Skip Venice?

If you haven't been to Venice, don't skip it. 2 nights will be OK.

Don't skip Venice. It's amazing and absolutely worth seeing. I almost skipped it on my first trip to Italy and I am so glad I didn't. 3 nights would be great. 2 nights is workable but really only leaves you one actual day there.

Go - it's my favorite city on earth. I love Paris as well - Paris and Venice are my two most-visited destinations - but there's nothing like Venice.

When is your trip? That will affect my answer. We love Venice and have spent as much as a month there on one trip---but I won't go in the summer months.

Also, I will just note that Venice is not for everyone. I have seen reviews where people were so fed up with the cruise ship crowds they left after one day.

There is no right or wrong answer. You're aware of the issues - more time in one place means less time in another (or in this case, no time), and fewer stops means you see fewer places but have a simpler trip.

I think 8 nights in Paris is a lot for a first visit. Not because Paris isn't great, and not because you won't find enough things to fill the time, but because 1) you may not like it, and then you'd be "stuck", and 2) I'd want a change after that much time; I wouldn't want to spend that much time in one place, particularly on a first, "get acquainted" trip. Others obviously disagree.

For both Venice and Paris, the most special thing about them is not the specific sights, but the atmosphere. I'd keep your trip as is.

If you don't have enough days, skip CT. It's okay but really just a place to take a break - nothing particularly great to see or do.

It's your trip - don't feel obligated to go somewhere because it is famous/iconic. Go where draws you. If that's Paris, great. I would suggest at least a day trip into smaller villages from Paris (ask in the France sections for suggestions). In general you get another view of a region/country outside of the main big city.

Venice is hit or miss. A lot of people love it. Some hate it. I'm in the middle. At certain times it is very, very crowded. Especially when cruise ships are in port. Yes, you can avoid the crowds by going away from the main sites and routes - but you will be in the top sights some of the time because they are top for a reason. I just find it a weird mix of overcrowded and deserted (very few people live there, it's all visitors). Overall I'd call it well worth seeing but nowhere near my top place Italy. I'd skip CT over Venice, but as I said...go where draws you!

Can't offer any advice primarily because you failed to provide critical details: how long is this trip?

You say your itinerary is AMS-Paris-Venice-Florence-CT-Rome. Whether to skip Venice or not depends on your preference, but also depends on how you have allocated your time elsewhere. I ask because it's very common for first timers to start off with a crazy (unrealistic) itinerary, trying to squeeze in way too many places in too short a time.

If your trip is 10 days, then you're going to need to cut out more than just Venice. OTOH, if your trip is 6 weeks, then Venice might work nicely.

Piling on to say I'd skip CT over Venice. After four nights in Paris on our first trip, we were ready to move on. How are you distributing your time in the other locations?

Venice is unique, don't miss it. Two days is enough if you go all day.

I still remember my first trip to Venice. Stepping out of the train and seeing the vaporetto filled canal right there was truly memorable. But yes it can be very crowded and I still haven't had a memorable meal there. So the choice is yours. I'd drop CT before I'd drop Venice.

ETA: CT can be very crowded too.

My nights in each place are as follows:

AMS 3
Paris 5
Venice 3
Florence 5
CT 2
Rome 4

The trip starts May 14, so in Venice May 22.

The cruise ship issue in Venice concerns me some - I would hate to show up and have every place I go totally slammed by tourists. Any way to know ahead of time when boats are scheduled to be in Venice - or are they there all the time after a certain date?

Moving CT to gain days in Paris would require much more manipulations of the places in between - I have the hotels set up.

Not a fan of Venice. Went there on first trip to Europe(group tour) and have been back to Europe 10 times with no desire to revisit. I'm not a huge fan of Paris but there are things I love there-Musee d'Orsay, Sainte Chapelle-and have been to on more than one trip. My favorite parts of our last trip to Paris were the night we spent in Chartres(if you're there in summer, the light show is wonderful) and a late afternoon trip to Chenenceux(after the tour buses left). We also did a Food Tour in Paris which we all loved. The good thing about Paris is all the possibilities for Day Trips and/or short easy nearby trips-Normandy, Giverny.

I would keep your itinerary as stated and not skip Venice, but as another poster said, don't go there just because you think you should because of what others say, go there because you want to. I'm so glad I got to Venice before my traveling days were pretty much over. It was a must for me and it was wonderful. I must add though that I was there BCS (before cruise ships) so that wasn't an issue.

The only thing I might consider rearranging on your itinerary would be to take one night from Florence and add it to Rome. Of course if you're staying 5 nights in Florence in order to take day trips to other places - Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Tuscan countryside, etc then forget what I said.

EDIT: http://crew-center.com/venice-italy-cruise-ship-arrival-schedule-2017 This website show two ships in Venice on May 22 and two on May 23 and none on May 24, so if you're there 3 nights starting the 22nd you'll have at least one day without cruise ships. On the days when ships are in port, plan your sightseeing to popular sights early morning and late afternoon, evening.

Yanksteve, I think you have a fine itinerary planned. May is a great month to visit Italy, including Venice. Likely to have great weather (no guarantees, of course), and neither as hot nor as crowded as in mid-summer. I think Venice is unique in the world, and you should experience it, whether you end up loving it or not. Yes, Venice can be crowded during the heart of the daytime, with cruisers and other day trippers. But the magical times are early in the morning and in the evening, both for the light and the fewer people around, and thus more relaxed mood. It's also said that 90 percent of the day visitors to Venice stay in a narrow path from the transport centers on one end (cruise port, bus station, parking garage, and train station, all near each other) and St. Mark's Square at the other end. If you wander just a very few minutes from this path, there are very few people, and much less touristy neighborhoods, restaurants, churches, etc. Every time I go to Venice I also spend a full day out on the islands in the lagoon, Murano (famous for glass) and especially Burano (lace, seafood, pastel-colored homes on village streets) and Torcello (rural, with the church complex where Venice was originally founded, way back when.) They are all reached by vaporetto, with fares included in a 3-day vaporetto pass. Enjoy, and mangia!

Venice rubs some people the wrong way, Paris rubs some people the wrong way, Amsterdam rubs some people the wrong way. But most people come back time and again and love these cities. I think your your mix is perfect as is.

Three nights is Venice is ok for the first time -- I'd prefer four nights myself. I say the first time because you'll probably go back again. And again. It is a truly unique city and should not, in my opinion, be missed. So far as the crowds are concerned, getting out and about early in the morning before the day trippers come in and late in the afternoon after they leave really mitigates the impact of the crowds. In between those times just walk two or three block off the beaten path and the crowds should not be a problem at all.

Catch it the next time. Good attitude to have and save some of these soul searching problems. We didn't hit Rome or Venice until our fifth or sixth trip. My wife is never in a hurry and always says, "We will see that the next time." Eight nights in Paris would be terrific.

For a first visit to Europe, I wouldn't change your Venice stay. On your next trip, if you want to just concentrate on Paris and the area around it, then do that.

And don't get spooked by the spectre of hordes of cruise ship visitors. There is one ship due in on two of your days (May 23, 24). Neither are mega ships, so they shouldn't add substantially to the crowd levels.

Just P&O Oceana (takes 2016 passengers) in Venice on May 22.
http://www.cruisetimetables.com/visitingveniceitaly-22may2017.html

I'd do two nights in Venice, skip the CT and add some time in a smaller town between Florence and Rome with a rental car to explore the area. If you are wary of cruise ship crowds the CT and Venice are both affected. The good thing about Venice is they all get back on the boat in the evening and you can enjoy the place.

Steve, I can only tell you what I have liked, recognizing that our interests can be different and that weather can affect greatly how much we enjoy any particular travel destination.

Of the places you mentioned, I love Paris and Venice, did not enjoy Rome as much as I thought I would, have unfortunately never been to Florence, and found Cinque Terre a disappointment, especially compared to the amazing Amalfi coast.

I think both Paris and Venice are magical. And you may not have the time, but it is possible to find one-day trips from Paris to Normandy for a visit of the D-Day beaches.

"Just P&O Oceania on May 22,". But the schedule posted higher up shows the HAL Oosterdam coming in on May 22 as well, and staying through the following day.

Don't put too much emphasis on the cruise ships, as the passengers tend to concentrate in the area around San Marco and nearby streets. Exit the piazza to the north and east and you will hardly see any of them. Visit San Marco as early as possible in the morning, before they arrive, and then go elsewhere. If you see a group coming with an umbrella-holding guide, turn down a different Calle and find a different path to where you are going. Hang out in San Polo, Castello, and upper Canneregio where few cruise tour groups go. Walk the Zattere in Dorsoduro east out to Punta Del Dogana for great views across to San Marco. Or take the vaporetto over to San Giorgio and Giudecca.

The two main places you won't be able to avoid the crowds, in addition to San Marco, are Rialto Bridge and Accademia Bridge, so just tough it out. Or use the traghetto from Ca'd'Oro to Rialto Mercato to cross the canal instead of Rialto Bridge.

I hope you don't skip Venice. I would plan on spending 3 nights in Venice. Paris is my favorite city in Europe and Venice is a very close second. Venice is unlike any city in the world. I think you will love it as much as Paris.

Hi,

I recommend visiting Venice but skip CT.

Skip Venice? Heresy.

I'm with Brad. Skip CT.

I'm going to tell you a quick travel story.

My father is the most negative person you could meet. No matter what happens he will find fault. If he won the lottery he would complain about the taxes.

When it comes to European travel he likes mountains and countries that were on our side in WW II or neutral. That limits it. I told him he should see Venice. No way, he said. He was not going to Italy and went on and on. After much pushing, he agreed but told me he wouldn''t like it. (This is the same guy who went to Paris and hated every minute of it.)

When he got back and I asked about Venice, his face changed to one of pure happiness. I had never seen this before. He went on and on at how beautiful it was and how much he enjoyed it. He said he would never doubt my opinions again. Well, at least my travel opinions.

Don't skip Venice.Keep the three nights. That's really only two full days. Take a half day trip to Burano. Walk the back streets and allow yourself to get lost. No, there aren't a list of sights you "must see" because Venice is different.

I'm going back in two weeks. I haven't been there for years and I'm going back because it is Venice.

Maybe steal a night from Firenze and add it to Paris?

Don't skip Venice. It is unlike your other cities. It will be a good change of pace.

OK, thanks for all the advice and opinions. I did decide to keep Venice on my itinerary and take off CT and add those 2 days to Rome, which I thought was also a little light in terms of days and might be to my liking more than Florence. But with 5 nights in Florence I can take a day trip to somewhere like Pisa or even get CT in that way.

You itinerary is perfect. I would not touch it. I could steal one night to Florence and add on any other destination (probably CT, but just because I don't like less than 3 nights stay) but I really liked your itinerary and I have been at all of your destinations

I'm glad you decided to keep Venice. Its beautiful. We spent 3 nights there a couple of years ago and loved it. Its magical. Like no where else on earth. Enjoy your trip.

If the crowds from the cruise ships in Venice get to you, you need only walk about five min away from the Rialto to San Marco run to have the place to yourself. Go out early (10 am seems to be when things start filling up...go out 7-8am to Rialto to st marks to see them empty). And stay out late. Best to stay on the island proper to achieve this.

Venice is my absolute fav. Nowhere like it for me. Been four times and hope to go back in a few years. If I had to pick, I'd leave out CT...you want to talk about a place now overrun. The difference from our 2008 visit to our 2012 visit was astounding. If 2008 had been as crowded as 2012, we'd never have made a second visit. (For the record, almost the exact same days in sept, except first visit was a mon/tues or something like that. Second visit was a Saturday/Sunday.

Do not skip Venice...if you need more "meat" to your trip, take a 30 minute boat ride to the colorful island of Burano for the day, the island was probably the most memorable day of my 4 day trip to Venice. By far my most favorite place in the world.