Venezia / Venice / Venedig to Ferrara by train

How to take a rail journey from Venice/Venezia to Ferrara

There isn't a high speed railway between Venice/Venezia and Ferrara but Frecce trains provide the fastest express services on this route.

Those faster Frecce trains are typically the best option if you can book in advance, you may not have to pay much more for the speed and comparative comfort and tickets also include complimentary seat reservations.
Though you'll need to commit to taking a specific departure when booking the cheapest type of tickets.

In contrast, if you'll be booking last minute tickets at the station, the slower and more frequent Regionale Veloce (RV) trains will be the cheaper option - so they become the best option for a spontaneous day trip to beautiful Ferrara by train.

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Routes

Option 1: taking the Regionale Veloce (RV) trains

Journey Summary

Travel Information

Final Destination: Bologna

All trains also call at: Venezia Mestre and Rovigo

This is the much more frequent train service from Venice to Ferrara, though final train of the day departs from Venezia S. Lucia comparatively early at around 19:42.

1 x train per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: No

Tickets will cost the same price if purchased at the same station immediately before departure.

Rail pass users should take these trains and avoid the the €10 rail pass reservation fee payable on the Frecce trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trenitalia *

Trenitalia Guide

Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:

  • Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
  • Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
  • The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
    Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.

On this journey

Good to Know

On Mon - Fri there are also 3 x Regionale (REG) trains per day from Venezia to Ferrara.
They have Ferrara as a final destination, so will stand out on the departure screens at Santa Lucia station, but avoid these trains.
The journey will be around 35mins longer and tickets cost the same price as these faster RGV trains, which will be heading to Bologna.

These trains tend to be popular and seats can’t be reserved, so it pays off if you're able to board around 8-10 mins before the train is due to depart from Venice.
Therefore aim to be at Santa Lucia station around 25 mins ahead of the departure time, to give yourself time to buy a ticket and find a seat.
The ticket office at Venezia S. Lucia is constantly busy, so give the Trenitalia branded ticket machines a try - they're comparatively easy to use.

Don't forget to stamp your ticket before boarding these trains.

Option 2: taking the express 'Frecce' trains

Journey Summary

Travel Information

Final Destination: Lecce or Roma or Napoli or Reggio di Calabria

11 x trains per day

Tickets

*Save by booking in advance: Yes, for more details on how to obtain the cheapest prices for Frecce trains see the guide to Italian rail tickets.

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; though the booking period will be typically be shorter when looking up journeys for travel after the second Sunday in December.

If you need to commit to a specific travel date it can worth booking ahead and targeting these quicker Frecce trains for this journey.
Not only are they around 35mins faster than the alternative Regionale Veloce trains they're more frequent and in a different league in terms of comfort and amenities.
When the 'Super Frecce' tickets are still available online, they're only a couple of €s more expensive than the Regionale Veloce trains and the price difference can be worth every cent.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trenitalia from €14.90

Trenitalia Guide

Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:

  • Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
  • Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
  • The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
    Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Italia rail from €14.90

Italia rail Guide

Italiarail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.
Though Italiarail will charge a booking fee, typically of around €3.

The Early Bird service

Italiarail has launched an 'early bird' pre-booking service for journeys by Frecce trains.
Tickets can be booked up to a year ahead of travel at a flat-rate price per route, before the tickets have been released for sale by Trenitalia.
If when they are placed on sale, the price is cheaper than what you have already paid to Italiarail, it will automatically refund the price difference.
Conversely, if the price is more expensive, you won't be charged the price difference.
You can also have the peace of mind of securing your seat(s) on the Frecce train(s) when you are first planning a trip.
If before the tickets are placed on sale, you decide to change your plans, you can request a refund; but once the tickets are released for sale, you will then be bound by the terms and conditions of the ticket(s) you have booked.

On this journey

Good to Know

Most of the trains from Venice to Ferrara are the non-express Regionale Veloce (RV) trains - and those trains are the best option if you want to make an easy spontaneous day trip to Ferrara from Venice by train.

However, if you'd prefer a more comfortable journey in a reserved seat, then target these Freece trains, particularly as the number of Frecce trains between these stations has significantly increased in recent years.

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