It was time to head to Milan after four nights in Venice. The primary rail operator in Italy is Trenitalia. I was impressed by the comfort, value, and punctuality of the train ride we took in Italy.
It isn't much to get excited about the business class. Our next train ride was in the executive class of the train and I will review that soon.
The direct trains between Venice and Milan take 2.5 hours. We decided to take the train that was scheduled to leave at 10:48AM and arrive at 1:45PM.
If you are traveling with someone, there is a special offer on the fares at Trenitalia. The total cost of the tickets for two people was 89.60 Euro, which equates to 44.80 Euro per person. The premium for business class is modest, so we thought it was worth it.
We ended up spending an extra 2 euro per person to get seats that were facing one another with a table in the middle. This was unnecessary as the train wasn't busy.
The water taxi took about 15 minutes to reach Santa Lucia station. One advantage of taking the train is that you don't have to go back to the mainland, as this train station is located on the island. Not your typical train station taxi stand?
We arrived at the train station around 30 minutes before departure, but we didn't know what to expect. The train station was larger than the one in Milan, but not as large.
There was seating inside the entrance to the train station, as well as shops and restaurants.
There was a train status monitor near the entrance. We waited for the departure track to be listed when we first arrived.
The monitor was updated about 20 minutes before departure to show that we were leaving from track seven. The entrance to the station was only a short walk from the trains.
We were told to put on FFP2 masks, rather than surgical masks, as we got up to the track.
We got into the first car of the train, which was dedicated to business class.
The cabins in the business class of the train are clean and modern. The seats were in a 1-2 configuration, with half of the cabin facing one direction and the other half facing the other.
The regular seats were similar to what you would find on an airplane, with tray tables, headrests, etc.
We sat in the middle of the seats with the tables in the middle. If you're traveling alone and have to face a stranger, these are less ideal than traveling with someone.
It was appreciated that each seat had a power outlet.
Most bags can be stored in the luggage rack above the seats.
There was a luggage storage area at the front and back of each cabin.
The bathroom was at the far end of the train.
The bathroom had a sink and a toilet.
Both of our journeys were on time. The trains left on time. Our first train had a 16 minute delay, but I was pleasantly surprised by how many updates were provided.
There was an announcement when we stopped that there was a technical fault with a train on another track. We were given an update on how long our arrival into Milan would take. There is a lot more effort that goes into keeping people updated than when you fly. I almost felt like I was in Japan.
The ride began with crossing the bridge from the island of Venice.
We had great views of the vineyards on the train.
There were some city views mixed in.
Our tickets were checked by a friendly attendant. There was no need to check-in if we showed the email confirmation from our tickets.
The inflight service began about 10 minutes later. We were offered a choice of three snacks. We were offered a selection of complimentary drinks, seemingly with no limits, and they kept asking us if we wanted anything else.
We each had an espresso and a water, and then ended up with a Coke Zero.
For a 2.5 hour train ride, the service on this sector isn't anything to get excited about, but still, it was more than enough.
It is easy to connect to the free wi-fi at Trenitalia. It saved me from tethering off my phone because I found the speeds to be good.
We arrived at Milan's central train station at around 1:30PM. It was a bit of an adventure to get out of the train station in Milan and into a taxi. I will talk more about the ride out of Milan in the next chapter.
It is a pretty station.
The experience of getting between Venice and Milan was offered by Trenitalia. The trains were clean and the value was good. Getting around Europe by train is more pleasant than flying.
While this train ride was good, it was the executive class train ride that almost turned me into a full-on train enthusiast.
What was your experience in business class?
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