London Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit Visitors' guide to travelling to and from Venice by train
The basics of stations and station transfers in Venice and getting the best value tickets
The train station for Venice is called Santa Lucia Railway Station and is located at the western tip of Venice, just where the causeway from the mainland makes landfall.
The railway shares the causeway with the main road which comes to an abrupt end next to Santa Lucia Railway Station.
Here are the car parks for Venice, the bus station and the cruise terminals too. In short, for most people arriving at Venice the area around Venice Santa Lucia Railway Station is where they will arrive.
Venice Santa Lucia railway station
Venice Santa Lucia Railway Station is the end of the line, a terminus station with local, regional and high speed train services.
Facilities within the station are cramped with the usual selection of ticketing and eating and drinking options.
Once you fight your way through the crowds in the station the front doors open out onto a wide square and you get your first glimpse of Venice in all its glory, complete with the Grand Canal.
There is a tourist office here, water bus stops and footbridges over to the bus station, car parks and beyond.
Left luggage
There is a large left luggage office within the station, open from 6am to 11pm.
There is a flat fee for the first five hours, then an hourly fee after that and there is a maximum weight of 20kg/44lbs for any piece of luggage.
There are other independent left luggage offices over the bridge from the station around the bus station.
Exploring Venice from Santa Lucia station
From here to explore Venice you have two options:
- Explore by foot - we include notes on the main walking route from the station to St Mark's Square via Rialto Bridge.
There is a tourist office here where you can grab a map and ask any questions you may have.
- Explore by water - An extensive water bus service has its hub at Santa Lucia Station and is the only way to get to the outer islands, but the main route goes straight down the Grand Canal to its end at St Mark's Square.
Mestre station
If you have one eye on the wallet considering a hotel in Mestre rather than Venice itself is well worth considering.
As well as the cash savings of selecting a hotel in Mestre rather than Venice it will probably also mean a lot less stressful final leg to your hotel check-in.
Hotels in Mestre - more details
Nearly every train that visits Venice Santa Lucia Railway Station also stops at Venice Mestre Railway Station including the high speed inter city trains to places like Florence, Milan and Rome.
Mestre is a major railway station and junction with extensive platforms, ticketing halls and places to eat and drink. It has no left luggage facility. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the vicinity and a tram to the centre of town.
Venice airport transfers
The two main airports for Venice; Marco Polo Airport and Treviso Airport both have dedicated airport bus services between both airports and Mestre and Venice. There is no train link to either airport.
TrenItalia train fares & timetables in Italy
For the visitor to Italy who wants to tour independently, the TrenItalia website will become a second home. In Italy what scheduled coach network there is, is fragmented and piecemeal. The main alternative to rail on the longer distance journeys are the low cost budget airlines.
Note: When using on-line ticketing and travel planning systems they use the Italian name of Venice, which is Venezia.
The TrenItalia website has English language pages and timetables and on-line advance e-ticketing where you can also reserve seat numbers. On some shorter urban journeys it is not possible to buy tickets on-line.
Getting the best fares
By planning in advance your rail travel needs it really does pay to look at fares and timetables at the time you are planning your trip. Even on the high speed trains there are some fantastic fares to be had if you buy well in advance and are willing to be flexible on exact travel times.
Trenitalia Rome
• Cheapest advance purchase fares • Pay by credit card • Instant confirmations • Timetables
Venice train connections
Venice (both Mestre and Santa Lucia Railway Stations) are major Italian rail hubs of both the high speed trains and the regional and standard train services. From Venice it is very easy to get to any major city or town in Italy
Regional rail lines from Florence include direct services to Padova, Verona, Treviso and Bologna.
Outline map of high speed trains from Venice & indicative travel times
Hotels in Venice
For a selection of recommended hotels in Venice see our dedicated page.
