We decided to take the train to Italy I from Switzerland instead of flying because it was cheaper for the 4 of us. However, the campervan rental company had to still drop us off at the airport instead of the train station. We woke up at 2:30am (after getting a whole 2 hours of sleep), left at 3 to get gas, and returned our rental van at 4am so we could make our train by 6am. We got to the airport around 5 and from there just planned to get an uber to the train station. However, every uber that we ordered either cancelled or drove past us when they saw the kids. Finally, Jesse found a taxi driver willing to take us and we made it to the train station with only a few minutes to spare.
The train from Switzerland to Milan was amazing, we had 4 seats facing each other, plenty of leg room, a table, only a few other people in our car, amazing. The scenery made me cry it was so so beautiful. We had a connection in Milan and the train from Milan to Venice was horrific. We had two seats for the 4 of us. Zero leg room. All our bags, stroller, backpacks, with us at our seats. Our suitcase was in the aisle for the 2 hour train ride. And the girls on our lap. There wasn’t a single open seat. Both girls fell asleep, Ever on Jesse and Sola cried for a while before finally falling asleep on me. When we arrived, Ever was still knocked out. So we had to get a sleeping 3.5 year old off the train along with our huge bag, carry on bag, stroller, and 2 backpacks. LOL. It was quite the sight, I’m sure. THANKFULLY, some strangers were kind enough to help us off the train with all our stuff. Ever then stayed asleep through the ferry ride and everything. Poor thing was exhausted from waking up at 2am the day before.
We heard that Venice in a day was totally doable, so we planned to store our luggage at the train station while we explored. But on the train Jesse had been looking at hotels in Venice. I thought it was a waste of money but he knew we would be much less stressed out if we had a place to rest for a little while after exploring, since our next train wasn’t until 11pm that night. So he booked a hotel, and it was only a 5 minute walk from the train station. And it was beautiful! They were totally cool with us just booking it for the day. We rested a little but then went off to explore Venice. Apparently now we know we were exploring on the wrong side the whole time, we missed out on a few major sights. I don’t have a “Venice Guide” or “10 Things Not To Miss in Venice” because it was a whirlwind day and we were running off no sleep, so, yeah, we basically just explored.
We loved Venice. It was very touristy and crowded, but every corner was so beautiful. Ever met a dog and played with it for a while while Jesse chatted with its owner, a local elderly Italian man and woman loved the girls and grabbed ever’s hand and skipped with her down the cobblestone path (😆), we had some delicious pasta overlooking the canals, and, of course, gelato (ever’s fav part of Italy). It’s the least stroller friendly city, but I would definitely go back someday.