venice santa lucia train station

Ciao! Welcome to this guide that looks at the train stations in Venice, where they are located and how to get there from the airports or other locations.

Venice welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world, every single day.

Many travellers land at Venice Marco Polo airport and choose to get a water bus or water taxi to get to the historic centre of Venice.

There’s also a huge number of people arriving in Venice by train. There are two train stations in Venice: Venice Mestre, on the mainland and Venice Santa Lucia, which is the main terminal station, and the only real gateway to the Lagoon city.

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Train Stations in Venice

In this guide you’ll learn about the train stations in Venice, where they’re based, services you can find inside and how to get to and from them to the city centre.

venice train to lake garda

In the following section you’ll find a practical map of both train stations which shows their exact locations in Venice.

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Venice train station map

The main difference between the two train stations is that Venice Mestre is located on the mainland, and it’s only one (sometimes two) stops away from Venice.

Venice Santa Lucia is located in Venice city centre and you get there by crossing the Liberty Bridge, a bridge that connects the mainland to Venice.

See the map above to get a clear idea of their exact locations. If you want to visit Venice in the near future, then you should look to stop at Venice Santa Lucia.

Types of trains in Venice

Below I have written a list of the different type of trains that you can book during your stay in Italy and the trains you can get from the train stations in Venice.

frecciarossa train venice italy

  • High-speed trains: these trains run at the high speed, reaching 300 km/h. The high-speed train network of Trenitalia and Italo runs throughout Italy, connecting the main cities of the country. They offer different levels of service and comfort on board. In Venice stations depart and arrive Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains. The ticket cost for high-speed trains is usually higher than for regional trains, and it goes up as it gets closer to the departure day. My advice is to always get the ticket in advance, from the official train companies’ websites or through the app Trainline.
  • Fast regional trains: the ‘Regionale Veloce’ trains are the Trenitalia regional trains that skip some stops. They basically get faster to your final destination. There are many fast regional trains departing from both train stations in Venice connecting it to other towns in Veneto and closeby Italian regions. There are fast trains to Verona, Conegliano, Trieste, Udine and Bologna. You can check the daily timetable and stops of Venice Santa Lucia here, and of Venice Mestre here.
  • Regional trains: the ‘Regionale’ trains are used to move around a region or nearby ones and they stop at every station expected for their route, which means that it will take longer to get to your final stop. They connect small towns between each other and with big city centres. These are the cheapest trains you can get and you can purchase the ticket directly at the ticket office or ticket machine in Venice Santa Lucia or Mestre station. Unlike the high-speed trains, there’s a set ride fare and it doesn’t increase as you get closer to the departure date.

Things to know when arriving in Venice by train

Riding the train in Italy is part of many travellers’ experience and I suggest trying it as a way to see more places during your stay (if you have the chance).

arriving to venice train

Especially when you consider that from Venice, you can visit other towns and cities in the Veneto region and beyond, thanks to the great train connections.

For example, you can get to Padua in 20 minutes and in 1 hour and half in Verona. See a couple of my local’s tips about riding trains from Venice and Veneto below.

  • If you get the paper ticket remember to validate it. Whether it’s from the ticket office or ticket machine, once you have it, head over to a validating machine which can be can found in and around the train stations. If you’re taking the train from a smaller station, or if there’s no validating machine working, when your train arrives, ask the conductor to validate it for you!
  • When you get a train from any of the two train stations in Venice, try to get to the platform early as some trains are quite busy and the risk is to not find a seat. This doesn’t affect you if you’re taking a high-speed train. For these trains the seats get assigned at the time of booking.
  • Venice Santa Lucia and Venice Mestre are one the same railway line. In fact, before getting to Venice Santa Lucia you stop in Mestre. You’ll instantly know that you’re arriving in the Venice historic centre beacuse you’ll leave the mainland and your train will begin to cross the Liberty Bridge. On your left and right, you’ll also start seeing the water. This is a sign you’re arriving to Venice Santa Lucia and left the mainland.
  • If you’re travelling on a Regionale train from the mainland to Venice Santa Lucia, it might stop in Porto Marghera. This is a small station located between Mestre and Venice.

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Venice Santa Lucia Station

Venice Santa Lucia is a terminal station, the main gateway to the Lagoon city. If you have read my post on how Venice was built, then you should be aware of the fact that it was erected on 118 small islands connected by bridges.

train station venice transport

You can reach this train station by crossing the Liberty Bridge, and get directly to Venice historic centre. Venice Santa Lucia station is frequented by an average of 82,000 people a day and around 30 million visitors a year.

Inside the station you can find different eateries and bars, souvenir shops, clothing stores and the main services such as the Trenitalia and Italo ticket offices, ticket machines, luggage storage, information desks, toilets and railway police.

To get around Venice, from the railway station, you can easily just get a vaporetto (water bus) in front of the stop ‘Ferrovia’, right in front of the station.

The urban and extra-urban road transport services are concentrated in Piazzale Roma, the bus and tram terminals. Piazzale Roma is 400 metres away from Venice Santa Lucia and it takes 6 minutes on foot to get there.

Where is Santa Lucia Station?

Venice Santa Lucia station is on the Fondamenta Santa Lucia and it’s the closest railway station to the main attractions of Venice historic centre.

venice santa lucia train station

From here, you can get to:

  • St. Mark’s Square is 27 minutes (2 kilometres) on foot and 18 minutes by water bus (lines 1, 2, 4.1, 5.1 and N);
  • Rialto Bridge in 21 minutes walk (1.6 kilometres) and 19 minutes by water bus (lines 1, 2 and N)
  • Accademia Bridge is 25 minutes (1.9 kilometres) on foot and 21 minutes by water bus (lines 1, 2 and N).
  • Lido of Venice by water bus in less than an hour by vaporetto lines 1, 2 seasonal, 5.1, 5.2 and N.
  • Murano by water bus in 17 minutes by vaporetto lines 3, 4.2 and N.

You can also get a water taxi to move around the city and get to the other islands in the Venetian lagoon, but at a higher cost. See this guide on how to get to Murano from Venice for example, which is a popular day trip for many visitors.

You can use Google Maps to move around Venice, check the water bus stops and time, but don’t rely completely on it as the signal is not very good.

You can always follow the yellow signs usually with directions to Piazza San Marco, Rialto, Ferrovia (railway station) and Piazzale Roma (bus/tram station and car parking).

How to get to Venice Santa Lucia Station from Marco Polo?

You have a few options for getting to Venice Santa Lucia from Venice Marco Polo airport:

  • By Alilaguna water bus: get the orange line from here to the stop ‘Guglie’ in Venice. It’s 42 water bus minutes. Once you get there, walk 8 minutes to get to Santa Lucia station.
  • By bus: get the bus from the second lane outside Arrivals with direction Venice – Piazzale Roma. You can either get the ACTV bus 5, ATVO bus 35 or the seasonal bus E015-V by Busitalia Veneto. Check my post on getting from Marco Polo airport to Venice for more info.
  • By water taxi: from the ferry terminal at the airport you can also get a shared water taxi or book a private water taxi ride. The good thing about going private is that the water taxis can leave you wherever you want in Venice.
  • By bus + train: there’s no railway station at the airport. So you can get a bus from the airport to Venice Mestre railway station (bus lines 35, 15, 10) and once you get there the first train to Venice Santa Lucia. You can buy the ticket directly at the station or online.
  • By taxi: you can book your taxi ride in advance and the driver can drop you in Piazzale Roma. From there, cross the Calatrava bridge and walk for 400 metres until you get in front of Santa Lucia station.

How to get to Venice Santa Lucia Station from Mestre?

The best way to get to Venice Santa Lucia station from Mestre is by getting regional or fast regional trains.

venice mestre train station

There are trains leaving almost every 10 minutes Venice Mestre station to Venice Santa Lucia, so you won’t have to wait long to get on one.

It takes just 10 minutes to get to Venice city centre. You can simply get your ticket from the ticket office or ticket machines or buy it from the Trenitalia official website or via the Trainline app.

Some trains might stop in Porto Marghera, that it’s not the right stop, wait to cross the Liberty Bridge and to see the lagoon around you.

Venice Mestre Train Station

Venice Mestre is the train station in Venice’s mainland. This is the 7th largest Italian station, with a traffic volume estimated at around 85,000 daily transits and 31 million visitors a year.

venice train station

Venice Mestre is an important transit station and a strategic point for the complex extra-urban public transport system of the Venetian hinterland.

The services you can find inside or just outside the station are: car rentals, Trenitalia and Italo ticket offices, information desks, car parking and luggage storage. The Mestre bus station is only 20 metres away from the railway station.

Where is Mestre Station?

Venice Mestre station is located in Viale Stazione, 30171 in the city of Mestre. This is the second (or third) closest train station to Venice historic centre.

From here, you can get to:

  • St. Mark’s Square: by train or bus from Venice Mestre’s station and then water bus line 2 from the stop ‘Ferrovia B’. Total travel time is 40 minutes. Alternative vaporetto lines you can get from Piazzale Roma or Santa Lucia station are: 1, 4.1, 5.1 and N, but travel time can change. You can also walk from Santa Lucia station and get to St. Mark’s Square in 27 minutes.
  • Rialto Bridge: first get a train or a bus from Venice Mestre’s station and once in Venice the water bus line 2 from the stop ‘Ferrovia B’. Total travel time is 35 minutes. Alternative vaporetto lines you can get from Piazzale Roma or Santa Lucia station are: 1, 4.1, 5.1 and N, but travel time can change.
  • Accademia Bridge: first get a train or a bus from Venice Mestre’s station and once in Venice, the best option is to walk for 18 minutes (1,5 kilometres).

How to get to Mestre Station from Marco Polo?

liberty bridge train venice

If you want to get from Marco Polo airport to Venice Mestre station.

You can get:

  • the ATVO bus numbers 10, 25 or 35. They leave approximately every 30 minutes and it’s more or less 17 minutes ride. You can either get your ticket from the ticket machines or offices at the airport or buy the bus transfer to Mestre ticket in advance.
  • a taxi ride from the airport to Mestre station by getting it from outside the Arrivals hall or booking the taxi ride in advance.
  • a private transfer, the most comfortable option, as the driver will wait for you at the Arrivals and from there, you can just sit back and relax.

How to get to Mestre from Venice Santa Lucia Station?

The best way to get to Venice Mestre from Venice Santa Lucia station is by fast regional train or by bus. There are constantly trains going to Mestre.

arriving at venice train station

This is the first station, after Venice, based on the mainland and from here all the railway networks leave.

From Piazzale Roma, you can get the ACTV buses number 2, 7, 7E and the E015-Z by Busitalia Veneto that stop a couple of minutes walk or in front of Mestre railway station.

The bus ride only lasts 10 minutes, but it might change based on the time of the day and road traffic conditions.

Venice train station FAQs

Here are questions people ask before arriving at the train stations in Venice:

Which is the main train station for Venice?

The main train station for Venice is Venezia Santa Lucia station. This is the closest station to Venice historic centre. From here, you can walk all around Venice and get to your accommodation on foot, or alternatively, get a water bus from the Ferrovia stop, just across the station’s entrance or a water taxi pier, next to the water bus stop.

Can you take a water taxi from Venice train station?

Yes, you can. You can get on a water taxi from the 2 water taxi piers just in front of Venice Santa Lucia station. They are both on the Grand Canal, one is in front of the Chiesa degli Scalzi, and the second next to the pier of vaporetto line 2.

Can you walk from Venice train station to San Marco?

Yes, you certainly can! It takes 27 minutes to get from Venice Santa Lucia station to St. Mark’s Square (1.9 kilometres). There are different walking routes you can follow. The fastest ways are either by following Strada Nova through the Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello districts or through the San Polo neighbourhood.

Does Venice Marco Polo Airport have a train station?

No, Venice Marco Polo airport has no train station. If you want to get to Venice by train, you first have to get a bus to Mestre train station and then get a train to Venice Santa Lucia. The buses you can get from Venice airport to Mestre are the ACTV number 4, 10 and 45 or the bus ATVO number 15. The bus can take more or less 20 minutes to half an hour.
venice consultation box

Train stations in Venice

With this travel guide I clarified which are the train stations near Venice: Venice Santa Lucia, based in Venice historic centre, and Venice Mestre, located on the mainland. If you want to visit Venice, your train stop is Venice Santa Lucia.

Let’s say, you have already booked your accomodation in Mestre for example, then you’ll just need to get the train from Venice Mestre station to get to Venice.

There are many ways to travel to and from Venice and this guide shows you the best way and gives you links to book your preferred mode of transport in advance.

If you are currently getting ready for a trip to Venice, be sure to read my guide Venice tourist attractions too for more practical advice on where to go while here.

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