My family of 6 will be traveling from Munich to Venice via train. We have the option of taking a night train for this route and my kids don't think they would mind a night in a couchette. I have done a night train before, thought it was kind of fun, but missed taking a shower in the morning. My question is whether the route between Munich and Venice is scenic? If we take the night train, we would have 3 full days in Venice, otherwise it is more like 2-1/2. If we have 3 days in Venice, should we take a day trip to Florence?
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
The train goes through the Tirolian Alps and the Dolomites, so there are some nice views. On the other hand, it's a 7 to 7-1/2 hour train ride and you'd arrive in Venice mid-to-late afternoon at the earliest. That means just 1 evening and 2 days to see the sights. Train from Venice to Florence is just under 3 hours each way, so a day trip is doable. You'd have to decide whether that was too long a day for the children. Closer daytrip options would be Padua, Vicenza or Verona (1/2 to 1 hour each way by train), or just take the vaparetto out to Murano and Burano.
Posted by
Shoreline, WA
216 posts
Janice
I understand your pain - taking the night train would give you lots of time in Venice. But you and the kids would be missing the spectacular scenery between Reutte, Austria and Verona. South Tirol is one of the treasured recreation areas of Europe, and it's a damn shame Americans blow through this province on trains or the autostrada.
Venice is worth a couple of days at most. Many posts here and on tripadvisor.com agree that for all the charm, that old city holds little else for tourists. Few stay overnight in the city because of cost and often substandard lodging; most go up to the Lido or Jesolo beach area or stay in Mestre.
A day trip to Florence is out of the question. You could travel there and back all right, but apart from checking off another city and ogling the David statue, you'd get to do little else.