If you're planning that trip of a lifetime to the romantic floating city of Venice, you’ll most likely be arriving via one of the city’s two bustling railway stations, Venice Mestre, on the mainland or Venice Santa Lucia which sits on one of the city’s 117 islands. While Venice Santa Lucia is one of the world’s most spectacular station locations – passengers alight right by the Grand Canal - Venice Mestra Station is a major transport hub for the Veneto region.

The station opened in 1842 and today it’s an interchange for high speed, intercity, regional and local services. It also welcomes overnight trains from international destinations in northern and central Europe like Munich and Vienna so it’s a popular point of arrival if you are travelling by train to Italy.

If you're flying into Venice Marco Polo Airport you can catch the ACTV shuttle bus to Venice Mestre, a trip of around 20min.

Passengers arriving at Venice Mestre will find the station open 24hr. It has an information centre, left luggage area, some stores and cafes as well as an Avis car rental location close by the station precinct.

So, if you are planning a trip to the city of bridges and looking at options for Venice car rental, Avis has you covered as soon as you step onto the platform.

You’ll find our Avis office at 3 Viale Venezia, a 2min walk from the entrance of Venice Mestre Station. As you come out of the station, turn left on Via Trento towards Piazzale le Piero Favretti and then turn almost immediately right onto Viale Venezia and you’ll find our Avis office a little way along on the left.

From our Avis office at Venice Mestre Station, it’s just a 12min (9.1km) drive to the Ponte della Libertà where you can leave both the mainland and your car behind at the parking terminals (Tronchetto or Piazzale Roma) to transfer to the car-free islands of Venice.

Turn left out of the Avis rental office in Viale Venezia onto the one-way system taking a right turn at the Via Piave and merging onto the Via Stazionale. Join the Strada Regionale 11, follow signs to the Ponte della Libertà and prepare for the delights of exploring this most magical of cities by boat or on foot.

It might lack the magic of the floating city, but the mainland area of Mestre is nonetheless worth a visit if you have time before you head for the lagoon or jump in your hire car to explore northeast Italy. There are several important landmarks within reach of Venice Mestre station. Start off at Mestre’s Cathedral, the Duomo di San Lorenzo Martire di Mestre. Head for Forte Marghera for its art and military artefacts and stroll up to Parco San Giuliano to take in the views across Venice. Get a flavour of local life in Piazza Ferretto in the heart of Mestre. This vibrant and lively square filled with cafes and bars is where the Venetians go to shop and socialise.

Northeastern Italy is a delightful part of the country, offering everything from historic towns to secluded mountain villages. With Venice Mestre Station as your starting point, there are endless sightseeing options to explore in your Avis rental car.

Verona

About 1.5hr from Venice Mestre via the A4 and E70, you reach Verona. This enchanting city is steeped in history and has plenty to offer in terms of museums, galleries and historic sites. Piazza delle Erbe is a good place to start; once a Roman forum it’s now a delightful piazza with a 14th century fountain and a selection of cafes and bars.

Padua

With its narrow streets, lively piazzas and a hip student population, the medieval city of Padua is less than an hour away by car from Venice Mestre. There are numerous historic buildings and monuments to visit, but its biggest attraction is the Scrovegni Chapel.

Trentino

Offering stunning scenery with its own regional cuisine and culture, the province of Trentino is the place to go for fans of hiking, skiing or watersports. From your starting point at Venice Mestre, it’s just under a two-hour drive (via the A4/E70 and A22/E45) to this pretty province.

The roads around this part of northern Italy are good and easy to navigate. Hiring a car from Avis at Venice Mestre Station gives you the freedom and flexibility to explore the region at your own pace. Check out our guide to great Italian road trips.

If you are heading out to explore northeast Italy from Venice Mestre Station, our friendly Avis team is on hand to help make your road trip around the region as easy as possible.

Be aware that Mestre like many Italian cities, has a Limited Traffic Zone (Zona Traffico Limitato) to reduce pollution and congestion. In ZTLs only residents or permitted vehicles have access at certain hours so check your route before your drive.

If you are new to driving in Italy, we’d advise familiarising yourself with the latest advice plus the road rules in Italy.

If you are picking up your hire car from Avis at Venice Mestre Station and want to explore Venice, you’ll find plenty of public parking in and around the station area as well as on-street parking which in Mestre is free at certain times. Parking can be at a premium in the peak summer months (July and August) and it is worth investigating booking a space online before you set off.