Will be travelling to Venice, Italy for the first time in October of 2008, arriving 11:40 a.m. and take a train to Rome same day. Should I purchase and reserve train tickets through trenitalia before I leave or will I be able to purchase a 1st class ticket for the day I arrive in Venice at the airport with plenty of seats available?

rose g

Will you be coming back to Venice?

There are a lot of trains, including Eurostar Italia. ESI requires a reservation and costs more. If you are in time the 12:32 has a diner. The next at 14:32 only has a bar car. Don't know if you can reserve this far out but I wouldn't bother.

Hi Rose,

Once you arrive in Venice you will need to give yourself about 30 to 60 minutes to get out of the airport. You will then need to get to the train station in Mestre. You can take a taxi (not a boat) or a bus. This will take about 15-20 minutes.

Once at the Mestre station you should be able to purchase your tickets for Rome. If it was me, I would give myself 2 hours between my flight arrival and train departure. Be sure to grab sandwichs, fruit and beverages at the airport or train station to take with you on the train.

In regards to seats available- you should be okay, but hey, you never know. To play it safe you can purchase your tickets online, but no earlier than 60 days prior to the date of your trip.

I have to ask- is there a particular reason why you are not flying into Rome?

Thanks for your replies. I would have preferred flying into Rome but am using Delta FF sky saver which did not allow for a flight into Rome. Will stay one week in Rome and the second week in Venice with an occasional side trip.

rose g

Sounds like a great trip Rose. Happy travels!

Zoe

Enjoy your visit, V.

I suggest that you buy your tickets to and from Rome when you get to Mestre.

Train schedules, prices and tickets are at www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html