6 Unforgettable Romantic Experiences: Train Trip to Venice Italy

by - March 12, 2014


Venice is one of the most romantic destinations we have ever been. It is very beautiful and offers many attractions from churches to palaces. Located on the northeast coast of Italy, it is protected by the Lido from the Adriatic Sea. The winding canals and small-traffic free streets are great for walking. We enjoy the squares and many unique shopping shops for carnival masks which make great souvenirs.

1. How Overnight Train can be Romantic?
In fact we went to Venice by the overnight train!  This is a special night train by MAV-Start that departs at 5pm from Keleti Palyaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) in Budapest. We arrived at 7am in Venice the next morning. The ride itself is a romantic experience.

Venice, Italy

2. Budgeting a Venice Trip
To be honest, this way of traveling is very romantic because we did this as a couple.  We paid 79 Euro each. The returning train is from 9:20pm, so we can actually spend the entire day in Venice.  However, we chose to spend one night in Venice. Booking a hotel (or hostel whatever style of) accommodation you like that suits your budget. The atmosphere in Venice is very charming.



There are still imperfections of the night train, but compared to flying, it is surely more fun. If we will be traveling from Croatia or Greece, we could have tried getting to Venice by ferries.

Venice, Italy

3. Comparing the Ways to Get to Venice
To fly from Budapest to Venice, it would take 6 hours 19 mins and cost 159 Eur per way. In comparison, it will cost 190Eur to take the train to Vienna and then fly to Venice. This will take slightly longer, about 8 hours. Flying directly from Budapest to Venice Treviso will be only 5 hours and cost 69 Euro! But that leads you to Venezia Mestre. By the train from Deli Budapest, you arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia. It will take about 11 hours but cost 153 Eur. Surprisingly by bus is only 10.5 hours, and so much cheaper 61 Eur. By car would have taken 7 hours to drive there, covering a distance of about 706 km, the petrol will cost about 120 Eur.


4. Attractions in Venice
Highlights includes the Saint Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace, Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, Galleria del’ Accademia, Murano (to see Glassmaking related) or Burano islands. We like all of them! We have only one day, so we didn't really go to the Murano and Burano islands. The Piazza San Marco is really a great main square of Venice. It is entirely surrounded by fancy shops and chic sidewalk cafes. We love the scenary so we took lots of photos as we were there in March, we walk about quite a lot. So we did not really sit at an outdoor table enjoying some live music, watching people which would have been equally nice.

You may consider to have a tour inside The Doge’s Palace or Palazzo Ducale on the St. Mark’s Square. This is where you get to see the political and judicial hub of the Venetian government until its fall in 1797. Of course, the not to be missed “Bridge of Sighs”.

The third highlight is the Rialto Bridge or Ponte di Rialto which is the main bridge crossing the Grand Canal. Right in the heart of Venice, this bridge is more than 400 years old!  There is a nice restaurant and a must try is the Squid Ink Pasta. A walk after meal at the nearby Rialto Market and lively food market as well as the little shops.

We would have ridden on the Gondola crossing the Grand Canal (Canal Grande) of Venice if it had not been so expensive. What we really enjoyed was we did take a lot of photos of the many boats and beautiful buildings while on the Vaporetto.

Venice at night

The beautiful church consecrated in 832 AD, Saint Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) is a good fusion of the East and West. For art museums, we would recommend the 24 rooms Galleria del’ Accademia. It is in three historic buildings but the best if you arrive there early to avoid crowds.

5. Must try in Venice: Black Squid Ink Pasta
Most of the Italian meals in Venice are expensive. We have personally tried the Trattoria Antica Sacrestia at Calle della Corona – Castello 4463, 30122 Venice Italy. The atmosphere is great and the food is fantastic.

However, it is almost a must to try the seafood. One item quite commonly found on most menus is the Black Squid Ink pasta. As if I’ve time travelled back to kindergarten, we indulged in glossy black squid ink sauce spaghetti that smells and tastes fishy but delicious. 

Will your mouth and teeth be stained black? Yes!

6. Carnival Festival
When we got there, it was end of March, so the Carnevale Festival or the Carnival in Venice which is 10-day street party starting in February to first week of March had ended. What we can see all around for shopping is definitely the Carnival masks of all types: Bauta, columbina, medico della peste, moretta, volto, pantalone, arlecchino or zanni. I’ve bought a stick white half mask with white feathers. It would be such an eye-opener and I would love to see the entire stunning procession of decorated gondolas on the Grand Canal.


Venice, Italy

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