best way to get from Venice to Paris by train (avoiding Milan)?

Is this possible to do and avoid going all the way west to Milan?

Not sure why you have an issue with Milan, as it is nearly on a direct line between Venice and Paris. There is one direct train per day from Venice to Geneva that leaves in the late afternoon and arrives too late to connect to Paris. And it goes through Milan. There is also a Thello night train from Venice to Paris, passing through Milan. The only way to avoid Milan is going through Munich, and again, it leaves too late in the day to connect to anything to Paris.

They used to say "All roads lead to Rome", but nowadays its "All rail lines lead to Milan".

Because its me, i would take EasyJet to Budapest for about $100 and then a week later, EasyJet to Paris for another $100. Both non-stop. But, i sort of like Budapest.

Thanks for the quick replies. No issue with going through Milan :)

Spend some time in Milan!

Fastest daytime route is 9 hours and 51 minutes leaving Venice at 6:20 am with a single train change in Turin.
Tickets at https://www.trainline.eu/

Even going via Turin - which misses Switzerland - requires transit though Milan.

What's wrong with Milan?

Traveling via Milan can get you to Luzern in as little as 6 hours and one connection (departing 7:50 a.m.). You can also choose a train detour from Venice to Verona to Innsbruck, and then west to Switzerland from there, but it's slower, e.g. 10+ hours to reach Zurich or 11+ to Luzern.

Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it.