Another train question

Margo, As previously mentioned, I wouldn't risk pre-buying tickets for the Freccia train from Venice to Florence. Your flight could be late or there could be other factors that prevent you from getting to the train at the time specified. The tickets are specific to each train and departure time, so you CAN'T just board any train! I'll post my usual "boilerplate" on riding the trains in Italy in another reply (not enough room in this one). My suggestion would be to simply show up at the station and pay "Base" fare. It will be more expensive, but probably "safer". You can research the departure times and other details using the Trenitalia website. That way you'll get a general idea on which train will most closely match your flight arrival time. The trip from Venice to Florence is only a couple of hours, so even after an international flight, I'd go for it. I'm sure your flight will be easier than the ones I use from the west coast. You shouldn't have any problems getting a seat on the Freccia trains. Note that you'll be assigned a Car No. (Carrozza) and a Seat No. (Posti). You MUST sit in the assigned seats. You can "wing it" to some extent when riding trains in Italy, but there are some potentially expensive "caveats" you'll need to be aware of. You might find it helpful to read the Thread in the "Transportation" section about the person fined in Florence for not validating Bus tickets. Further details in my next reply. Happy travels!

Margo - Part 2..... When travelling by train in Italy, there are a couple of VERY IMPORTANT potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. When using Regionale trains which don't require reservations, it's VERY IMPORTANT to validate (time & date stamp) the tickets prior to boarding the train. This includes the Leonardo Express which travels from the airport to Roma Termini. The validation (Convalida) machine will either be bright yellow or blue & gray, with a small digital display on the front. These are usually easy to find and located close to the tracks. If the machine is out of order, writing the time & date on the ticket may be acceptable (ask the Conductor as soon as possible). Those caught with unvalidated tickets may be fined on the spot! The fines start at €50 per person and if not paid on the spot, they DOUBLE and increase from there! The same fines apply to those travelling via Bus in Rome and other places (in that case, validation machines are often located on the Bus). Conductors are now carrying portable debit/credit card Terminals, so payment of fines WILL be easily accomplished one way or the other. Those travelling on the "premium" trains such as the Freccia (high speed) trains MUST have a valid reservation or again may be fined on the spot! These fines also start at €50 per person, in addition to the cost of the reservation, which is currently ~€10 PP. Reservations on these trains are compulsory and are specific to a particular train and departure time. It's NOT POSSIBLE to simply buy a ticket with reservations and then board any train. The ticket or reservation will specify the train number (ie: ES 9718), so it's important to verify that before boarding. Cheers!

If you are arriving in the afternoon, I would stay in Venice first. Venice is perfect for getting acquainted to the time zone (6 hr difference from Eastern time). Then, after visiting Venice for a couple (or more) days, you could go to Florence. Going to Florence directly from Venice is a tiring proposition after 10 hour flight with the jet lag. Also no way to predict flight delays or customs delays. Pre-purchasing discounted (non changeable and non refundable) train tickets for the day of arrival would be risky. I wouldn't do it. The station closer to the airport is VENEZIA MESTRE. If I were you, as I said, I would do Venice first and then go to Florence after a few days in Venice. If your flight back to the US is also from Venice and you can't change it (for example you could go back from Florence), the day before your flight back to the US from Venice, I would take the train back to VENEZIA MESTRE, which is in the mainland, not far from the Venice airport. It's a main station and all trains stop there. Then I would stay in a hotel in the mainland near the airport the night before the flight back. If your flight is early in the morning, staying in Venice proper is a pain, because it's a long and expensive boat ride from Venice to the airport (which is on the mainland). Regarding your other questions. There is a shuttle bus from the airport to VENEZIA MESTRE station. There is no problem finding seats on a train on the spot when you arrive, trains rarely get so full to run out of seats (never happened to me, ever). At most you might have to take the next train (there are at least one per hour to Florence). The full fare is about 45 euro per person one way. There are other less expensive options but not too many nowadays. Trenitalia has figured out they can make much more money with the high speed trains so they really cut down on the InterCity trains.

I'm assuming you have a nonstop flight from US to Venice. Customs and immigration should not take long, just stand inline and get your passport stamped, then wait for your bags to come off the belt and exit the "nothing to " door and you are there. If your connecting from another airport in Europe, you will have your passport stamped when changing planes. The station you want is Venice Mestre. There are buses, but it is only about 2 miles away, so a cab won't break the bank. I'd be more worried that the plane doesn't get delayed for any number of normal reasons (mechanical, weather, etc). Seats at the last minute should not be a problem, maybe not together. If you can get a 9 Euro fare, I'd roll the dice and get it. If you miss, your not out a lot of money, but buy the ticket the day they go on sale for that price. You can "wing" regional trains, no discount and they are already pretty cheap. Just decide how much money it costs to "wing it" on high speed trains. If your hotels are lined up, why "wing it", when you can save $$? High sped trains will get you to your destination amazingly fast. Regional trains may stop at every little town along the way and you may need to change trains once or twice.