Gosh, am I getting frustrated!

I am traveling with my mother and nephew to Italy in May. This their first trip to Italy. It is my nephew's first trip abroad, so I really want it to be special.
I am acting as the travel coordinator..

We are traveling from Chicago to Venice for 4 nights then meeting up with a group of friends, in Rome, for 9 nights.

The choices are taking the train from Venice to Rome or flying Ryanair from Treviso to Rome.

The dilema: The Ryanair flight departs Treviso at 8:20. How do we get from Venice (Dorsorduro area) to the airport by 6:30?
I have searched the transportation websites, emailed Ryanair, and still can't get a direct answer.

It probably is best to take the train but I want to be sure.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!

I can't help you with the flying part of your question, but I can tell you that the train is a great way to go. We took the Eurostar from Rome to Venice during the day and then the overnight train from Venice to Naples and loved it. We slept the whole way to Naples and woke up without losing any of our travel days.

I did check www.trenitalia.com for you and, as an example, there is a train that leaves at 12:04 am and arrives at 6:56 am. It does not arrive at Termini but at Tiburtina.

Also, if you wanted to travel by day, the Eurostar only takes 4.5 hours and leaves at various times throughout the day ad arrives at Termini in Rome.

One word of caution though, some times the train system goes on strike. As far as I know the strikes are almost always organized and they are posted ahead of time on the web. I no longer have that link, but you would do well to check with someone here for that before you book tickets to avoid getting stranded.

We wound up stranded when the trains went on strike and we were traveling from Naples back to Rome. They did offer us bus transportation but it was a horrible day needless to say.

Hope this offers you some help.

By clicking on "Destinations" on the ryanair.com website, you _can_find this timetable, but it sure limks you through quite an obstacle course to find it!

http://www.atvo.it/orari/pdf_airport/Ryanair.pdf

This leaves Piazzale Roma at 6:25 am and arrives TSF at 7:10 am, which evidently is early enough to make your fight (these buses are intentionally scheduled to meet specific departures and/or arrivals).

Still, I might recommend the train as well.... sleep a litte later (if you wish), shlepp your luggage not one iota more, and still be in Rome for lunch (again, if you wish).

Whether you go by train or plane, you still will want to have tour hotel advise you on getting from Dorsoduro to FS Santa Lucia or Pzle Roma at that hour (likely by water taxi, but there are cheaper options). If all else fails (for example, horrendous fog), your hotel should adjust your wake-up call... as you _can_ walk from Dorsoduro. A good thirty minutes (or more, if your luggage is too burdensome), but it can be done.

Best wishes,

Rex

There is a 5 a.m train from Venice Santa Lucia at 5 in the winter and probably somthing similar in summertime, you will need to get a taxt from Dorsoduro to the station or walk it (10-15 minutes). Treviso in 31 minutes and a watertaxi from there to the station (but if you can book it at that time it would possibly be better). Good luck, franci

IMO it IS better to take the train, especially since it will get you to the center of Rome rather than to an outlying airport where you again have to get further transport to the meeting point.

Plus, there is the possible complicating factor of checked luggage weight restrictions when flying within Europe.

Is it worth it and when you add up all the extra time of getting to the airport a couple of hours early and the further time of transport on the arrival end?

Hi Kellee - Train definitely wins on this route.

Flying will save you neither time nor money ...

Steve

Thank You Everyone!

Train it is!

What about taking a couple of nights for a stop-over in Florence? Train Venice- Florence, then Florence-Rome. You could do Venice 3 nights, Florence 2 nights, Rome 8 nights.
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