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Venezia / Venice / Venedig to Roma / Rome by train
How to take a rail journey from Venezia/Venice to Rome/Roma
The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed section of the route between Bologna and Roma, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between the two services are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.
However, some trains from Venice/Venezia to Rome/Roma take an entirely different and much longer cross-country route.
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users; but they are not as frequent as the high speed services.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the high speed Freecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Journey Summary
3 hr 45 min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Roma or Napoli or Reggio di Calabria
The departure typically scheduled to leave at 09:26 usually carries on beyond Roma Termini to terminate at Roma Fiumicino Airport/Leonardo Da Vinci airport.
All trains also call at: Venezia Mestre and Firenze S.M.N. and Roma Tiburtina
Heading to Roma Tiburtina can be a good option if the location of your final destination in the city has convenient access from a station served by Line B of the Roma Metro.
The alternative train journey options:
(1) High speed Italo trains compete with these Frecce trains on the Venice to Rome route.
They're less frequent than the Frecce trains, but they match them for speed and can be cheaper.
(2) There also two Intercity trains per day from 'Venice' to Rome.
They're (much) cheaper than taking either of the high speed train services (Frecce or Italo) but they depart from Venezia Mestre station - so you'll need to take a connecting train from Santa Lucia station, in order to catch these trains.
They're also much slower than the Frecce and Italo trains, as they don't use high speed lines and now take a much longer between Bologna and Rome via Rimini on the Adriatic Coast.
14 x trains per day
There is usually at least one departure in every hour, but there is a gap between 07:26 and 09:26.
There are an additional two daily departures from Venezia Mestre station
Tickets
If you're heading from historical Venezia/Venice make sure to select Venezia S. Lucia as the 'Departure' station and NOT Venezia Mestre.
If you will be using an agent, confirm that they have booked tickets from Venezia S. Lucia.
*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.
The high speed train (AV) service between Venice/Venezia and Roma is provided by:
(1) these Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
(2) alternative Italo trains
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale up to 6 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are typically made available around 3 to 4 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
So, if you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
A choice of stations in Roma:
Virtually all of these Frecce trains will call at Roma Tiburtina station, before going on Roma Termini.
If you will be travelling to Roma Termini, then use this specific station as the Arrival station when looking up tickets and prices.
To see the trains to both Termini and Tiburtina choose Roma ( Tutte Le Stazioni ) as the Arrival station on Trenitalia.
If your final destination is near a station on Line B of the Rome Metro, the best option can be to take these trains to Roma Tiburtina and connect into the Metro there.
Travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes:
Rail pass users will need to pay a €10 reservation fee prior to boarding these trains, which can be comparatively good value for such a long journey.
There also two Intercity trains per day from Venice to Rome.
However, they leave from Venezia Mestre station over on the mainland and NOT from Santa Lucia station in the heart of historical Venice; which is where these Frecce trains depart from.
Target these IC trains if you want to save €10 on rail pass reservation fees.
Though if you'll want the peace of mind of being able to remain in the same seat for the entire journey, paying the optional €3 reservation fee is virtually essential.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italia Rail | from €39.90 | |
| Trenitalia | from €39.90 | |
| Trainline | from €39.90 | |
| Save A Train | from €39.90 | |
| Omio | from €39.90 | |
| OBB | from €39.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains will reverse direction when departing from Firenze S.M.Novella station.
Journey description:
The Venice to Roma journey by high speed trains has four distinct phases:
(1) It's not a scenic journey, but it starts with a flourish as the trains head out over the lagoon from the heart of historical Venice/Venezia.
The best of the views are from the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel).
(2) Between Padova and Bologna the train will travel across a flat landscape, with nothing of note to see
There is no high speed line between and Venezia/Venice and Bologna.
(3) Then from Bologna to Firenze the train will travel at more than 275 km/h on a high speed line, but virtually all of this part of the route is contained within a series of tunnels
(4) The high speed line between Florence and Rome is more scenic than most, it's not a beautiful journey, but there is a wow factor of travelling across the rolling landscape at more than 240 km/h*.
*The direttissima between Florence and Rome was the first high speed railway line to be built in Italy, so it has a slower maximum speed than the other Italian high speed lines.
These videos showcase the journey experience on this part of the trip.
Note that trains will reverse direction when departing from Firenze S.M.Novella station.
Option 2: taking the high speed Italo trains
Journey Summary
3 hr 45 min (Italo trains)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Roma or Napoli
All trains also call at: Venezia Mestre and Firenze S.M.N. and Roma Tiburtina
10 x trains per day
There are an additional two daily departures from Venezia Mestre station
Tickets
If you're heading from historical Venezia/Venice make sure to select Venezia S. Lucia as the 'Departure' station and NOT Venezia Mestre.
If you will be using an agent, confirm that they have booked tickets from Venezia S. Lucia.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open:: around 3 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between and Venice/Venezia and Roma is provided by
(1) these Italo trains
(2) Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 6 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 3 to 4 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day - so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Rail passes are not valid on the Italo trains
A choice of stations in Roma:
All of these Italo trains will call at Roma Tiburtina station, before going on Roma Termini.
If you will be travelling to Roma Termini, then use this specific station as the Arrival station when looking up tickets and prices.
If your final destination is near a station on Line B of the Rome Metro, the best option can be to book these trains to Roma Tiburtina and connect into the Metro there.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italo | from €39 | |
| Omio | from €39 | |
| Trainline | from €39 | |
| Happy rail | from €39 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that these trains will reverse direction when departing from Firenze S.M.Novella station,
These trains take the same route as the Frecce trains.
Option 3: taking the Intercity trains
Journey Summary
8hr 1min - 8hr 6min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Roma Termini
These trains also call at: Foligno (connect for Assisi)
Note that these Intercity (IC) trains depart from Venezia Mestre station on the mainland and NOT from Venezia S. Lucia station in the historic, tourist heart of Venezia.
The alternative high speed services, the Frecce and Italo trains, do depart from Venezia Santa Lucia.
These IC trains from Venice to Rome are also much slower than the Frecce or Italo trains, because unlike them, they don't use the high speed lines between Bologna and Rome.
Also they have recently been switched to an even longer route via Rimini, though fans of scenic rail journeys will appreciate the views of the coast and the Apennine Hills, available when taking the first departure of the day.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
These Intercity (IC) trains are usually scheduled to depart from Venezia Mestre at 07:34 and 14:14.
If you will be commencing your journey at Venezia S. Lucia, you will need to take a connecting train to Venezia Mestre.
When making an online booking, if you select Venezia S.Lucia as the 'Departure station' your ticket will include both the connecting train AND the Intercity train.
Despite the need to take two trains, when commencing a journey at Santa Lucia station, these IC trains will be a cheaper option than either of the two high speed services; Frecce or Italo.
If you want to compare the ticket prices of these IC trains with both the Frecce AND Italo trains, you will need to look up this journey on Trainline, as Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains.
Rail pass users
Target these IC trains if you want to save €10 on rail pass reservation fees.
Though if you'll want the peace of mind of being able to remain in the same seat for the entire journey, paying the optional €3 reservation fee is virtually essential
(1) taking a R or RV train from Venezia S. Lucia to Venezia Mestre
(2) taking one of these IC trains from Venezia Mestre to Roma.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | from €19 approx | |
| Italia rail | from €19 approx |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Take the morning InterCity train to see these views.
South of Rimini the train will travel by the shore of the Adriatic Sea for more than 40 minutes, the views are on the left, then the train will turn inland and spend more than an hour travelling through the foothills of the Apennine Mountains.
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