Florence to Venice by train

Susan, there are earlier trains to Venice from Florence on a Sunday. You may be looking too far out. Schedules are unreliable beyond 60 days on Trenitalia. CLICK HERE to see a Sunday 5/29 schedule for the early morning.

Note that you don't have to go all of the way into Venezia Santa Lucia. You can get off at Venezia Mestre and take a bus to the airport from the train station. CLICK HERE to see the bus schedule.

CLICK HERE to see a graphic bus route.

CLICK HERE to see a map of the Mestre train station.

Thanks so much for the note about not having to take the train into Venice, but to the other "off island" station! I had not realized that route would work. In looking over the train schedules I do see earlier trains that take longer but get into Venice sooner. Are the slower trains fairly reliable?

Susan, the earlier train run that you see on the link that I provided is over two hours longer than the other runs because there is a 1hr.50min layover in Bologna while waiting for the connecting train. The R trains are slower but they are not that slow. Note also that you have to depart at 4:35AM. The next earlier train departs Florence at 1:47am and arrives at 5:24. For your 1:30pm flight, you are really OK arriving at Mestre by 10:00am.

it might be a good idea to stay in Venice the night before your departure in case there is a train strike.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a hotel in Venice near the airport for the night before a flight?
Thanks.

I have two. There are a few hotels near the Venice airport. I would suggest the Marriott Courtyard which is .8km from the airport. 132E/night. Not sure about shuttle. You might also look into the Titian Inn Hotel and Residence. It's also nearby the airport and, they have a shuttle. http://titianinn.hotelinvenice.com/overview.html?source=-titian+inn+hotel+venice

Thanks so much for the train and hotel info in Venice!