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Venice - Itinerary Help

Posted by on

My wife and I are going to be taking a day trip to Venice from Milan in mid-July. We will arrive at the S. Lucia station but have to depart back to Milan from the Venezia Mestre station. What is our best option to get back over to the main land to the Mestre station?

Also, our train leaves to head back to Milan at 7:02pm. Our dinner plans were to go cicchetti bar hopping. How early will most bars have cicchetti selections available? Will we have enough time to eat and still make it to the Mestre station to catch our train back to Milan?

Any info and tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Posted by
11852 posts

You will have to catch a train from Venezia SL to Venezia Mestre. They run every few minutes and take 10-12 minutes to cross the Laguna. If you research at Trenitalai.com, you will see them at 18:04, 18:05, 18:11, 18:12, etc. up to one at 18:42 that arrives at 18:52 that still gives you enough time, theoretically, to make the 19:02 Freccia to Milano.

The classic start time for cicchetti is 18:00. You may find some as early as 17:00. There are good options north of the Rialto Bridge which is convenient for getting to the train station. See Rick Steves' guide for a list and check neighboring bars as well.

Posted by
21388 posts

Could be tricky, you need to get to Mestre station before 7 pm so you need to leave SL 6:45 pm at the latest, which means you should be walking to the station 6:15 assuming you are close by. If you have not bought you tickets yet, there is a fast train from SL at 7:50 pm. That might give you some time for a few bites.

Posted by
9 posts

Great advice, thank you very much Laurel and Sam. I'm using a rail pass and already booked my reservations. Do you know of a way to change your reservations ahead of time if I wanted to try and book the SL 7:50 train? From what I've been able to find, I can only change reservations once I get to the train station? I find it hard to believe you can't change reservations ahead of time...do either of you know if this is true? Thanks again!

Posted by
21388 posts

Well, you are using a rail pass and that could be a gotcha. You paid for the reservation? Then you will probably have to pay again for a new reservation. That is how they squeeze a few more euros out of pass holders.

Posted by
9 posts

That's what I figured, thanks Sam. I think I'll just pay for the extra reservation to enjoy another hour in Venice and not be rushed to get a quick dinner in before we head back to Milan. Thanks for the help!

Posted by
16895 posts

You can try changing your train reservation at any Italian station if it's convenient earlier in your trip. Expect lines for the staffed ticket windows. Exchangeability rules should be printed on the ticket. The travel agencies that are more central in Venice could also sell you a new reservation, but probably can't make a refund or exchange.

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