Venice to Basel train

Trains from Venice to Basel

The picturesque city of Venice, sometimes called the Floating City, is built above the waters of the Adriatic Sea along the eastern shores of Northern Italy. It is located about 268 miles (433 km) southeast of Basel, which is known as the cultural capital of Switzerland because of its many museums. Traveling from Venice to Basel by train usually takes between about 7h 12min and 9h 18min, although there is a night train that takes almost 12h 30min to complete the journey. With over ten trains departing Venice daily, travelers rarely have to wait more than 2h for the next train.

Venice to Basel Train Time: Daily Departures

More than 10 trains trains depart daily from Venice to Basel. The first train leaves Venice around 06:18 a.m., and trains depart periodically until about 05:26 p.m. There is also a night train that departs around 11:05 p.m. Departures are scheduled every 1h to 3h, with the highest concentration of trains departing in the morning rush hour (before about 09:00 a.m.).

How long is the journey by train from Venice to Basel?

The journey by train from Venice to Basel can be as quick as about 7h 12min, but most trains arrive at their destination in about 7h 30min to 8h 30min. The night train route is the longest route between the cities, with a total duration of over 12h. A few of the daily trains require either 1 or 2 transfers, but passengers on most of the routes change trains 3 times along the way.

What are the departure and arrival stations for trains from Venice to Basel?

Departure train station: All of the trains from Venice to Basel depart from Venice’s Santa Lucia railway station, which is located directly on the city’s Grand Canal. Venice is a very walkable city, and many travelers choose to walk to the station from the city center; the station is less than 1.5 miles (2.3 km) from St Mark’s Square. Travelers can also take the vaporetto water bus, which stops at different points along the canal to carry passengers to the Grand Canal in front of the station. The Santa Lucia station handles a lot of tourist traffic and offers many facilities for its passengers, including plenty of shopping and dining options, VIP lounges, information for tourists, train ticket offices and ticket machines, a luggage storage counter, vending machines and restrooms.

Arrival train station: The Venice to Basel trains arrive at the Basel SBB railway station, which is one of the largest stations along the Swiss border. The station offers about 50 shops, restaurants and services. Some of the services at the station include ticket counters, information for tourists, currency exchange, car and bike rentals, luggage storage, and restrooms. Basel SBB is located in the southern part of the city center, about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) south of the city’s marketplatz where shoppers can pick up fresh fruits, veggies and flowers. It’s easy to walk almost anywhere in the city center, but if visitors prefer to take public transportation to the center of town, they can pick up one of the buses and trams that stop outside the station. The #8, #11 and #16 trams all carry passengers to the marketplatz in less than 10min, as does the #30 bus.

Which train companies travel from Venice to Basel?

The train companies that travel from Venice to Basel are Trenitalia and Swiss Railways. Passengers start the journey on a Trenitalia train and transfer to a Swiss Railways train along the way. Trenitalia is the primary railway company in Italy, operating Regional, Intercity and high-speed trains between over 200 cities in the country; it operates its Frecciarossa high-speed trains on almost all of the Venice to Basel routes. One of the safest and most efficient rail companies in Europe, Swiss Railways is also known as SBB CFF FFS (which is an abbreviated version of the company’s names in German, French and Italian), or simply SBB. SBB operates its Intercity and Eurocity trains from Venice to Basel.

Trenitalia trains from Venice to Basel

There are over ten trains that make the journey from Venice to Basel each day, including weekends and holidays. Trains leave the station about once an hour until about 12:30 p.m. After that, fewer departures are scheduled until the early evening. There is also a night train that departs at around 11:05 p.m. The train operator for the first part of the route is Trenitalia, which operates its high-speed Frecciarossa trains on between the cities.

Swiss Railways trains from Venice to Basel

On a handful of the daily trains, passengers change trains only one or two times, but on most of the routes passengers transfer trains three times before arriving in Basel. Swiss Railways operates the trains for the second half of the route; its Intercity and Eurocity trains arrive in Basel.

Trains from Venice to Basel: Services on Board

Trenitalia operates it high-speed Frecciarossa trains on the first part of the Venice to Basel routes. The Frecciarossa trains offer four classes of service (Standard, Premium, Business and Executive). The modern, air-conditioned trains have restrooms in each train car, a car equipped with a bar and bistro area, internet access, and electrical sockets at every seat.  Swiss Railways (SBB) operates its Eurocity (EC) and Intercity (IC) trains on the last part of the journey from Venice to Basel. The EC trains offer 2 classes of services (First and Second). On the EC trains, passengers can enjoy modern, air-conditioned cars that are equipped with a dining car and separate zones for women traveling alone, as well as for women who are breastfeeding and families traveling with toddlers. The IC trains also offer First- and Second-class services. Most IC trains have sequestered quiet and business zones as well as a restaurant car and/or a cart offering food and beverages services throughout the train. Neither Trenitalia nor SBB place limits on luggage or charge fees for excess baggage. Passengers should just make sure that their luggage fits in the designated spaces on the train. Passengers with bicycles should make sure the bikes are folded and stored in a bag, which must be kept with the rest of the luggage on the train. Fully assembled bikes cannot be brought on board trains serving the Venice to Basel routes. There are no fees for small pets brought on board any Trenitalia and SBB trains. For Trenitalia trains, small pets must be able to travel in a carry-on pet crate and for SBB trains, small dogs can be no taller than 11.8 in (30 cm) at the shoulders and must travel in a crate, basket or other container during the trip. Both companies charge a fee for larger dogs and require that larger dogs remain leashed and muzzled while on board the train. Trenitalia and SBB can make accommodations for disabled passengers; travelers should contact their company in advance of the trip to make any special arrangements. It is recommended that passengers contact Trenitalia or SBB at least 48h before traveling to set up the additional services.

How to find cheap train tickets from Venice to Basel?

Cheap trains from Venice to Basel are easy to find, especially if travelers are flexible with their travel days and times and book their tickets several weeks before their trip to lock in the best deals. Trains departing in the afternoon tend to be cheaper than trains that depart during the morning rush. Trenitalia and SBB offer a wide variety of discounts; travelers may qualify for senior, youth and student discounts. Passengers traveling with a group of five or more people or with children may qualify for group or family discounts. Young children travel for free or at a reduced fare with Trenitalia and SBB.