Getting There By Rail
All trains to and from Venice are run by the efficient and good value Italian state railway, Trenitalia (tel: (147) 888 088; website: www.trenitaliaplus.com). Supplements are added to fares according to the type of train boarded (Diretto, Inter-Regionale, InterCity, Eurocity or Eurostar) and fares are calculated according to the distance travelled.
Santa Lucia Station (tel: (041) 785 570) is the first port of call for the thousands of travellers that pour into Venice each summer, with 2002 finally seeing the introduction of a semi-organised queuing system. Situated at the west end of the Grand Canal, the station was built by the Austrians in the late 19th century, finally uniting the island community with the mainland. The eyesore terminal building is a more recent aesthetic crime. Facilities include left-luggage, a bureau de change, an accommodation booking service and a small tourist office. By law, all train tickets must be validated by stamping them in the yellow machines situated on the platform before boarding – failure to do so can result in a hefty fine.
Rail services: Venice is directly linked by train to Bologna (journey time – 1 hour 35 minutes) and passengers can change here for Florence (journey time – 2 hours 40 minutes) and Rome (journey time – 4 hours 20 minutes). It is also within easy reach of Milan (journey time – 2 hours 45 minutes) and the smaller towns of Padua (journey time – 20 minutes) and Verona (journey time – 1 hour 45 minutes). There are international departures to neighbouring Germany, Austria, to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, aboard the new ‘Casanova’ express train (journey time – 4 hours), and the Croatian capital, Zagreb (journey time – 8 hours 10 minutes). There are also regular services to Paris and London on board the legendary Orient Express (website: www.orient-express.com), with a spectacular trip via the Alps and five-star service on board.
Transport to the city: It takes roughly 30 minutes for one to walk to St Mark’s Square. It is a well trodden and interesting introduction to Venice but, for that picture postcard view, visitors should hop on a vaporetto (water bus) and make the first of many watery forays down the Grand Canal – vaporetto 1, 52 and 82 are among the routes serving both the station and St Mark’s Square, with vaporetto 1 the all-stopping service, perfect for a first trip along the canal, but a torturous experience for people actually wanting to get somewhere.
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