Train question from Florence to venice

Don't waste the money on first class seats. There really is not much difference other than a free drink and paper. The seats may be an inch or so larger but not enough to matter. The only upside is that there are usually empty seats in first class so it's easier to spread out. With such a short trip I would save the money for other things. Unless you can get a mini fare or other reduced fare I wouldn't bother with first class. I've not noticed much of a difference as far as scenery goes. Both sides are about the same. donna

donna's answer would have been mine.

I'd suggest you check the travel time for each train. If you take the EuroStar, it's an express, no stops and about 3 hours. If you take the regular train, it will stop quite frequently. if you aren't in a hurry go for the regular train, otherwise I highly recommend EuroStar. It cost is a bit more, but worth it. Doesn't matter which side of the train you sit on...however, I don't like to sit "backwards". I prefer a front facing seat. I'd rather see where I'm going than where I've been.

Thanks for all the information. I do think we will just go for 2nd class. I too would much prefer sitting forward. This might be a stupid question....when I am booking, how do I know that it is a Eurostar train? We want to leave Florence on September 10th around 10 to 11 am. Thanks,
Mary

I believe you want a train of the type called "Frecciargento" - There are other "''freccia" trains, but this seems to be the one from Florence to Venice. The fast trains take a little over 2 hours to make the trip (2 hours 8 minutes, 2 hours 3 minutes - you get the picture). You can be sure you are on a fast train if the duration of the trip is around that 2 hour mark.

I read in another travel blog that smoking is permitted in 2nd class trains but not in 1st class. Can anyone verify this? Thanks.

Wow....I did not even think about that. That would make a real difference to me as I am very
allergic to smoke. Please if anyone can verify that it would really be appreciated. Mary

I don't think smoking is allowed. I was just there a little over a week ago and took several trains. Nobody was smoking on board. On the platforms, sure. Smoke bothers me a bunch due to asthma, so I would have noticed if people were smoking on board the trains. As for which side of the train to sit, I don't think you will have a choice. The seat will be chosen randomly for you when you book the ticket. You may be able to convince someone to switch with you once you are on board, as I did once because a family had been split up across the aisle and I would much rather sit with my own travel partner as well!

Smoking is ban on the trains. There maybe smoking areas but I don't remember seeing any. The smoking ban in Europe has been much slower than the US but it is now pretty wide spread.

Okay....sounds good. It is 2nd class then. Thanks so much for all the help.

For anyone else who's curious, see Ron in Rome's take on 1st class versus 2nd class on trains

Where did you see that smoking is permitted in second class anywhere i western Europe? That blog is wrong. It is against the law. People may do it from time to time. They even sometimes try it on my trains in England. Doesn't mean its permitted, and we come down hard when it is found.

Thanks for the smoking info... I can't find where I read it - it may have been from an old trip report, when it was still permitted.

I have never witnessed smoking on any of the trains in Italy and have seen plenty of signs banning it. On longer routes there are plenty of people who will get off at some stops to take a smoking break, but there is no smoking on the trains - 1st or 2nd class.