains (AV,ES,ESCity,IC) are reserved seating and don't have to be validated. Your ticket will be checked on board.

>>>find the platform and my car and seat<<<

Your ticket has a train number on it along with class, car and seat numbers. On the departure boards at the station, look for your train number and binario (track) number. Typically, the first couple of cars will be 1st class so you might have a trek to get to the 2nd class cars. All the cars are numbered on the outside. Most of the AV trains are in the stations about 15 minutes so boarding shouldn't be a problem. Find your car # and get on.

>>>Is one train better than the other? Frecciargento vs Frecciarossa<<<

You won't have that as a choice as it depends on route and which train serves a particular route. You can click on the trains to see which routes they serve.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f4e43bf7c819a110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD

There is a choice from Florence to Roma. I tried to see the interior or seating of the 2 types, but was not able to do that Seems I read somewhere one was better than the other think it was Frecciarossa. Was hoping someone has ridden on both . Thanks

The OP's thread is about Florence/Venice (not Florence/Rome) which is only frecciargento.

As for Florence/Rome, it can't really matter much for a 90 minute ride. I would base my selection on time I wanted to travel, not minor differences in these trains. You may get a newer or older train or older trains that have been upgraded. Some AV trains have been upgraded to add more classes and some are in the process. You may select a train now that hasn't been upgraded that may be upgraded by the time you travel. Even at that, it won't mean much difference (if any) for 2nd class as the upgrades are directed at the higher classes (executive/business/premium).

ttt

Thank you! We leave in 2 days. Only trauma is our first row premium economy seats we selected -aisle and window- were fine until 2 days ago. Now we are in a middle row. My husbands double knee replacements don't bend all the way and I am claustrophobic. I hope the airline keeps it's promise to give us back our seats.

pmuzzy---there has been some chatter about a train strike in Italy on Oct 2nd and the 14th. I don't know if that will be a problem for you but just want you to be aware. I'm following information on slowtravel because we have train reservations for the 14th. Just wanted you to know of the possibility. Deborah

Deborah - Did you check your train to see if it's a strike proof one?

Kybourbon, I checked and it is not one of the protected trains. We have tickets for Venice to Florence on the 14th. At that point in our travels we are with another couple so we have reserved a rental car in case our train is cancelled

It seems like the transportation trades looked at my travel plans to decide on their strike dates in October. My travels coincide with every strike day, Oct 2, Oct 14, and Oct 26th Fortunately, we only got caught on the 14th. Deborah