How to Get to Venice from Florence

It is likely that after seeing everything there is to see on a trip to Florence you have a day left over and want to take advantage of it to visit another of Italy's major cities. One of the best options is Venice.

For tourist value and proximity, the city of canals has a direct connection with the Florentine capital. In fact, there are many companies that offer this trip in different means of transport. Below I show you which are the best transportation options and what are the advantages, prices and disadvantages of each of them.

In case we have a few days left over in Florence, taking a day trip to Venice is a totally viable option and one of the best excursions to do from Florence.

This type of excursion from Florence to Venice offers about 7 hours free time to see Venice, enough time to see the highlights such as St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace, as well as to book tickets for St. Mark's Basilica.

• Price: from 90 euros.
• Duration and distance: the tour lasts 14 hours, including the three hours outbound and 3 hours return.
• What is included in the tour: round-trip bus transportation, tour guide, free time to visit the city, mini orientation tour of Venice.
• Recommended if... You have a day to spare in Florence and want to visit another of Italy's major tourist cities.

If you are looking for a good relationship between speed, comfort and price, the train is the most recommended transport. There are more than 15 daily departures from the Florentine capital due to its high demand and among these there are three types of trains that make the journey.

High Speed Train

The Frecciargento and Frecciarosa trains are the high-speed trains, which are somewhat more expensive but take only 2 hours to reach Venice. The main company offering these trips is Trenitalia.

Prices are around 30 euros, varying according to the time and date of the ticket. In addition to speed and comfort, the great advantage of these trains is that they leave from the main station in Florence and go directly to Santa Lucia, on the island of Venice. Both stations are in the center of the cities.

Intercity trains

These are cheaper (from 20 euros), but take a little longer. They make several stops in between the two cities and the trip takes about 2 hours and a half.

They have a big disadvantage: they depart from Firenze Rifredi and arrive in Venezia Mestre, two stations that are far from both cities.

Regional Trains

These trains are only recommended if you have not bought your tickets in advance and have no choice. The journeys are longer, about 4 hours, and you will also have to change trains.

The prices are cheaper and you can find tickets for little more than 10 euros, but the savings do not compensate compared to the intercity or high speed trains.

• Price: Between 20 and 40 euros.
• Duration and distance: 2 hours-2 hours and a half.
• Operating companies: Trenitalia
• Recommended if... You are looking for the best value for money.
• Final tip: opt for the high speed train. Also, buying the ticket online and in advance you can find good deals.

The bus is the cheapest alternative to the train. The trip is a bit longer, about 4 hours, but the prices are cheaper and there are several trips a day from early morning, which allows us to enjoy more time to see Venice.

The departure station from Florence is Piazzale Montelungo and the destination in Venice is Tronchetto. From here, you can walk across a bridge or take a streetcar to the island of Venice.

• Price: 10-15 euros.
• Duration and distance: 270 kilometers and about 4 hours.
• Operating companies: Flixbus, Baltour and Buscenter.
• Recommended if: You are looking for the cheapest transport.

If it is the case that you have traveled to Florence by car or you have rented one or you are considering doing so, traveling to Venice is totally feasible.

Both cities are well connected by freeway, bypassing cities such as Bologna, Ferrara or Padua on the most direct route. It is not a cheap option because the consumption of the car and the car rental if we do not go with ours must be added the price of tolls and parking.

It is not, therefore, the best option to travel from Florence to Venice if we buy with the comfort and prices of the train or bus.

• Price: depending on car rental, consumption, tolls and parking.
• Duration and distance: 270 kilometers and about 3 hours.
• Recommended if... You travel in your own car, share expenses and want to take advantage of the stops in the intermediate cities.

The famous carpooling company Blablacar also operates in Italy. If you do not mind sharing the trip with strangers it is a very good option to save you a lot of expenses when traveling by car.

If you opt for this option I recommend you to look at it and book it in advance, because although they are more or less frequent, you do not always find the day and time that suits you best.

• Price: from 15 euros approximately.
• Duration and distance: 270 kilometers and about 3 hours.
• Recommended if... You don't mind sharing a trip with strangers and you want to save a lot of the expenses of traveling by car.

Traveling by plane from Florence to Venice is practically out of the question, as there are no airlines offering direct flights.

The fastest flights take 2 hours and 50 minutes. That, plus the transfer time to the airport and the relevant paperwork, is not cost-effective at all. In addition, prices are not cheap. Considering these factors and buying transportation, the airplane is an option to discard.

• Price: from 100 euros.
• Duration and distance: 2 hours and 50 minutes.
• Operating companies: ITA Airways.
• Recommended if... Everything else fails.

If you are traveling from Florence to Venice here are a few things to keep in mind to make your trip as pleasant and efficient as possible:

• The train and bus stations in Florence are close to each other and close to the center, about 10 minutes walk from Piazza Duomo. To get there you can also take the C4 bus line.
• In Venice the Santa Lucia train station is the only one on the island and at the exit of the mass we can take a vaporetto to move around the city. Keep this in mind especially if you are traveling with a lot of luggage.
• Regarding luggage, in Venice there is a regulation in this regard and do not allow dragging wheeled suitcases unless these are rubber to avoid noise.
• Look for your accommodation in Venice as close as possible to a Vaporetto station, as moving around the city with luggage can be an ordeal.
• Whether you travel by train or bus it is best to buy tickets online and in advance to get them cheaper.