Hi - traveling in late May and we will be in Munich and will want to get to Venice. What is the best way to get there? I hear it's a whole day of driving.
How long is the train?
Or how expensive is it to fly?
THX for any suggestions.

It is about 7 hours and a few minutes by train, with a change in Verona on some connections from Munich to Venice.

A car is not of much use in Venice, and expensive to park.

I suggest taking the train. Others may have other ideas.

Given airport commute times, flying is not much faster.

We have traveled by car from Venice to Munich. It was a beautiful trip. Spent one nite in the Dolomites... one in Innsbruk(sp?) and the last in Salzburg. If your time is limited the train option is probably the best. You'll be deposited right on the Grand Canal. Getting in from the airport is a bit of a trial.

By train. Check http://bahn.de for schedules. Some trains "through coaches", in other words YOU have don't have to change trains,but the coach changes train.

The car trip can be very scenic (depending on the route you take), but then you have to park your car in Venice (expensive), and -unless you want to drive the car back to Germany- you have to pay a high drop-off charge.

Zuma - The drive through the Dolomites is spectacular - much more scenic than the train.

Steve

And, unfortunately, the drop-off charges for a car going from one country to another are more expensive than the train, too!

Best way to do it is by night train. You save one night's hotel expense and you gain a whole extra day of sightseeing. You may not be able to see the countryside on the night train, but Venice trumps any train's scenery.

Thank you all for the very helpful information!!

The Eurocity (EC) train "Tiepolo" goes direct from Munich to Venice in about 7 hrs. WITHOUT any change whatsoever. It passes through Innsbruck, Brennero, Bressanone, Bolzano, Trento, Rovereto, Verona, Vicenza, Padova and Mestre before terminating at Venezia S. Lucia. It's the very best DAY train available. Other trains require a change in Verona. There are also night trains, if that is of interest to you.

I took a night train in August 2002 and I did not have to change trains at all. I believe it left Munich around midnight and we arrived very early in Venice - perhaps 7-8am.
The train was OVERFLOWING with people (many backpackers), so definitely reserve a compartment in advance.

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