Solo train ride from Venice Airport to Florence

Hello Sheena!

Departing from Mestre is your best best, no need to travel all the way to Santa Lucia. A full price walk up train ticket is €50 on Trenitalia. Also consider Italo for that same route.

yes, buy once you are at the train station

yes, very safe! Italy is one the safest places to visit. Just keep an eye on your personal belongings and refuse any help. Not because of a safety issue but more of an annoyance issue.

Make sure pack light so you can manage your own luggage.

have a wonderful trip!

Take the No 15 bus from the front of the airport to Mestre station. Cost is 8 EUR, takes 23 minutes, and goes every half hour at 15 and 45 past the hour M-Sat, every hour at 50 past the hour on Sundays and holidays.

1. Mestre
2. Buy at the station.
3. Safe. Just dismiss panhandlers and 'pappagalli' in search of a 'quick date' with a pretty woman. You'll find plenty of the latter in Florence (35+ years ago, I might have been one of them).

General anti-theft strategy on trains: Don't leave your belongings unattended. If you really need to go to the restroom, bring your smaller bag(s) with you.

A friend had a camera stolen after he used it to take a photo, put the camera away in his bag, and later went to the restroom. When he returned, one of the passengers who had been sitting in his compartment was no longer there. Much later he discovered the camera was not in his bag.

If you take a direct, high speed Freccia train (about all there is going to Florence) you will only stop twice (OK maybe thrice) to Florence. Padua and Bologna, and on a few trains, Ferrara as well. There are trains every hour at 37 past the hour.

Just for logistical clarification - if you take a bus from the airport you'll pass Mestre station on the way to Santa Lucia on the island.

I've been taking trains in Italy as a solo female traveler for years, and had no problem.
If you are getting on at Mestre, the train will have come from S. Lucia in Venice most likely, and only stop for a couple of minutes; so be ready in advance, on the right platform (binario) to jump aboard.
Look at the electronic sign boards.
Station staff at quite helpful at directing you to the right platform.
When you buy the ticket, ask the agent if it needs to be validated before boarding the train; and if so, look for small bright yellow (usually; some stations have other colours )boxes at the entrance to each platform that will date stamp the ticket.
If you forget to do this and you were supposed to; you will be fined on the train by the conductor.
Try to sit where you can see your suitcase from your seat, and get up each time the train stops to make sure your suitcase doesn't "get off" at that stop.
There are racks at each door, and tiny racks not much good for anything above your head.
Pack a lighter bag if possible, as it is a good climb up two steep steps onto and off the train.
As others said, keep your cards and PP and money in your money belt, and your hand luggage with you at ALL times.
There is always a snack/coffee bar at stations in Italy, and you can usually get a good sandwich and drink to take with you on the train.
Try to find a place in advance at Florence SMN Station to meet your friend; others here may be better able to help with that part.
You will love Florence, and it will be a bit cooler in late October!

Just for logistical clarification - if you take a bus from the airport you'll pass Mestre station on the way to Santa Lucia on the island.

I beg to differ. If you take the No 5 bus to Piazzale Roma, you will not pass Mestre station, but end up in Piazzale Roma in Venice. Take the No 15 bus. It goes to Mestre station.

If your train ticket shows a carriage and seat assignment, it does not have to be validated.

Some trains have back-to-back seats with a space that will hold a suitcase; I have never gone to check on my suitcase on the train, but I do like having a view of the luggage rack, or a seat near it.

Instead of meeting inside the train station, the tourist info office is across the street.

Thank you all for the info! I'm planning to take a carry on sized bag and my Rick Steves Avanti bag for my personal bag, so I should be able to handle my luggage pretty easily. I will definitely keep my eyes on it along the way!

It's funny; I've been to Europe 5 times now, but this is the first bit of "solo" travel I've done outside of the US. I am usually always flying with my travel companions!

Nothing bad happens if you time-stamp a train ticket that doesn't need to.

1. Train tickets purchased on-line never need to be time-stamped. Neither a smartphone nor a printed PDF would fit in the time-stamping machine, anyway. If you install trenitalia's app you can buy on-line on the day, for instance when you have just got your luggage.
2. If you purchase tickets in Italy (at the counter or automatic machines, at travel agencies or tobacconists) you must time-stamp only Regionale (R or RV on monitors) trains tickets.
3. Regionale trains tickets locally purchased are day specific, but you are not tied to a time of departure. From the moment you time-stamp a Regionale train ticket, you have a set amount of time to complete the journey using any Regionale train on that route.
4. The validity period is usually 4 hours, with the relevant exception of the Liguria Region and some airport trains.
5. In short the all story means that if you miss the first Regionale for whatever reason, you can board the next one without any formalities at the counter. The next one, the one after and probably another couple of following Regionale trains.
6. If you realize you forgot to validate, don't wait for the conductors at your seat: look for them and "confess". This way you'll avoid the big fine and you'll pay only the small administrative fee.

Get the Trainline app and you avoid all those issues. Used it on our two week trip and worked perfectly. No extra fees!

Thank you! I just downloaded the Trainline EU app, so I'll test it out on a trip to Netherlands, Belgium and Germany at the end of the month. I appreciate everyone's help!