Surfergirl

I'm debating whether to take the night train (ICN 774) which arrives at the miserable hour of just before 6 a.m. or taking the day train which takes up most of the day. There's actually several routes, one going through Rome, up the middle of the country and another heading over to Foggia and up the east side of Italy. If we go during the day, is the scenery going one route better or more interesting than another?

sera

With all the low-coast airlines these days, why not fly and save yourself time and probably money?

yk

Surfergirl-

I assume you meant to say going from NAPLES to Venice?
Like sera says, flying will be a lot faster, unless you have a lot of time to spare.

I looked at Trenitalia's schedule. The day train from Naples to Venice takes about 6-7hrs.
However, if you go from Naples to Foggia, then Foggia to Venice, that involves taking 4 trains, and total travel time is 11hrs. Well, I haven't taken the train up the Adriatic coast myself, so I don't know how scenie it is, and maybe it's worth the extra 4hrs on the train.
Are you departing from Sorrento or Naples? If you actually mean from Sorrento, you will have to add in another 1hr 10mins of CV train. It will be a loooooong day of commute, changing trains many times.

Surfergirl

We'll actually be leaving from Sorrento to Naples, then from Naples to Venice. I realize flying is faster/cheaper, but we're going by train.

Another route could be up the west coast of Italy to Pisa, then swing east and up.

From what I gather using a nearly 2 year old Thomas Cook guide for that time of year, there's a train that leaves Naples at about 10:30 with a change in Rome and arrives at about 5:30 in Venice (passing through Florence and Bologna). Can't remember what the scenery is like, because we did this route about 13 years ago.

GeoffHamer

There is an overnight train train from Napoli to Venezia, which unfortunately gets to Venezia at around 0530. However, a night train will still be quicker than any daytime train journey or a flight. It's not the time the journey takes which matters, but the amount of time wasted. The night train will allow you to have a day in Napoli, followed by a day in Venezia.

ben_haines_london

As you and Geoff Hamer say, there is a good overnight train, but it reaches Venice before six. The journey might start Sorrento 1822, Naples Circumvesuviana 1938, or if the train stops there, leave at FS station at 1933. Naples Central 2027, dinner in the restaurant car and to bed. For the morning I suggest you pay when you book a little extra for a fuller night. When your train reaches Venice you stay in bed, and reach Sacile at 0715. You quit the train, pick up coffee and sanwich, and leave Sacile southbound at 0826 on a slow train, where you wash, shave and breakfast and reach Venice Santa Lucia at 0943. Or with an extra change of train but a better breakfast and quicker arrival leave your night train at Pordenone at 0725, move fast to the Eurostar train at
0728, wash, shave and breakfast in the restaurant car, reach Venice Mestre at 0826, and take the next train in ten minutes to Venice Santa Lucia.

Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Europe.

Ben Haines

Surfergirl

Thanks Geoff and Thanks, Mr. Haines, I was considering doing just that. I looked on the German website and saw that we wouldn't be able to simply sleep in, as you can do at the end of the line sometimes, because the train takes off at 6:10. I guess the question then becomes, do they reconfigure the train and pull the sleeping car off at Venice S. Lucia, or does it remain hooked up heading back out.