Train or plane from London to Venice

Check EasyJet.com for lower fares. They also fly into Venice. It's by far the least expensive way to get there, and is a 2 hr. flight.

In my opinion the train is not worth the extra cost. The train trip will take 15+ hours and I don't think you will see much scenery as it will be dark for much of the train trip. The flight is only 2 hours, and even if you add on the time to/from the airport and waiting at the airport, your total in-transit time is only about 6 hours. Also, if you are comparing easyJet fares to BA fares, make sure you add in the extra fees that easyJet charges (admin fee, charge for using a credit card, checked luggage fee, fee for a soft drink on the plane, etc.). BA does not charge these extra fees. I often find that BA's price works out to be quite competitive with the budget carriers.

I would check out Vueling and Easyjet,, yes there are extra fees etc,, but even with those it can still be waay cheaper then some carriers. I have flown Vueling to Rome ( from Paris) and it was about 80 euros, as opposed to taking the train which at that time was going to be closer to 300 euros,, yikes.. and as it was a night train, I wouldn't see much anyways. I am using both Easyjet and Vueling this summer for my trip and both times they came in cheaper then the train. I am taking a train from Paris to Nice however, but thats only 5 hours.

JoAnna, I would also recommend using a budget airline from London to Venice, as it's by far the quickest, cheapest and easiest method (compared to train). For example, EasyJet offers three flights per day from LGW, with a flight time of 3H:10M and prices as low as £26.99 (there will of course be a few "fees" added to that, but it's still a good price). Happy travels!

overnight Thello sleeper ... see out the window some awesome scenery Note that the scenery will be dark, and you will be (trying to - but probably unsuccessfully) sleeping.

When Ken wrote flight time of 3:10 what he actually meant was flight time of 2:10 and an hour to change time zones.

Thanks for the suggestions. It was kind of what I was thinking. I'll look into easy jet prices. I'm kind of a airline snob here in the states so I'll probably be the same way in foreign skies. The only cheaper airline I've flown in the states the engine noise made me sick so I might spend a little extra money for peace of mind. I'm not sure how economical flights are compared to BA in Europe. Is there as much of a contrast in quality like the US?

If the BA price is right just do that. Then you won't have to worry about the extra costs that the European budget carriers add on. Just be aware that the morning BA flights go from LHR, but the afternoon ones depart from Gatwick. So don't head to the wrong airport! And as far as scenery goes, I know of few sights in the world as beautiful as the view of Venice from the airplane as you approach Marco Polo airport.

JoAnna, There is a good chance that the BA flight might be the same or less than an easyJet flight that looks cheaper to start with. I know the last three times that I have flown from London to Italy, I've found the BA price to be quite close to the discount airline price and I ended up going with BA. There are times when the budget carriers are lower, but you have to add in all the fees that apply to you before you make that call. Just to give you an example ... easyJet advertises a low fare in May is 26.99 GBP. However, that is not really the price. You also have to pay a 9 GBP admin fee bringing the price up to 35.99 GBP. If you pay with a credit card there is an additional fee bringing the total to 40.94 GBP. If you want to check one bag, you will be charged an additional 11 GBP bringing the total to 51.94. Then when you get on the plane, if you want a soft drink, you will pay for that. The lowest BA fare for that same day is 49.70 GBP. That includes a free checked bag and your drink and snack on the plane. So in this example, easyJet is less if you are carrying on and BA is less if you have a bag to check.

Since we are flying now we get to spend our extra day in Verona. I'm so syked.