Vernazza Travel Forum

I will be travelling to Italy this May. Currently we are 2 nights Vernazza, 2 nights Venice and 4 nights Dolomite region.
My original plan was to rent a car in Venice and return to Milan airport.
I was doing this to avoid parking fees in Vernazza and Venice and most importantly the hassle of driving. This will be my 2nd time to Italy the first all by train which was great when they weren't in their on again off again strike mode.
I now realize the train travel time from Vernazza to Venice is 7 hours!!
Would it be better to pickup in Vernazza or nearby and then park in Venice?
So my question is what kind of drive is it from Vernazza to Venice. Is it as long as the train? Living in the mountains I know you can be 15 miles from somewhere but it may still take an hour to get there.
Help.
Peace and Grazie

the most direct route is not really direct but in the shape of a Z on its side, via parma, down to Bologna and then up to Venice. Without stops, maybe 5 hours allowing for a bit of traffic during the last stretch. Plus parking the car in Mestre and getting across to Venice itself. Either way, a long trip.

both, Vernazza and Venice, the car would be a [big] problem. Take the train and it would be much better and safer.

Using Lew's routing, from La Spezia to Parma is up a long mountain valley, so the drive is not too convoluted and sort of attractive. Once you break out of the mountains near Parma, everything is flat and rather boring all the way to Venice (this is the Po River Valley).

The train trip from Vernazza to Venice will be somewhat of a hassle (I forget how many changes you will need - at least 2), but I suspect it will be cheaper than renting the car, leaving it in Piazzale Rome for 2 days, and having the drop-off charge.

It seems like you're going to lose a day of touristing...I suppose you could consider the overnight solution (not great, but possible):
train #11326 dep Vernazza 22:39 arr Genova Brignole 00:16
train #11234 dep Genova Brignole 00:30 arr Genova Piazza Principe 00:36
train #362 'Montecarlo' dep Genova Piazza Principe 01:38 arr Venezia S. Lucia 07:37

This would have you sitting in the Genova PP train station from 12:36 to 1:38 a.m. On the other hand, you could get couchettes or a sleeping compartment on the Montecarlo, and actually get some sleep, so not losing a whole day to be a tourist...

Bill

Bravo Bill! nice idea.
All that way long by car is really boring, trust me! And also by train.
So Bill's advice seems the best to me.
One hour hanged up at Genova station at night will not be a nice stopover (do not even think about to wander outside the station), but it is a little price.
ciao
marco

Hello
If you leaving from Vernazza at 7.12 to La Spezia and from there take the train to Bologna at 7.45 arriving in Bologna at 10.36 and take the train
to Venezia Mestre at about 10.45 arrive in Venezia M. at 12.30
from VeneziaM. to Venezia S.Lucia have train every 10 minute (it take 10 min.)
can you lòok at www.trenitalia.com
good planning mino
from vernazza