Bologna to Venice

Your flight is supposed to land at 11:45, you want to get into Bologna, sightsee and have lunch, and then take the train to Venezia. The airport bus only takes ten minutes but you may want a taxi rather than wait for the bus. You probably will want to check your luggage at the train station and then retrieve it before your train leaves. I think the 13:10 train is out of the question, you will barely arrive in Bologna by then if you have checked luggage on the flight, and a restaurant meal will take about an hour.

My advice: Take one of the later trains and hope your flight is not delayed. Email your hotel for exact instructions on how to get there if you arrive late, and make sure a late checkin is expected.

Zoe: thank you for noticing that mistake! I meant the 15:10, I confused the 24 clock again (3:10 here in Canada!). The original post is updated. We do not have checked baggage.

We are also considering the 18:10 which might put us in Venice a little late. We are staying at the Hotel Pensione Guerrato and have to take the water taxi. I am not sure of the water taxi schedule but the trip to the hotel seems pretty straight forward.

Thanks again!

I don't think you should bother with buying train tickets in advance. You aren't saving that much and putting a bit of stress on yourself. The full fare on a Freccia train will only be 30 euro each. You also have the option of taking an unreserved Regionale Veloce train that only takes 30 minute longer to Venice SL and the 2nd class walkup fare is 12.10 euro each. Spring for 1st class for about 50% more. Trains every hour at about 20 past the hour.

Weiss, you had me a little worried about that 13:10!

Now the question is, does the amount of money you save by buying ahead outweigh the stress and financial loss if your flight is delayed?

Zoe: you are right again and based on Sam's comments I will play it all by air. The regional trains give us lots of flexibility without advance purchase. We are not planning a big meal but I am sure we will want at least a snack. We could also purchase a picnic to take on the train, if that is allowed on regional trains.

Sounds like a good plan with a few considerations: (1) you have not indicated here what month you are talking about, which will of course impact what time it gets dark, if a concern is easily finding your lodging in Venice; (2) even traveling just with carry-on baggage, you will want to check those bags at the Bologna train station while you move around town, so be sure to check that the baggage check counter is open when you will be picking your bags up; likely no problem there, but it may take you some time to drop off and then pick up, in case there is a line; (3) if you can get a significant savings by booking an early evening train to Venice I would do that, assuming that in a crunch your choice will be to shorten your time in Bologna, rather than arrive later at night in Venice; even if your plans prove impossible, all you would be losing is €13 per person; (4) most of all, are you flying directly from Canada to Bologna, likely with a connection mid-way? If so, do you know how you both do with jet lag? Some people get really exhausted, and you would have an ambitious plan for the afternoon and evening.

Lunch at a sit down restaurant in Italy is often a two hour affaire.
You should put your luggage at the station "deposito bagagli" and take your time. Let your hotel know you will be late. Venice stays awake very late at night, so don't worry about finding your hotel. Someone will be out and around helping you with directions. Or post the name of your hotel here and we'll tell you how to get there.

Larry: We are travelling on September 24/25. Overnight flight on the 24th to London, 2 hour layover, then on to Bologna - a 9 hour journey. We handle jet lag okay and we can normally get some rest on the plane. I think the walk around Bologna will do us good. We thought about storing the bags and we can decide when we arrive.

Roberto: This is our first time in Italy. I was thinking more of a cafe type lunch, similar to something in Paris. Maybe sit outside with a glass of wine and some light food. I checked Google street view and it seems like this is possible. Recommendations are welcomed!

We are staying at the Hotel Pensione Guerrato. It sounds simple enough to find. These are the directions from the train station as listed on their website:

take the boat #1 (vaporetto line 1) with direction Rialto and get off at the Rialto Mercato Stop. After disembarking from the boat stop, walk under the archway directly in front of you and then turn right. Continue in this direction and turn on the second left – Calle drio la Scimia (you’ll see the sign Pensione Guerrato). The reception is on the first floor.

All help and tips are appreciated!

If you're open to slightly modifying your plan ... instead of racing off to Venice on your arrival day, consider spending your first night in Bologna before continuing onto Venice the next day. Two reasons ... although you say you and your wife handle jet lag well, you are putting pressure on yourself that can lead to unforced errors. Second, after going through all the travel stress, you're still arriving in Venice too late to really enjoy it. What's the point?

My wife and I rented an apartment in Bologna last Fall before continuing onto Venice for a few days. Bologna is a wonderful city ... easily toured the afternoon of your arrival and the next morning. Follow that with a relaxed train to Venice and you'll arrive at your hotel early enough in the afternoon to enjoy the afternoon and evening. Something to consider.

You can certainly snack in Bologna or picnic on the train, but Bologna is one of the best food cities in Italy. Near Piazza Maggiore is a little restaurant on vicolo Colombina, Ristorante (maybe Osteria, don't have my notes today) Colombina. Fabulous food, small, simple, family-run.

a couple couple of thoughts -

first - If you take the airport bus into Bologna, be advised that the train station is the last stop, and that the walk back into town takes a few minutes. The bus goes goes right through the middle of town and past the two towers, then up past the university, and finally turns left towards the station, and back to the airport - making basically a large "C" shape while in Bologna. Maybe you are light packers and can get off a few stops earlier than the station and save all that backtracking back into town and back out.

I thought the bus took longer than 10 minutes, and there was definite waiting for it to leave.

The train fare between Bologna and Venezia Santa Lucia is low, even if you have to pay full whack, relative to the cost of your whole holiday, so if it were me I'd just get a ticket for what looked good on the day.

You don't give any idea of how long you have in Venice. Don't shortchange it.

The Pensione Guerrato is easy to find by Venice standards. Follow exactly what they say. Don't try to use the number 2 vaporetto (not the water taxi unless you are made of money, the vaporetto is numbered lust like a bus, just a bit wetter around the boat) because it stops at Rialto which is across the Grand Canal and around the corner. Use the number 1 to Rialto Mercato which is just a few feet from the hotel.

If you are staying at the Pensione Guerrato I hope you are traveling light - plenty of stairs and no electrical stair removers.

Just let Roberto or one of the others know when you will be there.

wiess73,

If this is your first trip to Italy, a few points to mention on using the trains and other public transit there.....

Many here don't recommend buying rail tickets to connect with flights, as if the ticket is for one of the fast trains such as the Freccia and you miss the train you've booked because your flight was delayed (or whatever), the ticket is worthless. The fast trains require compulsory reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time, and if you try to use that ticket on another train you'll risk hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot!

Some of the trains you'll be using (as well as Buses, Metro, etc.) will be Regionale which don't require reservations but require tickets to be validated (time & date stamped) prior to use on the day of travel. Those who fail to validate will be subject to the same hefty fines, collected on the spot.

When you're buying rail tickets, you'll need to know the correct Italian names for the stations you'll be using, since most cities have more than one. Your first trip will be from Bologna Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia. Be sure to practice using 24-hour times, as that's the only system used with transportation in Europe.