Venice Railroad Station

First things first: The term "Venice Railroad Station" is a misnomer, because the municipality of Venice has two major stations: Venezia Mestre station on the Italian mainland, and Venezia Santa Lucia station in the city's historic center (which is 6 km or 4 miles offshore in the Venetian Lagoon).

Mestre is a through station where trains stop briefly on their way from Austria and Slovenia to Bologna and Florence. Some trains cross the causeway from Mestre to the Santa Lucia station; others require passengers to disembark in Mestre and catch a local train into the historic center. It's wise to check your train's timetable before departing for Venice, just so you'll know where to get off the train.

Venezia Santa Lucia Station

ABOVE: Venice's Santa Lucia Railway Station is near the foot of the Grand Canal, just behind the Ferrovia vaporetto station.

From Mestre, a brick-and-stone causeway named the Ponte della Libertá, or "Bridge of Liberty," crosses the Venetian Lagoon to central Venice.

Trains dead-end in the Stazione Ferroviaría Santa Lucia, a stark white building from the mid-1950s that looks out of place in a city where most buildings are hundreds of years old. The station's façade is decorated with the logo of the FS, or Ferrovie dello Stato, a.k.a. Italian State Railways.

Next page: Arriving by train

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Hotel tip: Location can be important when choosing a hotel in Venice or on the mainland. Before booking, read our No. 1 Warning and Venice Hotel Recommendations by Area.

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