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Train From Venice to Ravenna- help with transfer

Hi,
I need to get from Venice to Ravenna for a cruise. I was looking at booking the train on the Trenitalia website. There are 2 options, both with transfers in Ferrara. One has 10 minutes between trains, one has 30 minutes. Can I safely make the switch in under 10 minutes? I have no idea how big the train station is or how difficult it is to find the next train. The 10 min transfer option gets to Ravenna 1 hour earlier than the other option. Thanks!

Posted by
362 posts

The Ferrara station is very small. I wouldn't worry about a ten minute connection there.

The other option from Venice changes trains in Bologna and that station is much, much bigger.

Posted by
17603 posts

I would much rather change trains at Ferrara than Bologna. The latter station is huge and has some long passageways.

Posted by
28716 posts

I think the ticket will be cheaper if you change in Ferrara, too. Going through Bologna takes you a bit out of the way, and you pay for those extra kilometers.

Posted by
1272 posts

Hello shellpt1,

I'm sure some one who has made this actual transition will post but looking at the Ferrara station it has six tracks so the worst case scenario is you would need to walk down the stairs and then back up on another platform. Unless you have mobility concerns or a real over packing problem this is pretty typical smaller train station change and I think 10 minutes should be fine. You won't have time to wander into the train station itself but it should fine to check the board, confirm the platform and make the change.

If the first half of your trip is a "Frecciarossa" fast train then you will probably have to change platforms to the slower local track platforms. Note also that the fast train will also have classes and assigned seating but the second half of your trip will not.

Download the Trenitalia app and will let you track trains in real time and let you know the platform of the train you need to be at for the transfer before you even get off the train.

Hope that helps,
=Tod

Posted by
7473 posts

We did this transfer in opposite direction late September weekday.
It’s a very small station and not busy at all
IIRC we had to go down then up and I am pretty sure there is an elevator
I believe we had something like 14 min, it was no problem.

Your train to Ravenna is regional so worse case you just get on the next train to Ravenna

If possible try to visit the mosaics in Ravenna, they are amazing.

Have you worked out how you will get from station/town to the port?

Posted by
8082 posts

I was in all three towns mentioned last August. Yes, the 10-minute transfer should be plenty of time. When the train is getting close to Ferrara, stand up, gather your luggage, and stand next to the train door. When it stops you want to be ready to go. The train doors have either a button that turns green that you push, or sometimes there’s a latch. If it’s not intuitive, ask the person behind you.

If you happen to have large suitcases (because of a cruise), please check that in Venice you are boarding the car number of the train that’s associated with your ticket. And store large suitcases on the wire racks at the entrance of the train car. If you stop halfway down the aisle and wonder what to do with your suitcase, it backs everything up & prevents people behind from boarding the train. : )

If you miss the train to Ravenna, it is a Regionale train, and you are allowed to ride the next train (an hour later) with the same ticket you purchased.

As mentioned, Ravenna’s mosaics are outstanding! I hope you have time to go back into the old center of Ravenna to see them! The town is very flat and nice to walk around the shops & restaurant section. Walk from Piazza del Popolo to the Mercato Coperto and up some of the streets in that area. You will want to take a taxi from the train station in Ravenna to your port.