Train from Milan to Venice..Need Reservation ?

First, Rail Europe is a travel agency and not a rail road company. They generally mark up their tickets substantially. So even a discount from them could be higher than the window price in Milan. The short answer is that you will have no problems with getting a seat at that time. Second, Italy rail does have some discounts for advance purchase but you may not be able to take advantage of the discounts because they don't like Am credit cards or the net. The best part is that Italian train tickets even without the discount are pretty reasonable if not cheap.

Frank said this, but just to emphasize. Don't worry about buying train tickets for Venice. There are numerous trains daily and plenty of seats. Plan on buying your tickets when you get there and let this be one less thing to worry about.

If you are flying into Milan Malpensa and heading straight for the train station to take a train to Venice, I would suggest caution in buying the ticket in advance. The train that you will be on to Venice is most likely a high-speed Eurostar. When you buy the ticket, the seat reservation comes with so don't worry there. The problem is that you must pick a specific train departing at a specific time. Thus, you are locked into a specific train. Should your plane be late or other circumstances occur that could delay your arrival, you could miss that train. There is a process to exchange tickets after your train departs but you won't like it. Simply arrive at MXP, clear customs and take the 1hr bus into the Milan train station. At that point, you can buy tickets for the next high-speed out of Milan for Venice. There are frequent trains departing Milan for Venice. Don't worry.

nancy, a few comments to add to the great info provided by the others. When you arrive at Milan / MXP, the Malpensa Shuttle is your best bet for transport to Milano Centrale. There are ticket machines for the shuttle adjacent to the Baggage Carousels, but you can also buy tickets directly from the driver. When I last rode the Shuttle in June, the trip took about 50 minutes (it made one stop at one of the other airport terminals). If you need specific information on where to find the Shuttle, post another note. When you reach Milano Centrale, there are ticket machines at track level, and as I recall these ONLY accept credit cards. If you go down two floors to the ticket office, I found the machines next to the office would also accept Euro cash. There's often a HUGE queue at the ticket office, so the machines are the best option. The machines have an English-language option, so you shouldn't have any problem using them. You might want to research the rail trips between Milan and Venice using the Trenitalia web site, so you have some idea which trains are departing at about the time you'll be there. Most of the trains are ES City so reservations are compulsory, but those will be included in the cost of your tickets. Many of the trains are direct, which means no changes (although they will stop at stations along the way). Be sure to disembark at Venezia S.L. and NOT Mestre. If you go out through the front door and see the Grand Canal, you'll know you're at the right place! Second class fare is currently listed at €30.50 PP for that trip. Your tickets will specify your Car No. (Carozza) and your Seat No. (Posti). If you haven't travelled on trains in Italy before, you might want to review the "Rail Skills" chapter in "Europe Through The Back Door" or Rick's short video clip at * www.youtube.com/watch?v=moLGxdId9uU * (cut & paste the link inside the asterisks).

Thanks to all for the great information, it has been so helpful. We are going to wait until we get to Milan to purchase our train tickets as that seems the smartest thing to do. Nancy