Car rental vs train from Rome to Venice

Have you checked trenitalia.com? You can get tickets deeply discounted if you buy in advance (but no changes to the ticket are permitted). How many people are traveling? Also consider driving time (may be longer than the fast trains), picking up and dropping off the car. I found fares of €29 for the arbitrary date of April 2, 2014. Schedules and fares may change on June 1.

Don't forget to factor in tolls and fuel. The trains run at 200 km/hr, way faster than you can legally drive. Also factor in time and transport costs from the rental drop into Venice.

Jack, it could depend on how many people are in the rental car. According to www.viamichelin.com, the trip will take about 6.5hrs and you will have an extra 97Euro to pay in tolls and fuel. You are competing against a 160MPH-180MPH train that makes only 5-6 stops. Journey time is 3hrs45min. If you are willing to accept a non-refundable ticket, you can get a 29Euro fare on this run if you book 119 days out from the time of travel. You will be cheaper on the train with these fares even if you have 4 people in the car.

I really can't say that riding in a rental car for over 6hrs is a downside but I can say that riding in comfort for less money on a very fast train where somebody else is driving and you get there faster may be somewhat better. With the special fares, there are no advantages to the rental car.

The potential downsides to renting a car in Italy are many. Make sure the price quote you get includes the cost of insurance. You have to buy their insurance, you can't decline it and have your credit card cover it ( it won't). Many people have been hit with extra costs in the form of traffic fines. They come from speed cameras or ZTL zones and you don't know you violated anything until after you get home and see a charge on your credit card from the rental company, an administrative fee for passing on your identity info to the police. The actual ticket comes later.

Driving into Venice is particularly tricky. The speed limit in the bridge is quite low and there are three speed cameras ( they are indicated on driving maps). I have seen reports of people who got three speeding tickets, one from each camera, for driving over the bridge a few kph over the limit.

The train is fast and comfortable, and not expensive if you buy in advance on Trenitalia. Do NOT use RailEurope to compare prices or buy tickets. And you'll enjoy the scenery much more than you will dodging trucks on the autostrada.

Sasha's right about their radar cameras on the causeway going out to Venice. They got me for 2 mph over the speed limit. And they'll come after you for big fines.

From Rome to Venice, the train's the way.

My fellow Americans just can't let loose of our dear old buddies the rental cars. We're so starved for effective public transportation in the USA that sometimes we just can't let ourselves be convinced that most civilized countries in the world have (especially Western Europe) very effective and efficient public transports. It's hard for us to accept the story that "you don't need a rental car". I've personally kicked the habit, and I hope more of us - especially the first time travelers - can eventually come to grips with having a very enjoyable journey sans rental car :-)

Jack,

Travel by car is not necessarily cheaper than by train. As the others have said, there's more than just the cost of the rental to consider. You'll also have to include tolls, high fuel costs, compulsory insurance and possible fines either from speed cameras or ZTL areas. Note that each driver will require an International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L.

Travel by train will be much faster as the high speed trains travel at up to 300 kmH (~200 MPH) outside of cities, so it's a more efficient use of travel time. It will also be much more pleasant and relaxing. The trip from Rome to Venice is 3H:45M via Freccia high speed train. If you pre-purchase tickets and are able to get the cheapest Super Economy tickets (~€29 PP), those will probably be less expensive than a rental car. They will likely be non-refundable and non-changeable, so be very sure of your travel date and departure times when you buy the tickets.

Happy travels!