Train Recommendations

Are you staying anywhere else in Switzerland or just landing in Zurich and going straight to Venice?
If just Zurich you could take the train to Chur and take the scenic route from there to Tirano Italy and then from Tirano to Milan (this route passes and stops at Varenna on Lake Como). At Milan you can get a train to Venice.

want to see the countryside

You'll see mostly factories and zillions of trucks on the motorway near the tracks.

There is no high speed line between Milan and Venice, only high speed trains switching to the old tracks outside Milan and slowing down. If you really want to waste time, make a search on Trenitalia.com and pick any train NOT called Freccia-something. The EC and the IC trains have reserved seats.

any tips for train travel?

Since there are 2 competing companies running High speed trains, check schedules and fares on both sites before buying your tickets. Italotreno is often cheaper than Trenitalia.

Since there are 2 competing companies running High speed trains, check
schedules and fares on both sites before buying your tickets.
Italotreno is often cheaper than Trenitalia.

Here are the websites for both:
Italy's national rail service:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

High-speed only between larger towns/cities
https://www.italotreno.it/en

A good resource for learning about Italian trains:
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm

Which trains to take? For me, the fastest route (1) with the least amount of changes (2) for the best price (3). 2nd class is fine: no need for more expensive 1st or business class tiers unless you can land a deal on them. All "fast" trains have reserved seats in specific carriages; regionale trains have no reserved seating. Italian trains are great once you get the hang of them. :O)

Editing to add: Florence's central train station is Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SM Novella). Venice's main station is Venezia Santa Lucia (Venezia S. Lucia). Rome's most central station is Roma Termini. Milan's main station is Milano Centrale.

Since my son is more interested in rural areas than cities, we thought that flying into Zurich and taking trains to Venice would give us a taste of that. It sounds like we will need to make several transfers, but I will check all that out. I want to fly into Zurich and spend the rest of that day and a second day (a backup plan in case we have flight problems) and then take the train after the second night in Zurich.

Thank you everyone for your tips! I will check out the information in the next few days and probably have more questions! Also thanks for the links to companies.

I also appreciate the advice on the "discount" tickets. I take from the comments that the hassle of the Omnia and Roma passes isn't enough to justify the cost. I'm planning to spend 6 days in Rome (with a day trip to Pompeii) and so might consider either of the passes for a couple of days and then wing the rest.

If anybody has a suggestion for a tour company for a day trip to Pompeii, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I really think everyone's generosity with information on this forum is great!

Billie

If you want to get from Zurich to Venice in one day, and not take excessive time and frequent train changes, AND take a scenic route, here is the practical way.

Take the "Treno Gottardo" that departs at 5 past the hour from Zurich HB. This train will have a final destination of Locarno. It goes mostly over the Alps with several horseshoe curves and spiral loops and the old Gotthard Tunnel. At Bellinzona, get off and take the EC train to Milano Centrale. At Milano Centrale, change to a Freccia train to Venezia S. Lucia. The trip takes 8 hours, so if you take the 8:05 departure from Zurich, you will get to Venice just after 4 pm.

As Dario pointed out, you will be traveling through many cities in the Milan-Venice corridor, which have a lot of heavy industry, located conveniently near the railroad tracks. Between these cities is flat farmland, like Iowa. Sit on the left side of the train and you can keep the Alps in view in the distance.

By comparison, you could take the 8:33 EC train direct to Venice in 6 hours. This route uses the new Gotthard Base Tunnel, which is a 35 mile long tunnel completely under the Alps in a straight line by-passing all those curves and loops of the other route.

I have some questions for you, Sam. I assume that Bellinzano comes before Locarno, so we would not ride the Treno Gattardo past Bellinzano. Is there any reason not to take the Freccia train from Bellinzano rather than from Milan and possibly save a transfer? I was able to pull up a connection for that, but I'm new to train reservations, so afraid I may be missing something. You have simplified my research greatly!

I will also check the train companies suggested by others. As a general question, if my first connection is late, will we still be able to get on a later connecting train or is the reservation for a particular train at a particular time?

Billie

When I look at the schedule from Bellinzona to Venezia SL, I only see one train that doesn’t require a change and it is the EC departing Bellinzona at 10:14. So, I don’t think there are any Freccia from there. Just in front of any with the Freccia there is an EC/. Means two different trains. You can check what each option does by choosing either ‘changes’ or ‘details’. It won’t take long to get used to the trenitalia site.

Buon viaggio!

If you depart Zurich at 6:05 on the IR train to Locarno, and get off at Bellinzona (which is before you get to Locarno), you can catch the direct train to Venezia S. Lucia at 10:14 if you like. Its 1 1/4 hour wait in Bellinzona. Time for a little breakfast.