Are you thinking of doing a Florence to Venice day trip?
Venice is an outstanding destination to visit in Italy, attracting many visitors from all around the world for its bridges, canals and old palaces dating back to the Serenissima Republic.
Venice can literally make you take a step back in time to the old full splendour of the city, when the merchants were trading spices and exotic products around its canals.
Florence to Venice Day Trip
Florence is another city to visit at least once in your life, also called the cradle of the Renaissance.
If you’re currently in the sunny Tuscany’s capital and thinking about visiting Venice for a day and fulfil the dream to see both places during on trip, you should know that’s certainly possible!
Read below to learn how to organize your Florence to Venice day trip.
Where is Venice, Italy?
Venice is the capital city of the Veneto region, located in north-east Italy.
It is made up of 118 small islands all based in the Venetian lagoon.
These islands are connected one to the other by bridges. You can reach Venice by crossing the Liberty Bridge, connecting Mestre (the closest mainland town) to the city of water.
Venice from Florence is it worth it?
The main reason why it’s worth visiting Venice from Florence is because the two cities are very well-connected by public transport.
The other reason why you should organize a Florence to Venice day trip is that this way, you’ll have the opportunity to see two of the most beautiful Italian cities during one trip to Italy!
They both have something unique characterizing their historical city centres, their food scene and landmarks.
I really believe that you can’t go back home without enjoying the panoramic views from the Arno river and Canal Grande.
Want to know for which other reasons you should visit Venice? Read my post that will give you 7 reasons why you should visit Venice today!
Things to do in Venice?
A day trip from Florence to Venice is a good way to have a taste of the city of canals and bridges.
In one day in Venice you won’t be able to see all the best attractions of the city, but you can definitely include St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, the St. Mark’s Campanile and Doge’s Palace.
I recommend booking in advance your skip the line ticket to both the basilica and the palace to optimize your time.
After visiting these landmarks, take a picture of the Bridge of Sighs and move towards the Rialto Bridge and Market area.
From here, you can enjoy a fantastic view over the Grand Canal and take a gondola ride. Why not find out more on what to see in Venice with my post on the best Venice tourist attractions so you know exactly what not to miss?
Where to stay in Venice?
It’s important to sort your accommodation, when you’ll be arranging your day trip from Florence to Venice.
In Venice there’s no shortage of hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and hostels.
Here some of my best suggestions for your stay:
- UNAHOTELS Ala Venezia: this is a lovely hotel if you’re travelling as a couple or friends. The hotel is located in a 18th century-building and only a few minutes walk away from St. Mark’s Square.
- Hotel Agli Alboretti: this 3-star hotel is based in Dorsoduro, which I believe is the best nightlife in Venice. Additionally, it’s only a few minutes away from the Guggenheim Collection and Gallerie dell’Accademia museums.
- Ca’ Angeli: is based in the San Polo district and offers epic views over the Grand Canal. It’s not far from Santa Lucia railway station and Rialto Bridge.
Looking for more ideas on where to stay in Venice? see my post about the best places to stay in Venice divided by the six neighbourhoods of the city.
Florence to Venice Day Trip
How far is Florence from Venice?
Florence is 269 kilometres away from Venice by car and it will take more or less 3 hours to get from one city to the other.
It’s pretty straightforward to reach Venice from Florence, and they’re connected by efficient motorways. You’ll have to change motorway 4 times.
If you don’t want to think about motorways, tolls and parking space (which is always a bit tricky in Venice, if not expensive) then I really recommend getting there by train.
Train is the best option as both Florence and Venice railway stations are based in the city centre.
How to get from Florence to Venice
Now that you know already how easy it’s to plan a day from Florence, and some of the reasons why you should visit the city of bridges and canals, let’s find out how to get from Florence to Venice by train, by car and by bus.
Train from Florence to Venice
As I said, this is the easy way to get from Florence to Venice. The ideal way is to get an high-speed train from Firenze Santa Maria Novella towards Venezia Santa Lucia (railway station names in Italian).
You won’t find the fast trains from any other station in Florence, so double check you’re going to the right station. You can either book your ticket online or from the ticket office from Trenitalia or Italo.
Always check both websites to find the best deals. It’s good to know that during the summer the two companies run promotional campaigns and you can find tickets for a very good price!
I also recommend booking the ticket in advance, if possible, as prices for these trains can increase closer to the departure date.
With the direct Frecciarossa trains, it will take 2 hours and 15 minutes to get from Florence to Venice.
There are also regional trains, and the ticket is less expensive than the Frecciarossa ones, but it will take up to 5 hours to reach your destination.
It doesn’t make any sense to get this train if you’re planning to spend just one day in Venice.
Driving from Florence to Venice
You can also rent a car and drive from Florence to Venice. It will take less than 3 hours, depending on the traffic situation, to reach Venice.
I suggest getting a car with a sat nav or use the GPS from your phone in order to check what’s the traffic situation, motorways and speed detectors.
There are 4 motorways to take: the A1, the A13, the A14 and the last bit is A4 motorways also called Autostrada Serenissima.
You’ll be driving on the A14 and A4 motorways for just a short section. There are going to be tolls to pay and you can check you much it can be on this Autostrade website.
Once in Venice, the only place where you can park is the Tronchetto car park. You can easily follow the signs at the end of the Liberty Bridge that you’ll cross before getting to Venice, or put the car parking space name on the GPS.
After parking, you should get the people mover service that connects the Tronchetto island to Piazzale Roma. From here you can start exploring Venice.
You can also park at the City Parking Garage, near Piazzale Roma which is more expensive than the Tronchetto car park, but closer to the city centre.
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Bus from Florence to Venice
It’s possible to get from Florence to Venice by bus?
This is normally the cheapest way to get from one city to the other but it will take a bit longer than the fast train and driving yourself to the destination.
There are three different companies you can rely on:
- Flexibus: with buses leaving every day almost every hour from either Villa Costanza (23 minutes by tram from city centre) or Piazzale Montelungo (behind Santa Maria Novella railway station, in the city centre) and arriving in Venice Tronchetto. It will take 4 hours and 15 minutes with no change or 4 hours and 50 minutes with a change.
- Italbus: with only three buses leaving every day (3.15am, 11.35am and 3.55pm) from Villa Costanza. It can take between 3 hours and 35 minutes to 4 hours and a half, depending on the bus you choose. The buses stop at Venice Mestre and Venice Tronchetto.
- MarinoBus: the most expensive option that leave once a day at 2.10am to arrive in Mestre, near the railway station at 6am. The buses leave from Villa Costanza.
Getting from Florence to Venice
Now you should have a better idea of how to get from Florence to Venice and how easy it’s to plan (even last minute) a day trip to the lagoon city!
If you have an extra day to spend in Florence and looking for other Italian cities to visit in a day, Venice is a great choice and you won’t regret visiting!
While you’re still here, why not see my post on free things to do in Venice if you want to learn what to do without spending any money in Venice?
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