Best Travel options from Rome to Venice

I would just take the fast train.

If you can afford a charter flight, why are you worried about 150E/night? Or did I miss something in the translation? Any time your travel is in the range of 3 to 5 hours range the train is almost always the better option. If it is longer than six, seven hours, then I would consider flying. Regularly schedule airlines, especially the budget, would be much cheaper than a charter flight but not as convenient.

Might I suggest that you get your hands on a copy of the Rick Steves Italy book? It answers these questions and many, many more that you don't yet realize you'll be asking. FWIW, I'm guessing you didn't mean an actual "charter flight". And Venice lodging varies greatly in price depending on when you'll be there. All that's in the book. It will be the smartest money you spend on your vacation. Happy travels.

Im sure Jacqueline meant the bargain charter flights, not chartering a private plane. I know there are a lot of them flying all over Europe, but I don't have a clue where to look for them or how to book them. Jacqueline - by the time you add in the time and expense of getting to and from the airport, there isn't likely to be any real savings in flying. Just take the train. I loved staying at La Calcina in Venice. I paid €90 for a single with a great breakfast last year in high season.

Yes I meant the bargain airlines like easyjet, bmi baby, etc.

We traveled to Venice often from Rome. We're headed back in October with our eldest son (his first time!). If we could book far enough in advance, we'd fly. I know that goes against the grain, but sometimes it was cheaper. My best airfare ever: €55 roundtrip FCO-VCE on easyjet. That includes all junk fees, credit card charges, etc. Since we were going only for two days, we carried-on and avoided those charges. €27,50 one-way is fairly inexpensieve. We rode the COTRAL bus out to the airport (€4,50) from Rome and the SITBus Shuttle back when we returned(€8,00). In Venice, we took the ground bus each way from the airport (€2,50 each way) to the city... so our entire expenses, per person was €72,50 roundtrip. If we had more people (say 4 in our group, we would splurge and take a taxi to the airport in Rome, splitting the costs).
But we also took advantage of the MINI fares on Trenitalia if easyjet bookings were too limited or prices too high. For us, changing from bus to plane to bus was almost second nature as we'd do this for a weekend trip quite often. You do have to plan ahead to get the best prices - whether you travel by train or by plane. For the October trip, I've already purchased our MINI-fare tickets for our trip from Venice down to Florence. We're on regionale trains to Siena and then on the Sena bus to Rome. I'd suggest looking at both options. We grew to like the 06:00 easyjet flight to Venice from Rome, but it was an acquired taste!!

You can take the fast trains and for cheaper trains be sure to go to www.trenitalia.com (their national railway site) but after typing in the dates, click on "ALL SOLUTIONS" or "TUTTE LE SOLUZIONE" to see the slower and much cheaper trains. Otherwise, from Naples, there is a direct flight with www.easyjet.com from 24 euros sometimes. Right now I checked for next week and they are as low as 63 euros which is cheaper than the train. As for where to sleep for cheaper in venice, try these two links: 1) HostelsClub (has B&Bs, apartments and inexpensive hotels, avg price of 35Euro/person): http://www.hostelsclub.com/index.php?aff_ID=1317 2) www.rentalia.com (For cheap apartments in the city center, like from 80-120 euros) 3) www.booking.com but be sure to not stay in Mestre (the mainland) as they sometimes have great last minute rates. Buon viaggio!

Jacqueline One good website for discount airlines/schedules in Europe is www.skyscanner.com. I also advise flying from Rome / Naples since you are not stopping at any other towns along the way. Something to think about: how much more time would you have for sightseeing if you flew rather than taking the train? Would you let us know what your entire itinerary is? Have you already purchased your international flgihts? Your wish list of destinations is perfect for "open jaw" flights. Fly to Naples/Rome, fly to Venice on discount airline, back to CA or to your next destination. Often it helps us give better advice if we have the overview of your trip, so we can save you time and money! Bobbie