Train from Venice to Rome

Fastest is probably private helicopter or jet. Best means different things to different people. Most people striking a reasonable balance take the high speed bullet trains.

There are a nuber of Train options, you can go on www.trenitalia.com and see them, but there are the fastest trains that take just under 4 hours costing around 80 euro, to slower trains for half the cost taking 6 to 9 hours. You may also be able to get cheaper tickets by buying on the Trenitalia site well ahead of time. There are also private train lines now in Italy, not certain of companies running from Venice to Rome, but worth looking into.

Trenitalia direct high-speed trains make the run from Venezia Santa Lucia to Roma Termini in 3hr45min. The Base (standard) 2nd class fare is €80.00. Booked well in advance (up to 120 days allowed) on trenitalia.com, you can get a Super Economy fare as low as €29.00. Discount fare tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable so be sure you can commit to a specific departure date and time before booking. The cheapest discount fare tickets sell out fast so book ASAP.

For train trips four hours or longer, we prefer to book 1st class at 120 days prior to travel. Super economy is very reasonable booked that early and you may find that you prefer it. Super economy in 2nd class is a real bargain booked early as well. Be sure and register on the Trenitalia website and your ticket purchase will likely go a lot smoother. You can practice booking tickets and selecting your seats if you are beyond 120 days prior to travel. That way you will know what you like and can navigate the website with ease. Be sure and tell your credit card company that you will be buying Italian train tickets so they won't block the charges. We also print out our tickets at home and save another long line hassle at the station.

The private competitor to Trenitalia that George referred to is Italo: http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx. In Rome, they use Tiburtina Station instead of the more central Termini Station. Otherwise, they get very good reviews on this Helpline from people who've used them. (Both Trenitalia and Italo use Venezia Santa Lucia Station in Venice). So, choose whichever one gives you the schedule and price you want.