Hello Nancy,

there are several trains between Venice and Rome, almost 1 high speed train every hour. 

In the train you can leave luggage under the seats, over the seats and in special luggage racks in the carriage. I reccomend to not have more luggage than you and the other people of your family can carry on. There is no luggage service or like in airports where you give up your luggage. 

If you are only making this trip, you can buy a ticket for this trip directly via Trenitalia.com or the competitor Italo Treno.

If you make more trips, you can buy a railpass "Eurail" where almost all trains are included. 

In the case of the highspeed train Frecciarossa between Venice and Rome you need to pay a 10 EUR reservation to get on board on top of the pass.

Thank you for your answer. When you mention "special luggage racks" is that where we would place the larger luggage? Do all the trains have that? So the pass is different than getting a reservation? So what do we get first? We do want seat assignments since there will be children and we want to be together. Thanks again@

What is a "pass" and do I get it before getting a reservation?( This will be a one time reservation). Can we make seat assignments when we book? There will be kids, so we want to sit together. How mich difference is the high speed train versus a "regular" train .IS there a "regular" train that is cheaper that goes directly to Rome? Just asking because of price. Seems high speed is around $75-80 dollars.

You're posting in a community discussing Eurail and Interrail passes, so you're kind of expected to know that a pass exists… see eurail.com for more information about the Eurail pass.

If you only want to make 1 journey, then just book a normal ticket on www.trenitalia.com. When you book together, you will be placed together, but you can also choose your seats on a seating plan.

@Nancy Brannon Ledbetter

You're at the Interrail /Eurail forum. Most of us presume you have a Eurail pass. Eurail global pass gives you a transport ticket for taking about more than 95% of all trains in Europe. Do you have a Eurail pass or not, or are you just looking to buy some ordinary/regular tickets, as it will be your only train trip? (Ordinary tickets are bought via e.g. The Trainline or Trenitalia) 

With a Eurail pass, you sometimes need to book a seat reservation for trains with mandatory reservations. In ordinary tickets, this is included in the price (like in Italy)  I think you should be able to select your seats, booking ordinary tickets.

When booking 6 tickets (or seat reservations) together, you are almost always grouped together. Depending on availability of course, but usually not a problem. 

Prices of long-distance and high-speed trains are generally much cheaper when booked a longer time beforehand. Booking the day itself, is usually expensive. High-speed trains are usually the state of the art, comfortable and very fast trains (cruising speed of ca. 300 km/h) connecting bigger cities. 

Mostly you can do the same route with other trains, be it slower and with some more changes. 

Regional trains have usually a flat rate, not susceptible to fluctuations in price. 

So, in order to help you:

The more details, the better. Do you have a Eurail pass? When are you trying to book? Which route, which time? What are the ages of you group? Usually there are discounts for seniors, kids, and young people for ordinary tickets. 

The most important to remember: trains are not planes. No luggage restrictions, no security checks, no need to be hours in advance at the station. Just 10-15 minutes before departure will do in order to comfortably find the platform and board.

On most trains there's plenty of space for luggage. There are overhead racks, special luggage racks along the corridors, room underneath seats,...