Est. 2006
Shining a light on the green and gorgeous
Produced by Green Traveller Media
What is green travel?
Under 5 hours
by train from London:
Amsterdam
Brussels
Cologne
Ghent
Lille
Paris
Arrive same day by train from London:
Antwerp
Avignon
Barcelona
Basel
Bayonne
Bordeaux
Brive
Geneva
Hamburg
Interlaken
Lausanne
Marseille
Milan
Munich
Nantes
Nice
Toulouse
Turin
Valence
Zürich
Snow Trains to French Alps
Require overnight stopover from London:
Copenhagen
Florence
Lisbon
Naples
Rome
Sicily
Venice
West Sweden
Train + Ferry:
Corsica
Formentera
Greece
Ibiza
Morocco
How to travel by train from London to Venice, Italy
You can reach Venice from London with one overnight stop by travelling on the Eurostar either via Paris then overnight in Turin (or Milan) or via Lille and overnighting in Lyon before the onward train to Venice.
The city of Venice and its lagoon (with over 118 small islands in the Veneto Region of Northeast Italy) was founded in the 5th century AD and became a major maritime power in the 10th century. The whole city (a UNESCO World Heritage area) is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building contains works by some of the world's greatest artists, including Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and others.
Flight-free travel by train from London to Venice:
Journey Time: Overnight
Changes: 2
Transfers: Option 1 (via Paris): Change from Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon, then take the train to Torino Porta Susa (or Milan) and stay overnight and take the high-speed train the following morning to Venice
Option 2 (via Lille): Change at Lille for train to Lyon where you stay overnight then take high-speed train the following morning to Venice
Sample timetable: Option 1: Depart London 7.55am, arrive 11.17am Paris Gare du Nord, depart Paris Gare de Lyon at 12.46, arrive Turin 6.15. Overnight in Turin then catch 10am train to Milan Centrale arriving at 11.02am then take 11.45am train from Milan Centrale arriving Venice Santa Lucia at 2.12pm.
Option 2: Depart London 11.04am, arrive 1.26pm Lille Europe, depart Lille Europe at 2.03pm, arrive Lyon at 5.02pm. Overnight in Lyon, then take 8am train to Turin, arriving 12.25pm, then take the 1pm train to Milan arriving 2.30pm, and then the 2.45pm train from Milan arriving Venice Santa Lucia at 5.12pm.
Frequency of Departures: 19/day
Carbon emissions: 36.4kg (flight would be 270.9kg)*
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
On Board Eurostar
For ticket types (Standard, Plus and Premier) and information on what it's like on board, see our Guide to Eurostar
What's the journey like?
Option 1: change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line (it's only two stops, though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer). See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris. At Gare de Lyon, you board a TGV high speed train to Torino Porta Susa where you stay overnight and then take the morning train over via Milan to Venice.
Option 2: it's just a simple change of train within Lille Europe to catch the train to Lyon where you overnight (there are plenty of hotels near to the station, see below). Then the following morning you take the high speed train from Lyon to Italy.
Buon Viaggio!
Miss your connection?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager.
Stopover in Paris or Lille 🏠
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris or Lille while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near the two railway stations (ie the station you arrive at on the Eurostar in Paris – Gare du Nord, and the station that you depart from Paris – Gare de Lyon), and near Lille Europe.
Hotels close to Gare du Nord 🚉
Grand Hotel de Paris and Hôtel Kabanel are just a few minutes walk from Gare du Nord (and Gare de L'Est so also great if you're heading out east). Rooms from about €100 per night.
Hotels close to Gare de Lyon 🚉
citizenM Paris Gare de Lyon is one of 5 citizenM hotels in Paris that aim to provide 'affordable luxury' in central city locations. Billed as 'hybrid hotels', they're as much about places to work as they are to sleep, with the idea that you can meet local people in a smart, cozy environment.
Green Traveller's Top Pick in Paris 💚
Mob Hotel is a particularly environmentally friendly and socially conscious hotel that's in the heart of St Ouen, just a few miles north of Gare du Nord and close to the Garibaldi metro station (line 13). The hotel is all about being socially engaged within its neighbourhood (the artistic creations of local craftspeople are everywhere), but it also has strong eco credentials, such as water jugs rather than plastic bottles, refillable toiletries and organic cosmetics in the rooms. The restaurant is fully organic with a seasonal menu that draws on produce from farming cooperatives or direct from local producers (they also make their own honey and beer).
Eco-certified hotels in Paris ✔️
If you're looking for other green hotels in the French Capital, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel: Hotel Gavarnie (near the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides Museum) | Hotel Le Pavillion (a former convent in the Saint-Dominique area) | Amélie Hotel (2-star) | Hôtel Malar (10 minutes from the Champs Elysees) | Hôtel Du Printemps, about a mile from Gare de Lyon.
Hotels near Lille Europe Railway Station 🚉
B&B Hotel Lille Centre Grand Palais (see below) and Le Chat Qui Dort are just a few minutes walk from Lille Europe Station (where Eurostar arrives). Rooms from about €100 per night.
Green Traveller's Top Pick in Lille 💚
B&B Hotel Lille Centre Grand Palais is a comfortable budget hotel very conveniently situated in a quiet residential neighbourhood close to the Lille-Europe station. The 127 rooms are slightly small, but size is mitigated by keen pricing and useful add-ons such as free wifi. The hotel has recently earned Clef Verte accreditation for its measures in conserving energy and water.
Stopover in Lyon, Turin or Milan
Whether you take route one via Paris or route two via Lille, you will overnight in either Lyon or Turin (or Milan) where there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near the railway stations, see below:
Hotels near Lyon Part Dieu | Hotels near Turin Porta Susa | Hotels near Milan Porta Garibaldi | Hotels near Milan Centrale
On arrival in Venice
Benvenuto a Venizia! Venice is a small city so you can get to pretty much anywhere on foot within 30 minutes, however there are plenty of buses and trams that can whisk you around, connecting water buses, taxis and gondala rides - see this handy guide to Venice's public transport system: venicepublictransport.it
Hotels in Venice
Hotels near Venice Santa Lucia station – Venice's main central railway station 🚉
Hotel Papadopoli Venezia - MGallery Collection is a 2-minute walk from the Piazzale Roma bus station, less than a kilometre from the railway station, and a short distance from the Grand Canal and the Constitution Bridge. It's a smart 10-room boutique hotel, furnished in 18th century Ventian style and is certified by Green Key for its efforts in reducing its environmental impact, effective waste management and recycling.
Map of hotels near the main railway station in Venice
More about Venice
There's a handy pass for 2, 3 and 5 days that includes entrance to several of the main visitor attractions, including Doge's Palace, Museuo Correr, Palazzo Mocenigo, Museo Fortuny, etc, tickets can be bought at visitvenezia.eu/en/tickets.