FREYDOG

We are flying into Venice in November and have 7 days to see it, Rome and Florence. I have found a hotel in Venice that I like and it is close to the train station(Quarto D Altino?)…We would like to stay in Venice for a couple of days and then go to Rome…Should we use this train station( I hear there are two types of trains) and the where to we get off in Rome so that we are centrally located? Should we buy these tickets now or can we get when we get there?(there are 4 of us)…I have read some older forums which say you can get when you get there but I am a planner and don't want any problems and none of speak Italian...

Then we are going to stay in Rome for 2 or 3 days and go to Florence and end up flying back out of Venice….We have airfare booked but no hotels….I want this to be easy so would like to stay close to the trains we will be using but in clean, safe areas…We are all newbies so any advice would be appreciated regarding transportation….I am waiting to book hotels until after I figure out how far away transportation is.

Thank you.

kybourbon

Quarto is not Venice and you should not stay there. Stay in Venice. The main train station is Venezia S. L.

You can get discounts buying train tickets in advance on Trenitalia, but no refunds.

With only 7 days, you don't have time for three locations especially since you didn't book open jaw tickets (into one city and home from the other).

Train to Rome upon arrival in Italy. Spend 3-4 nights. Train to Venice and spend your last few nights (in Venice proper).

nytraveler

There is only one train station in Venice - Santa Lucia.

Not sure where you are staying but it is NOT Venice. Sorry - see you are actually out by the airport. This is a really bad idea - it will take you the best part of an hour to get to the city of Venice by either bus or boat. Suggest you get a hotel actually IN Venice.

And agree that in 7 days cities mean you will spend max time rushing around from place to place and minimum time actually seeing/doing anything.

adrienne

In Rome I would stay near Campo dei Fiore or Piazza Navona rather than by the train station as these areas are more fun and more central.

Skip Florence on this trip as you don't have enough time. It will take you a day traveling back and forth between Venice and Rome so that will leave you with 6 days for 2 cities that deserve more time.

I agree with going directly to Rome as soon as you arrive in Venice and start fresh on day 2.

Also agree to stay in Venice rather than a half hour away.

Sassafrass

Is there any possible way you can pay a change fee and fly into Venice and out of Rome? You would save the cost of the train one way and at least a half day of travel time. If that is impossible, go straight to Rome on arrival.

Put all time in Venice at the end. Do not stay outside of Venice. It would waste too much time getting back and forth. The train station in Venice is Santa Lucia.

To see a bit of Florence, you could, on your way back from Rome to Venice, stash your luggage at the Florence train station for the day, and tour for several hours before heading for Venice. You could also leave Rome very late in the day and get to Florence in time for dinner and bed. Tour the next morning and head to Venice late afternoon. Since it is not that long of a trip, if you are early risers, just do the day in Florence, don't go through moving to a different hotel in this case.

Man_in_seat_61

Buy your train tickets online at www.trenitalia.com

You can buy a super economy or economy ticket (Venice-Rome from 29 euros, no refunds, no changes) or a base fare (what you'd pay at the station on the day) of 90 euros, refundable, changeable up to an hour after departure.

To stay flexible, buy a base fare ticket at the station, availability is seldom ever an issue.

PalenQ

Yes you can always buy train tickets on the spot IME also but you can save like Man in Seat 61 says by booking, in stone kind of, weeks earlier to get the limited in number discounted tickets.

sites with lots of great info on Italian trains: www.seat61.com - Man in Seat 61's commercial site; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

In a recent dummy search I actually found a few trains on Rail Europe that were competitive or even cheaper than Trenitalia so check www.raileurope.com as well - if about the same that site is much easier to use than fickle trenitalia.com; there have been legions of complaints about actually getting trenitalia.com to work.

But for flexibility yes you can always wait until Venice to book trains IME too.

nochblad

From Venice to Rome Trenitalia operates the Frecciargento trains which are of a lower standard than the Frecciarossa.

Italo - http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx - operates trains at the same standard as Frecciarossa.

Check them out.

With advance booking you can get some great deals

bilboburgler

The "silver arrow" is a perfectly pleasant train.

PalenQ

As per the Support Tren Italo thread currently going around it was said the Italo Tren is more likely to have cheaper fares available without booking if you want full flexibility - I have not checked that out but the author was knowledgeable about it all it seemed.

PalenQ

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-need-help.cfm

Joy2

My first trip to Italy we flew into Rome for 4 nights. Loved Rome!
Took the train to Florence for two nights. So beautiful...
From Florence we too the train to Venice for 2 nights. Venice is a city like no other.
from Venice we took they train back to Rome for an additional night and flew out of Rome.

(Our last trip we flew in and out of two different airports)

My suggestion would be to pick hotels where you are located with in walking distance to main attraction you are interested in.

What ever you decide Italy is amazing. Enjoy!

Joy2

Oh forgot to mention our first trip was in November too and we bought our tickets when we arrived at the train station. This was five years ago. November was a great time of year to visit Italy but we did have rain in Rome. Not Florence or Venice.

Joy2

Look into Hotel Adriano in Rome. Very nice small boutique hotel with in walking distance to all.

jan47ete

I am a planner. Our trip Oct 23-Nov 15 has been a year and a half in planning. Flying into Venice, cruise, out of Rome. Got FF tics but could not get them for arrive Venice, depart Rome, so for 30,000 miles am doing RT Rome.

Staying at Abbazzia B&B which I believe is the first or 2nd block past Venezia Santa Lucia and almost within walking distance of the pier. Booked through venere.com as I prefer not to pay a deposit. It's expensive for us ($200 a night) but right where I want to be as we spent 10 days in Venice the last time, so wanted to be close to the pier.

After cruise staying in Bollo Apts (booking.com) as we will be there 3 days. It is on a tiny street off Campo dei Fiori and we stayed there for a week the last time we were in Rome. Fab location, 1 block off Victor Emmanuale and about a dozen bus lines that will take us everywhere. We usually stay in apts, and it is a nice apt. Won't necessarily cook, but coffee and pastry is not breakfast for him, so do do that in the apt.

Trenitalia: I bought my tics Rome to Venice as soon as they came up on the calendar. Cost 54E for 2 one way, reserved seats. Fares appear to be much less expensive than if purchased the day of travel. That said, I am committed to the day and time on the ticket, so really taking a chance if plane is very, very late. Have a great trip.

annw

Some good suggestions but my favorite is to stay in Rome and Venice and then stash luggage at Florence train station (that's Florence SMN--two train stations there too) and wander before continuing to the other end point.

Also agree with the idea that in Rome you stay near the sights -- better to take one taxi to hotel and then back and have the central location for hotel IMO.

As said above Venezia Santa Lucia is the Venice station (there's also a Venice Maestre as noted).

Have a wonderful trip!

PalenQ

And you also want to stay in Venice proper and not in Mestre as some recent threads have recommended to slash overnight costs in higher seasons. There is no substitute for staying smack on some quaint little canal - so surreal at night - but if you can afford it - otherwise Mestre, across the lagoon on the mainland and in many respects today's real Venice where many locals work and live (and can drive cars to their residences) or the Lido in off-season also offers deep discounted prices - but only if budget dictates it should anyone stay outside of Venice proper itself IMO.