We are going to Venice in the fall. The train we hope to catch stops at the Mestre train station only. What are the options to get from there to Venice, and how easy or difficult is it. Thanks

It couldn't be any easier. Usually, you stay on the train (but maybe you are on one that stops in Mestre en route to/from Trieste? - - you don't say where you are coming from to get TO Venice) - - and the ride is about 5-8 minutes further to Venice Santa Lucia station. Even thought it sounds like you have to get off one and on another, it's no big deal.

Best wishes,

Rex

Agree with Rex. Get on the next train that goes all the way to Venice---incredibly easy.

We are coming from Milan and we can get a ticketless "ticket" via the internet. The ride ends in Mestre and not Santa Lucia. Is it a hassle to buy a ticket at the Mestre train station for the journey into Venice or, can we buy a ticket from Mestre to Venice at the Milan station?
Thanks

Most trains (probably 90%) from Milan to Venice continue on to the S.Lucia station. Rather than take the odd one that stops only at Mestre, I would advise choosing a different train.

You can buy a ticket all the way to S.L.in Milan and use it for the train that only goes to Maestre. Simply save your ticket and hop on one of the many "commuter" trains that travel back and forth from Maestre to S.L. IF they even ask to see your ticket again I'd be surprised...but if they do, it will obviously be valid since it covers the entire journey.

Thoms_Milligan rightly said : Most trains (probably 90%) from Milan to Venice continue on to the S.Lucia station. And even more (95 %?)trains from Trieste go to St.Lucia.

Are there any chance the train you are taking goes on to St.Lucia? Which one are you hoping to take? Timing/train number?

We wanted to take the ES 9497 Milan to Venice 26/09. The advatage of this train is we can purchase ticketless "tickets" from North America and don"t have to try and get them at the train station in Milan

As I recall, this switch is easy but there are stairs down and up the platforms, for it can be a royal pain if you can't easily carry your own luggage. (WE ended up helping some older women with their big suitcases.) So if you don't mind this, take whatever train you like, and switch. But if you are travelling with big or heavy luggage, consider a train that doesn't require a change at Mestre.

leuk,

Congratulatios! An inquiry here...

http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en

...reveals that you managed to find the ONLY Milano-Venizia train on that day that indeed requires a change at Mestre.

My advice would be: Don't buy your tickets until you get to Milano Centrale station. If there are lines, you can then buy them from an automated ticket machine with your credit card while your wife shops for some wine and cheese for the trip in the splendid market there.

Since there are frequent trains on this route, you'll probably spend less time waiting at the station for the "right" train (which, in this case, would be the "wrong" train).

For example, InterCity train IC 629 leaves Milan twenty minutes after ES 9497 and arrives at St. Lucia nineteen minutes after the "transfer" train from 9487/Mestre gets there. Or, if you get to Centrale early, IC 625 leaves fifty minutes before ES 9497 and arrives forty minutes earlier.

Just make sure that you DON'T select "ES 9497" as your train.


The inquiry above lists trains from Centrale to St. Lucia