My husband and i are taking a 2 1/2 hour bus from Cortina to Vennezia Mestre railroad station arriving about 1 pm. We then plan to take the overnight train from Venice to Vienna which leaves 9 pm. Should be book this overnight train leaving from Venezia Mestre or S. Lucia.? We are not sure which station is better to board from or how far apart these stations are. We will have about 8 hours of free time and will each have a small rolling suitcase. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33846 posts
Venezia Mestre is in a modern area of mainland Venice surrounded by Autostrada, huge rail yards, warehouses, car parks and hotels. It is relatively close to the refineries. All platforms are through platforms and connected by a tunnel. Access to the tunnel is via stairs. There may be ramps or a lift somewhere but I've never found them. Venezia Santa Lucia is in the main islands of Venice, and as you go through the station to the exit you come to a set of stairs which are the width of the station and lead straight down to the Grand Canal with an unforgettable view. Luggage can be left at the Santa Lucia station but as it is a human operated counter, and as "This-is-Italy", I would leave plenty of time to leave it off and even more to collect it. Santa Lucia is where I would board your overnight train.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Mestre is on the mainland. It's an 11-minute train ride from there to Santa Lucia which is in Venice itself. There are left luggage facilities at Santa Lucia. Make it your departure poiint.
Posted by
Houston, Texas, USA
4 posts
My husband and I took this train last year. Leave from S. Lucia. The two train stations are just minutes apart, but with the 8 hours wait you will have lots of time to visit Venice and then return to the train station that is actually in Venice. Make sure you get a compartment on the train!
Posted by
OP
San Anselmo, CA, USA
11 posts
Thank you all very much for your help. It will be Santa Lucia as you suggested.
Posted by
Vance, Alabama
146 posts
Hi Kay, There are a lot of youtube videos showing both stations. You can really get a better idea of your surroundings by watching them. The website called, "The Man in Seat 61" has some really helpful clips. This video is older, but pretty good. You can see what Nigel is talking about when they get off the train at S. Lucia. Just cut and paste. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rr_A8wyiCk&playnext=1&list=PL10959E0C52A2B6AF&feature=results_video Crash
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
To see how little Venice has changed, rent the 1955 movie Summertime with Katherine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi. The opening is the train going over the causeway from the mainland to Venezia Santa Lucia station, and then her walking out of the station to the Grand Canal. It still looks much the same in the 1993 video Crash posted, and much the same today.