We are flying into Venice and travelling by train to Monterosso al Mare (Cinque Terre). Will we have to go onto the island of Venice from the airport to get the train at that station or is there another station nearby? I know we will have to change trains in Milan. How far ahead of time can we book tickets on line?
Thanks!
"Will we have to go onto the island of Venice from the airport to get the train at that station or is there another station nearby? "
From the Venice airport, you can get a bus to Venezia Mestre station, on the mainland, which will be much faster and more efficient than going taking a bus to Piazzale Roma in Venice proper, then changing via vaporetto to Venezia Santa Lucia station, then taking a train to...Venezia Mestre station (all trains out of Venice stop in Mestre).
As for booking tickets ahead, you can do that several months in advance (don't remember exactly how many days). But should you book ahead is the question. Most people advise not booking tickets on the day of flight arrival, since there are so many variables affecting which train you can make. Unless the advance tickets are so cheap that you can afford to throw them away, it's usually better just to buy on arrival for the next departure. Look now on Trenitalia's website for your arrival date (or a sooner date if your arrival date is not yet loaded into the system) See what the Base fare is - that's what you'll pay on the day of travel. If that's acceptable to you, don't buy in advance.
Just curious why you're flying to Venice instead of a closer airport like Pisa, Genova, Milan or Florence. If the tickets have been purchased, then it's a moot point, but Venice doesn't often come up as either the cheapest destination or the most flight service.
Right now, trains from Venezia Mestre to Milano Centrale are available 4 months out. Problem is the IC trains that run between Milano Centrale and Monterosso are not. Keep checking. There is a schedule change due June 12. The mainline Freccia trains have been scheduled, but IC and Regionales have not.
" I know we will have to change trains in Milan."
Not necessarily. There are two main routes between Venice and Monterosso, one via Milan and one via Florence. Of the two the Florence route is often slightly faster (5.5-6 hours) while the Milan route may have fewer changes (~6.25 hours).
If I'm reading your post correctly, you plan on connecting with a train right after an international flight? If that's the case, many of us here don't recommend buying advance tickets, but rather just buy tickets at the station when you arrive. The reason for that is that many of the trains you'll be using come with compulsory seat reservations, which are specific to train, date and departure time. If you miss the train you've booked due to flight delays, long queues at Passport control or whatever, the tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price (Base fare). If you're caught on a train that has compulsory reservations with the wrong tickets, you'll likely face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
If you decide to buy tickets locally when you arrive, one other point to note is that if you'll be using Regionale trains on any part of your trip, you MUST validate those prior to boarding the train or again, hefty fines collected on the spot! Tickets from Venice to Monterosso could be as much as ~€70 / ~US$78 PP at Base fare (but will depend on which train is used).
The easiest solution is likely to take the bus from the airport to Venezia Mestre and connect with the train there. The other option is the bus to Piazzale Roma and Venezia Santa Lucia station (which is right on the Grand Canal) and connect with the train there. Mestre is a bit closer to your destination, but only very slightly.
What time does your flight arrive? Which route you'll be using to Monterosso will depend on which train you connect with, so you'll have to deal with the changes associated with that route. If you travel via Firenze S.M. Novella, you'll change there and also possibly at Pisa Centrale and La Spezia Centrale (you'll be approaching Monterosso from the south). If you travel via Milan you'll approach from the north via Genova and Levanto.
I agree with a previous reply that it would have been preferable to use an inbound flight to Milan, Pisa or Florence. Adding 6 hours or more to the trip after a trans-atlantic flight is going to mean a dreadfully long and tiring day.
