Getting to Venice by train
Santa Lucia drops you straight onto the Grand Canal: the Mestre hop, the operators, and the timings to plan around.
Last updated August 27, 2026
In a nutshell: take the train to Venezia Santa Lucia - it lands you straight on the Grand Canal. Every service stops first at Mestre on the mainland; if yours ends there, it's a €1.40 ten-minute hop across the causeway. Back to how to get to Venice or the planning chapter.
Getting there by train
Arriving by rail is the grand entrance: Venezia Santa Lucia drops you straight onto the Grand Canal. Every service bound for Venice makes its first stop at Venezia Mestre, over on the mainland; if yours ends there, buy the €1.40 Mestre–Santa Lucia ticket and stamp it before boarding any regional train (marked R or RV) for the ten-minute hop across the causeway - about ten departures an hour. Two operators run the network: Trenitalia, carrying most services, and Italo on the fast links between the bigger cities. Buying online is easiest; at the station, use the biglietti machines or the office near track 14.
| Destination | Time |
|---|---|
| Padua | 30 minutes |
| Vicenza | 45 minutes |
| Verona | 1.5–2 hours |
| Florence | 2 hours |
| Milan | 2.5–3 hours |
| Rome | 4 hours |
| Naples | 5.5 hours |
| Munich | 7 hours |
| Vienna | 8 hours |