This September, my wife and I will be arriving at Milan MXP at 9:00 am, and will be traveling to Venice by train that same day. Does this sound feasible, since we will have to take a bus to the Milan central train station, purchase tickets at that time, and ride the train to Venice. Is it easy to purchase tickets at the train station, with only a limited knowledge of the Italian language? Thank you for any response.
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, US
223 posts
It will be a long day but it shouldnt be a problem.
The tickets are not an issue at all... Quick and easy to get your tickets there. Many of the machines will prompt you in English if you select it. My memory is its only about 3 hours by train but I am guessing there are direct and regional. Either way, I can't see it being an issue.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
It's about 2.5 hours from Milan to Venice.
So depending on how long it takes you to get out of the airport, you should be in Venice by mid afternoon.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15791 posts
Easy as pie. If you are leery of the machines, there are ticket agents available also. Find seats on the left-hand side of the train for views of the mountains.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
It is doable. The bus will take an hour as traffic should have eased some by that time -- around 10. The bus drops you on the SE corner of the station and it is about a block walk to the front. Manned ticket corners are on your right as enter the station. There is a decent small grocery store on the right side prior to the platforms where you can pickup some lunch prior to boarding the train. Just be sure to know which station you want in Venice -- there are two.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
Just to clarify Frank's comment....
The train station in Venice is Venice Santa Lucia sometimes abbreviated as Ve S L.
where you don't want to get off or end your journey is at Mestre, which is the last train station on the mainland before the causeway to Venice.
There are some trains that are just passing through or don't continue on to Venice that stop at Mestre.
Those trains are not a big problem as there are very frequent trains that shuttle to Venice proper. But given the choice, you want Venice Santa Lucia.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Walker,
As the others have said, that trip shouldn't be a problem at all.
The Malpensa Shuttle will drop you at Milano Centrale. Go inside the station to track level. One of you can watch the luggage and the other can buy the tickets to Venezia S.L. There are ticket Kiosks at track level, but from what I remember these only accept credit cards.
The staffed ticket office is two floors down via "moving sidewalk". There's often quite a long queue, but if you feel comfortable using the Kiosks, the machines adjacent to the ticket office also accept Euro's. Be sure to research your rail trips at www.trenitalia.com so that you'll have an idea which trains are on that route at the approximate time you'll be travelling.
It's likely that you'll be taking an ES City train, so the travel time will be 2H:35M, and your fare should be €30.50 PP in second class (of course, times and costs are subject to change). Reservations are compulsory, but these will be included in the cost of your P-P tickets.
If you need to use the WC's at Milano Centrale, these are on a "user pay" basis, so try to keep some small change handy. As I recall, the WC's are one floor down (on the way to the ticket office).
When you arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia, walk out through the front doors and cast your gaze upon the amazing sight of the Grand Canal!
Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, CA
18 posts
Mike, Ron, Chani, Frank, and Ken
Thanks to all of you for your responses. Each of you have been informative and helpful. I appreciate it very much, as your information will help make our first journey to Italy much easier. Thank you.
Walker