Hi

I plan to go to Venice next week. In that regard can somebody give below information ?

- Train connections from Zurich to Venice
- approx. duration and prices ( I have half fare card )
- how many days in advance I should book the tickets etc...

- any flight options ?

Additional information like Internet links / decent Hotel options in Venice etc would also be appreciated...

Thanks & Regards...

www.sbb.ch

... and for the flight options:

www.ebookers.ch

Do you know Google?

Thank you for the information.

But my intention of putting the post is to get information from someone who has recently done this trip...so that he can give me latest options and deals...

I could see many options on Internet, so information from Forum might help in choosing the better option

Sorry that I did not mention this in the original post...

We did this trip in October & took the train from ZRH to Milan & changed in Milan for Venice (approx 45 mins wait)

Booked the train about 6 weeks before we went (- it may be just the train we were on but every seat was booked/full) - with seat reservations on SBB.ch. On the SBB website there were details of offers for Milan for Sf60 return or similiar but I couldn't be bothered to trawl through all the combinations of connections.

I suggest booking the ticket in advance to ensure a seat - its a long stand otherwise.

Accomodation I booked via Expedia.co.uk - accomodation is rather expensive (understatement) - we found it cheaper to stay at Venice Lido then take the vaporetto across to Venice (1 stop - every 10/15mins)

Visit Hellovenezia.it - this website you can buy a travel ticket for all transport in advance at a small discount - transportation is another area where the Venetian authorities show no mercy. You can buy 2/3/5/7 day passes.

The train arrives smack bang in the middle of Venice - you can pick up your travel card on exiting the station & the vaprettoes arrive/leave directly outside.

Good food was hard to find (we didn't find any) - Venice is a tourist mecca & seems intent on extracting every last cent out of its visitors.

Take trainers & be prepared to do a lot of walking.

Forgot to say - booked train tickets online at SBB & the arrived the next day

There are not so many options...

If you want to fly there there is only Swiss doing direct flights from Zurich, but prices are quite high in the next weeks especially if you want to do it over a weekend (cheaper if you fly during the week). From Basel there is Easyjet.

By train, you will find all the train connections on sbb.ch and the only deals I know about are the ones on their website for international connections.

You can also buy a ticket to Milan from sbb.ch and the Milan - Venice on trenitalia.com (the italian railways). I often do that because then it is easier to change ticket there if I miss the train (in Italy the ticket is for a specific train only, you cannot jump on any train...).

Enjoy!

Did the same trip last Christmas. Took a train from ZH to Venice....we had to change at Milan but only waited for around 5 minutes.... I guess it depends on the day of week, but we bought the ticket for our entire itinerary from sbb. I think it was around 80CHF one way. We found it a lot cheaper to live just outside the main city. The hotel was at walking distance from Venice Mestre train station ... There's a bus service leaving for the main city every 10 minutes or so and takes around 15 minutes to reach there.

Here's the hotel we stayed at... its quite nice.
http://maps.google.ch/maps?oe=utf-8&...ed=0CEkQnwIwAA

hope that helps.

I took the train from Zürich to Venice during Carneval for one weekend, and we almost missed our connection in Milan. You'll have to check the web site to see if there is still a delay, but we were RUNNING through the station with our luggage to catch the connection.

I think there is another route via Bellizona that a friend took without any difficulties. But it left Zürich a bit later. (But then again, with our delay via Milan, we almost arrived in Venice at the same time...)

Otherwise, I would say the train was ok. Traveling by train is much cheaper than flying, but it takes longer, so it depends on your time, budget, etc. to determine what's best for you.

We travelled by train via Lausanne and Neuchatel- easy peasy and much more relaxing than flying- and as said above you arrive in town.

Agreed about comment re. food and prices. So expensive and all tourist menus were exactly identical. Café Florian on StMarks is very pretty - but watch out, we paid 19E for 2 black coffees (it would have been an extra E3 if a musician had been playing).

There is excellent food to be found in Venice and at decent prices (OK, never actually cheap but decent). Just go where the locals go (yes, off the tourist track - this is possible even in Venice) and avoid anything full of tourists.

Rule 1...never eat or drink anything within ~200m of Piazza San Marco. The prices increase exponentially as you close in.

[QUOTE]There is excellent food to be found in Venice and at decent prices (OK, never actually cheap but decent). Just go where the locals go (yes, off the tourist track - this is possible even in Venice) and avoid anything full of tourists.

I have been to Venice many times and really love it; however, there are certain times of the year when it is better to go, areas that will always be extremely crowded and definitely places to avoid when it comes to eating.

The Veneto region actually has a very rich history of food and drink, so there are loads of great local dishes to try (fritto misto being a good example). As mentioned above, just head off the tourist trail and find somewhere local to eat. Osterias and trattorias are your best bet when it comes to finding local food at reasonable prices. It is a major city though, so don't expect things to be too cheap. If you really do want to just eat a spaghetti pomodoro on St Mark's Square, expect it to be overpriced, overcooked and, overall, a bad experience!

Venice is a city that requires a lot of exploration by foot. Just pick up a decent map and then head off down a side street or follow a canal and see where it takes you. This is the best way to stumble across a hidden church or square that only the locals tend to visit. You will also be rewarded by an amazing silence that you can't imagine whilst amid the hurling throng that flock to St Mark's and the Rialto. The vaporetti are a good way of getting about too and I would recommend a visit to Murano or Burano if you have the chance.

If you arrive by plane you can get a cheap bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma or if you do come by train then you can go direct to the main station, Santa Lucia. Both are easy to then hop on the vaporetto or walk into the main areas of Venice from. Most people who want cheap accommodation tend to stay in Mestre which is the town on the mainland just before Venice and then take the train one stop there and back to sight see. I personally always prefer to stay in Venice as it is great at night when a lot of the tourists have left. The following is a small residence near the Rialto that is clean, comfortable and reasonably priced (by Venice standards): http://www.residenzagoldoni.com/en/index.htm

What ever you get up to, I hope you enjoy your visit as it is such a magical place.

This is true, we have visited several times in the last few years. Very close to the Rialto is this place.

http://www.ristoranteallamadonna.com/eng/locale.htm

For location and price one of the best, but a bit rushed at busy times. Excellent for seafood.

Enjoy, it is a beautiful and unique place.

Take a map!!!! My iPhone was useles...took hours to get home...it's like a giant maze...

Can I fly to Venice from Zurich? Is there any particular site which provides good deals?

I would love to book train tickets but as I plan to travel in next three weeks, I think that booking train tickets is not an option anymore

There is a strike this week but might be ok later on.

SBB and Trenitalia websites are still selling rail tickets.

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Thanks a lot!!!

Maybe a bit late - but I found Padova a great base to explore Venice. It's 30 minutes away by train (plenty of affordable trains) and a lot to offer (history, culture, food).