Hi,

Will there be enough storage space on a Eurostar train(from Venice - Florence - Rome) if my family and I travel with 3 or 4 samsonite luggages plus 3 carry-ons?

Also, which train station is nearest to Venice: Venezia Mestre or Venezia S. Lucia?

Thanks in advance!

Hanuman,
Yes, there should be plenty of room on either end of the car to put your stuff in the luggage racks. However stick to three just to be safe. S. Lucia is the station you want. Make sure you buy tickets to there, Mestre is the stop before and is the industrial side of the city, NOT the canals.

Regarding the luggage, I would try and travel a lot lighter. There may be room at the end of the carriage to put your suitcases but you won't be able to keep any eye on them. There are overhead luggage racks above the seats but they are not that big and you do have to lift your luggage over your head on to the rack, often with people waiting behind you in the aisle to get past. You also have to heave all your luggage up narrow stairs on to the train and the aisles are quite narrow too. You'll find you can do with a lot less luggage than you think and you'll be happier with less to lug around.
Kay

I would minimize the amount of luggage you're taking. A year ago, our Eurostar never arrived in Venice, and we were put on a local train from Venice to Milan, where there was very little space for people, never mind luggage. Although this is an extreme example, remember too that most European train stations involve a lot of climbing up and down stairs to platforms, so you'll be miserable with all that luggage.

Good luck!

Also noticed on our recent trip to Italy that some cars had very limited luggage space at one end, but normal racks at the other. One of you might want to check to be sure you are boarding the train at a car end that has maximum space.

The luggage should not be a problem unless you're going to be getting on and off trains just about every day. There's a few minutes of scurrying about when getting onto and off of the train to stow and retrieve your luggage, but it's not any big deal. But if you are going to be moving about a lot, then the less luggage you have, the better.

I travel with 1 large suitcase and a carry-on but I use a daypack as my carry-on. Makes getting around everywhere (airports, trains, in-transit, etc) alot easier.
If you want to spring for 1st class tickets there's more room and usually less people.
Regards, Walter

We found that our large 30" suitcase was a struggle on trains and even in autos...and will never go with us again to Europe.

We brought such a large suitcase since we were bringing gifts to family and needed the space. Next time, smaller gifts and smaller suitcases.

Unfortunately, the OVERHEAD luggage racks on most Eurostar Italia trains do not accommodate large, corpulent luggage. Sometimes, you can wedge luggage between the back of the seats; otherwise, you're limited to the (very small) luggage racks at the ends of each rail car (and these fill up quickly). In first class, these luggage racks are much larger, and I would definitely recommend first class if traveling with lots of large suitcases. On Italian Intercity trains (those with individual compartments seating six), the luggage racks can accommodate large suitcases (assuming you have the strength to lift them!!)

How large are these 3 or 4 Samsonite suitcases and do they have wheels?

It's not the space on the train so much, although that's a consideration, it's getting them on & off (platform, up steep narrow steps, into car, onto shelf, or overhead rack of your seat).

Also how many are in your family? I would not have more than 2 bags per person, and ones that they can easily lift/carry themselves, both at once.

For train stations, S. Lucia the one you need for Venice. Mestre is on the mainland.

For the first time in my life I finally bit the bullet and actually packed less stuff than usual for our family of two adults and two children. We must have eleven very large suitcase, but I went out and bought two small cases on wheels at TJMaxx or maybe it was Marshalls. They measure approx. 26in X 17in and have wheels. Everything fit just fine. Each kid carried on their school back pack and the adults each had a small/light carry on. Let me tell you, it made all the difference. Wash the clothes you bring as you need too and then buy whatever you are missing once you are at your destination. Getting on and off trains with kids is not easy and struggeling with luggage makes it hellish. Getting in and out or vaporetti in Venice will not be a picnic with all of those bags. They will only slow you down and cause you grief. Pack light and enjoy your trip.