Trains from Milan to Venice

[kellyccz]

We are planning on flying into Milan and taking the train into Venice for our August MSC Armonia cruise. The airfare is $200 cheaper per person to fly into Milan, and from what I was able to decipher from the trenitalia website - it'll only cost around $30 each way to Venice from Milan. We are staying one day post-cruise, so we plan on getting off the ship and taking the train back to Milan and staying the night there.

 

My question is has anyone done this before? Do you have to purchase tickets online ahead of time or can you just purchase when you arrive? The website is difficult to figure out - I can only get so far on the English version - if I stay in the Italian version - it lets me go a lot further. I know some Italian but not enough to figure it all out. Also, is there anything we should know about or be aware of when doing this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[elin]

Hi Kelly,

We took the train from Venice to Milan (to connect through to Stresa) summer of 2004 after our Med. cruise.

We booked the tickets in advance with our travel agent here. You can also buy tickets at the train station, but this was easier for us to do (my Italian is limited, and I could get by purchasing tickets, but I could call my TA and get her to make all the arrangements for me).

The Milan train station is pretty busy. Venice is a "last stop" but you might want to check when you get there.

There is a great little supermarket in the train station. Pick up some grilled paninis, beer, and wine in the tetra packs (3 for $2.10 Euros which surprisingly is not bad) and have a little picnic on the train.

Enjoy!

Elin

[glenneagle]

My Son Has Done This

You Have To Change Trains As There Is No Direct Rain

.also The Timetable Is Not Accurate. You Can Buy Tickets At The Station Before You Board.hope This Helps

[kdowneymd]

We did this last summer for a family of five and it was quite easy. I used the eurorail website and booked directly including reserved seats (which are necessary) otherwise no guarantee of a seat even though you have a ticket. The tickets were delivered to my home by Fedex two days later. There is absolutely a direct train (it does make stops). We took the fast train (the eurostar) and it was very comfortable and right on time. The Milan station seems huge but is actually fairly well organized. The little grocery is a great place to get food and drink for the train. I speak no Italian but do speak fluent French. However, everything was easy to follow in English and there were excellent English speaking employees at the station. In Venice you arrive and can get transportation to the ship easily. Do not worry, it really isn't that complicated

[Artemis]

There are many direct trains daily making the Milan-Venice-Milan run. You will pay the most if you buy through RailEurope or a stateside TA, but that's probably the most reassuring way to do it.

 

For more info on Italian trains, including helpful information about buying your train tickets online, see: http://www.slowtrav.com/Italy/trains/index.htm

[kellyccz]

Thank you EVERYONE for the very helpful info. Now I feel much more confident about this area of our trip. I very much appreciate all the wonderful advice.

[kellyccz]

One more question though - when trying to purchase the tickets - it asks which station in Venice (Venezia Mestre or Venezia S. Lucia) - which one do I pick? Also, when picking Milan - there are even more stations - Centrale, Lambrate, P. Garibal, Rogoredo - How do I figure out where these areas are?

 

If it helps, in Venice - we are staying in a hotel off the grand canal - about a 10 minute walk from St. Mark's - so we would want the station near there.

 

For Milan, we will be leaving from our hotel (the one we plan on staying at)which is pretty much right at the airport - just a few minutes away. Is it possible to get a train from the airport or are we better off staying in downtown Milan somewhere where we will be closer to the train?

[Sunnyside]

One more question though - when trying to purchase the tickets - it asks which station in Venice (Venezia Mestre or Venezia S. Lucia) - which one do I pick? Also, when picking Milan - there are even more stations - Centrale, Lambrate, P. Garibal, Rogoredo - How do I figure out where these areas are?

 

If it helps, in Venice - we are staying in a hotel off the grand canal - about a 10 minute walk from St. Mark's - so we would want the station near there.

 

For Milan, we will be leaving from our hotel (the one we plan on staying at)which is pretty much right at the airport - just a few minutes away. Is it possible to get a train from the airport or are we better off staying in downtown Milan somewhere where we will be closer to the train?

 

The main station in Venice : Venezia S. Lucia, probably all the trains from Milan to Venice depart from Milano Centrale, which is the main station.

 

Have Fun.

[kellyccz]

Thank you Sunnyside - that helps.

 

I am trying to buy my tickets online for Eurostar - on the trenitalia website - but it says No in the area where you click to purchase for all the trains in my time area - in fact never saw a yes for that day, although I did only look so far. The link with the info on trains for Italy says that means those tickets cannot be purchased online and must be purchased directly at the station or from an agent. But if I go to the RailEurope website, it will let you purchase a reserved seat there - just for a higher cost.

 

Anyone experience this?

[Pav]

kellyccz, you may not be able to do the online transaction because I believe you can only buy them within a 60 day period. If you feel like experimenting, try plugging in travel dates inside a 60 day time frame and more than 60 days out. You will get pricing and availability for the dates within the 60 days, but beyond that, you will get the message that you cannot purchase them online.

[JLC@SD]

We are planning on flying into Milan and taking the train into Venice for our August MSC Armonia cruise. The airfare is $200 cheaper per person to fly into Milan, and from what I was able to decipher from the trenitalia website - it'll only cost around $30 each way to Venice from Milan. We are staying one day post-cruise, so we plan on getting off the ship and taking the train back to Milan and staying the night there.

 

My question is has anyone done this before? Do you have to purchase tickets online ahead of time or can you just purchase when you arrive? The website is difficult to figure out - I can only get so far on the English version - if I stay in the Italian version - it lets me go a lot further. I know some Italian but not enough to figure it all out. Also, is there anything we should know about or be aware of when doing this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Have you checked into where the airport in Milan is located.....Malpensa is quite a way from Milan and will require a train trip to get to Milan. And the Malpensa Express does not end in the same station that the train to Venice leaves from. Here is their website:

 

http://www.ferrovienord.it/webmxp/

 

We went from Venice to Milan and you can get tickets at the station the day you depart. I highly suggest you travel first class, as you will have a separate compartment for 6 and can store your luggage more easily. Send class is too crowded.

[kellyccz]

Pav - thank you - I never thought of that.

 

JLC - that information is very helpful. I knew that the airport was like 45 minutes or so outside of Milan. I did not know that there was a train that went between Milan and the airport.

 

I wanted to buy the tickets ahead of time due to reading in several places that you should definitely have reserved seats purchased in advance in August due to how busy that month is in Italy. We did definitely plan on travelling first class.

 

So, if I understand what you are saying, we will land in Milan, get our baggage and take the Malpensa Express from the airport to downtown Milan. Then we will need to take a taxi to get to the appropriate train station to catch our train to Venice? About how much time would you allot for this from the time you jump on the train at the airport to get to the train for Venice?

 

Thank you so much for everyone's help with this. I would've been lost without this information.

[aclay]

Hi all

we'll be arriving in Venice by train from Milan on May 22nd and will be heading straight to the port to board the Golden Princess.

So is Venezia S. Lucia the train station closest to the ship?

cheers

[JLC@SD]

Pav - thank you - I never thought of that.

 

JLC - that information is very helpful. I knew that the airport was like 45 minutes or so outside of Milan. I did not know that there was a train that went between Milan and the airport.

 

I wanted to buy the tickets ahead of time due to reading in several places that you should definitely have reserved seats purchased in advance in August due to how busy that month is in Italy. We did definitely plan on travelling first class.

 

So, if I understand what you are saying, we will land in Milan, get our baggage and take the Malpensa Express from the airport to downtown Milan. Yes, there is a station for the train at the airport. Then we will need to take a taxi You should check the Metro Map, we took the Metro (Underground) about 3 stops to get between the two stations. You will have to deal with bags on the Metro or you can take the taxi, it is not far. to get to the appropriate train station to catch our train to Venice? About how much time would you allot for this from the time you jump on the train at the airport to get to the train for Venice? I would plan on at least a couple of hours. Check the Malpensa Train schedule, they will tell you how far apart the trains depart.

 

Thank you so much for everyone's help with this. I would've been lost without this information.

I have added my thoughts above. Have a great time, the train is fun and will bring you straight into Venice.

 

We stayed in Mestre, the last stop before Venice and took the train into Venice each day for 1 Euro. Every train gong to Venice stops at Mestre so it is conveiniet to stay there.

[JLC@SD]

Hi all

we'll be arriving in Venice by train from Milan on May 22nd and will be heading straight to the port to board the Golden Princess.

So is Venezia S. Lucia the train station closest to the ship?

cheers

There is only one train station in Venice and it is real close to the cruise ship terminal and Golden Princess.

 

By the way, if you saw Katherine Hepburn in the movie Summertime (shot in Venice) the end of the movie is shot at the train station you will arrive at.......:)

[Cruise Junky]

Yes it is.

[kellyccz]

JLC - thank you for your very helpful information. You made it much less complicated with your explanations - much appreciated!

[ihhk2]

Kelly,

 

As your stunningly gorgeous and incredibly generous companion on this trip, I must inform the readers of our changes since you posted.

 

1. Flying into MXP, and taking train to Venice. Can we go from MXP straight to Venice, or do we have to take a train into Milan and THEN to Venice?

 

2. In Venice, we are actually about 25 minutes walking distance (over the Grand Canal) from the Square. Will we be able to manage from the train station to our hotel with luggage via walking or should we plan otherwise (water taxi, etc.). While we have rolling luggage, etc., stairs and such would still be a hassle with luggage. Are there many steps to navigate in Venice?

 

3. We want to go 1st class on the train and wonder how the seating is arranged. For example, 2 seats together on each side, 4 facing each other, etc. As 2 traveling alone, I would guess we just want 2 seats together, on a window to see the countryside, and without a 3rd or 4th pax in our row (ie; on planes, the pesky center seat).

 

4. We will then debark the ship and head straight for Milano Station, as we are staying across the plaza from the station (Starhotels Anderson). Is this easily done from the pier?

 

5. Milano Station back to MXP... again, is there a choo choo?

 

Sorry if these are answered within your answers. I don't have time to read each post at this very minute, but wanted to clarify our change in plans to see if they change your great suggestions.

 

Thanks, all for being so wonderfully helpful. I absolutely can't wait to see Italy and Greece!

[DonLou]

2. ... Will we be able to manage from the train station to our hotel with luggage via walking or should we plan otherwise (water taxi, etc.)...Are there many steps to navigate in Venice?

3. We want to go 1st class on the train and wonder how the seating is arranged...

 

We have been to Venice on a 1st class train but not from Milano. So I can only answer questions 2 & 3.

 

2. The Train station in Venice is Santa Lucia. The bridges in Venice are not smooth ramps. Most have steps. The first bridge outside Santa Lucia train station is the Scalzi Bridge. It is 40 steps up and 40 steps down (see http://www.picshosted.com/v/16134 for a picture looking from the train station -- double click the thumbnail). It does get easier after that but expect stepped bridges and rough pavement on the flat surfaces. River boats are the way to go if you have to get to a hotel around St. Mark's Square but I can't advise because I don't know exactly where your hotel is located. It's safe to assume that if there is a bridge, there are steps.

 

3. First class trains are two across seating but you may get a fourplex where two seats face each other.

 

Happy touring!

[kellyccz]

Are there vaporettos outside the train station? Our hotel is along the Grand Canal.

[aclay]

There is only one train station in Venice and it is real close to the cruise ship terminal and Golden Princess.

 

By the way, if you saw Katherine Hepburn in the movie Summertime (shot in Venice) the end of the movie is shot at the train station you will arrive at.......:)

Thanks JLC@SD, so we should ignore references to 'Venezia Mestre'..

I guess S.Lucia is the 'Ferrovia' (Train Station) referred to in this water bus timetable:

http://www.actv.it/english/navigazione.php?pagina=actv_proc/cerca_linea_mauro

and according to another poster http://boards.cruisecritic.com/archive/index.php?t-11981.html, we need to take the water bus to S.Basilio which is the nearest stop to the port.. Or do you think we would be able to walk it with our wheeled suitcases (we are both in our 30's and fit)?

Cheers again and sorry for hijacking your thread Kelly and ihhk2 ;-((

[ihhk2]

Thank you for the photo. Obviously, we are CRAZY to think that we can drag all of our luggage from the station to the hotel. You have really given us an eye opener!

 

I suppose that yellow barge like boat might be a vaporetto. I know the hotel boasts its own private landing stage.

 

What is the "Slazione FF SS St. Lucia"? It appears our hotel is directly across the Grand Canal from this "point of interest", per the hotel's website map.

[ihhk2]

Kelly, our hotel is not ON the Grand Canal, but "around the corner", per the website. Which means, of course, that a secondary canal must be sought to reach the hotel if we take a water taxi.

[DonLou]

I suppose that yellow barge like boat might be a vaporetto. I know the hotel boasts its own private landing stage.

 

What is the "Slazione FF SS St. Lucia"? It appears our hotel is directly across the Grand Canal from this "point of interest", per the hotel's website map.

 

"Stazione FF SS St. Lucia" is the main train station. It appears your hotel is just across from the train station which is great news. You can either negotiate the 40+40 steps on the Scalzi Bridge or take the water taxi at Ferrovia, cross the water, and get off at Piazzale Roma on the other side. From there, you'll have to walk. Hopefully not too far.

[kellyccz]

IHHK - Yes, I am aware of that. I was just giving everyone a point of reference for helping us out. We can walk to the hotel from the canal.