My husband and I will be travelling from Munich to Venice next summer. I've looked into trains. I'm wondering about flying and if it's worth the hassle. I'd love to hear pros and cons from those who have done train and those who have flown. Any other tips are much appreciated. TIA. (Background on us: did Europe for the first time last September in Tuscany. I planned the whole trip. We did trains and Airbnbs for Rome, Florence and Venice).
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
My choice has been the direct train that departs central Munich at 11:35 and arrives to Venice at 18:10. No airport transport or security delays necessary. Seats are generally comfortable and you get a couple of hours of nice mountain scenery.
Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it. You can buy discounted tickets up to 6 months ahead if you're ready to commit.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5330 posts
Agree with Laura. We've done the trip by train 3x now; all on the direct one. We count it as a nice relaxation day to decompress after/before busy sightseeing days. Flying to other cities is sometimes the only practical solution, but I hate flight days. This way we go from city center (walking distance from our hotel) right to S. Lucia station, only feet from the Grand Canal.
Posted by
1252 posts
I did this trip on the overnight train in college. No matter what time of day you go though, I love train travel and would recommend that over flying.
Posted by
Virginia
623 posts
We flew 2 years ago and had no problems. It's only an hour flight. If you factor in the early arrival to the airport and the bus ride to Venice it would be about 4-5 hours to get to where you are staying. It's a matter of which method is more convenient or give you less stress.
Posted by
Narberth, PA
1255 posts
I am a fan of the train ride as I find it quite scenic - no not as scenic as some of the famed Swiss routes, but still nice going down through the Austrian alps and Dolomites. You might even consider getting off in Innsbruck or Bolzano for the night. The train is super simple, plus, you do get to arrive right at Venice's Santa Lucia train station where one can pretend to be Katherine Hepburn arriving in the movie Summertime.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2549 posts
We did it in the reverse direction. Very nice, scenic ride.
Posted by
Maryland
897 posts
Munich to Venice is a nice train trip. No checking bags on IC trains. If you are not rushed to get from place A to B, I definitely support pausing on route. Innsbruck is very nice and Bolzano is better. Visit Otzi the Ice Man on the way.
It is the journey, not the agenda.
You can have a great time!