Rome to Venice Trains from €35.28

Unwind in Venice, and let TrainPal take care of it all – secure bookings, live seat selection, official e-tickets and reliable customer support. TrainPal is an official, authorised ticketing reseller for Trenitalia (including Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, Intercity and regional trains) and Italo (NTV), allowing you to focus on soaking up the atmosphere, not managing the logistics.

Departure station: Departing from Roma Termini or Roma Tiburtina

The main concourse at Termini sits at the head of the platforms with the ticket hall and departure boards. Platforms 1 to 24 can be found in the main hall and are all within easy walking distance, while platforms 25 to 29 sit to the east at the end of a surprisingly long corridor. If your train departs from one of these platforms, allow an extra 10 minutes and follow the signs to the platforms carefully.

If you’re returning to Rome, or have time before your train, you can make use of the luggage storage facility (Deposito Bagagli) available via the KiPoint office on the lower level near platform 24, open daily from 07:00 to 21:00. Bear in mind that queues can be significant during peak times, so it’s worth getting here early if you need to store bags. For food or coffee before your journey, head to Mercato Centrale on the upper level via the Via Giolitti entrance – a gourmet food hall with excellent pizza, pasta and coffee.

Tiburtina is a modern, streamlined station and considerably less hectic than Termini – with no vast concourses to navigate, shorter queues and a calmer pre-departure experience overall. If your hotel is in the northeast of the city, or you're arriving into Rome at the adjacent bus station, Tiburtina can be a more convenient departure point than Termini. The station has good facilities including a cafe, luggage storage and taxi rank, and is well connected to the rest of the city.

If you do find yourself at the wrong station, and need to get from Termini to Tiburtina in a hurry, metro Line B connects the two stations directly in around 5 minutes.

Arrival station: Arriving at Venezia Santa Lucia or Venezia Mestre

Venezia Santa Lucia sits right on the Grand Canal, so the moment you step outside you're in Venice. The main exit leads directly down to the water and the vaporetto stops. From here, vaporetto Line 1 runs along the Grand Canal all the way to San Marco – it’s slow and scenic, and the best introduction to Venice you could ask for. Line 2 covers the same route, only faster. A single vaporetto ticket costs €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes. If you’re travelling with luggage, use the ramp alongside the steps or exit via the archway next to platform 1, which leads down a gentler slope to the waterfront.

Water taxis are also available from the station's water taxi stand, but be warned – a ride to San Marco will set you back €60-100 or more. Unless you’re travelling with substantial luggage, or really need to get somewhere fast, the vaporetto is the far better option. Alternatively, you can walk – just turn left out of the station and follow the signs (and the crowds) towards Rialto and San Marco. Allow around 45 minutes to get there on foot.

One practical note for all Venice arrivals: since 2024 Venice has charged a day-tripper entry fee on selected dates between April and July, requiring visitors to register and pay €5-10 to visit the iconic city. If you’re overnighting in the city, however, the entry fee won’t apply. Instead, you’ll need to register for an exemption.

With over 30 direct high-speed services running from Rome to Venice every day, both Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa and private operator Italo cover the journey in under four hours, passing through Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna before crossing into the Veneto and over the lagoon causeway into Venice. The scenery changes throughout, with Roman countryside giving way to Tuscan vineyards and the flat Po Valley plain before the extraordinary approach into Venice itself. Here’s how the three operators compare.

Frecciarossa

Covering the 394 km journey at speeds of up to 300 km/h, Trenitalia’s flagship “Red Arrow”, the Frecciarossa, runs around 20 direct services daily from Rome to Venice, and is the most established operator on the route with the widest choice of departure times and the most extensive range of travel classes.

• Average journey time: 3h 45m
• Best for: Travellers who want maximum flexibility around departures and access to Trenitalia’s CartaFRECCIA loyalty programme
• Onboard perks: Free Wi-Fi, at-seat power sockets, a café car and four travel classes – Standard, Premium, Business and Executive. Business includes an at-seat food and drink service, while Executive adds a full meal service and lounge access at departure and arrival.
• Worth knowing: Some Frecciarossa services depart from Roma Tiburtina rather than Termini – always check your ticket to confirm which station you’re departing from.

Italo

Italy’s private high-speed challenger brings a contemporary edge to the Rome to Venice route, with a modern fleet, competitive fares and a loyal following among both Italian and international travellers.

• Average journey time: 3h 34m-3h 49m – ever so slightly faster than Frecciarossa on some services
• Best for: Travellers looking for the best value fares, a sleek onboard environment and the flexibility of Italo’s Italo Più loyalty programme
• Onboard perks: Free Wi-Fi, reclining leather seats with power outlets and footrests, a snack area with vending machines and three travel classes – Smart, Prima and Club Executive. Prima offers extra legroom and complimentary snacks, while Club Executive provides a dedicated lounge-style carriage with full food service.
• Worth knowing: On this route, Italo’s advance tickets start from around €29.90 and can be significantly cheaper than Frecciarossa fares. Italo also offers a flexible round trip option and is definitely worth considering if your Venice plans are still taking shape.

Intercity

For budget-savvy travellers willing to travel more slowly, Trenitalia’s Intercity service uses the conventional rail network to offer a relaxed and affordable alternative to the high-speed trains. The journey from Rome to Venice takes longer, with several stops along the way, but with fixed fares rather than dynamic pricing, Intercity is often the most reliable option when high-speed advance fares have sold out.

• Average journey time: Around 5 hours
• Best for: Budget-conscious travellers or those with a flexible schedule
• Onboard perks: First- and second-class carriages with reserved seating and an onboard café service on most trains
• Worth knowing: Fixed fare pricing makes Intercity a dependable last-minute option when Frecciarossa and Italo advance fares have become prohibitively expensive. The Intercity Notte overnight service also runs between Rome and Venice, meaning you can wake up to the romance of crossing the lagoon into Venice at sunrise.

Watch out for the Orient Express as you step off your train at Venezia Santa Lucia and back in time, exchanging the romance of rail travel for the mystery of Venice with its vaporettos, canals, islands and bridges. Here, the streets are canals, the taxis are boats and every turn reveals something uniquely Venetian – from its iconic architecture to its signature cicchetti and aperitivi. And with the station opening directly onto the Grand Canal, the highlights begin the moment you step off the train.

• The Grand Canal and San Marco

Venice’s main thoroughfare and one of the great urban waterways of the world, the Grand Canal is lined with Renaissance palaces, Gothic facades and Byzantine churches for its entire 4 km length. From the station, vaporetto Line 1 runs the full length of the canal to San Marco, stopping at every landing stage along the way. It's as much a sightseeing experience as a mode of transport, and at €7.50 for a 75-minute ticket, it's great value. Piazza San Marco itself, with the Basilica, Campanile and the Doge’s Palace, is Venice’s undisputed centrepiece and best visited early in the morning before the crowds arrive.

• The Rialto Bridge and market

A vaporetto ride to the Rialto stop or a 45-minute walk through the winding streets of the sestieri (the six districts of Venice), brings you to Venice’s most famous bridge and the bustling neighbourhood that surrounds it. The Rialto market, one of the oldest in Europe, takes place on the western bank of the canal most mornings, and sells fresh fish, vegetables and local produce in a setting that has barely changed in centuries.

• Dorsoduro and the Accademia

Arguably Venice’s most relaxed and most beautiful district, the Dorsoduro neighbourhood on the southern bank of the Grand Canal is a great getaway spot for those who want to escape the crowds around San Marco. The Galleria dell’Accademia houses the finest collection of Venetian paintings in the world, including works by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese, while the Peggy Guggenheim house and collection next door is one of Europe’s great modern art museums, with major works by Jackson Pollock, Dalí, Magritte and Kandinsky. Both are accessible via vaporetto: the Accademia stop is around 20 minutes from Venezia Santa Lucia on Line 1.

• Cannaregio and the Jewish Ghetto

The neighbourhood immediately east of Santa Lucia station is Cannaregio, Venice’s most residential sestiere and for that reason the most authentic. Just a short walk from the station, the Jewish Ghetto, established in 1516 and one of the oldest in the world, is one of Venice’s most historically significant and quietly moving districts. The main street, Rio Terà Lista di Spagna, runs from the station into the heart of Cannaregio and is lined with affordable restaurants and bars that cater more to residents than tourists.