Venice alternative

Between the three destination options, Colmar is very charming and has the closest, easiest train connections from Switzerland (e.g., 3 hours from Interlaken with a connection at Basel). You can day-trip by train from there to Strasbourg (bigger city) or by bus along the wine route (smaller towns).

Of course, none of these are Venice. Venice can have crowds any time of year, but those crowds can be avoided once you've seen a few major sights and want to wander down a back street for a while.

Laura makes such a good point that I've heard others make about Venice. The crowds tend to gather around San Marco and some other of the 'hot' spots but wander away from those and you will find plenty of breathing room. Let's just say they're no reason to avoid it?

I'll say the same for Brugge. The Markt and some of the bigger attractions may be very busy but we had other lovely streets and corners almost all to ourselves. The canals are also beautiful in the early mornings and later in the evenings when things quiet down. We loved Brugge even if we managed to land in on its very busiest day of the year (Ascension Day; Annual "Procession of the Blood" dating back to 1303)!!!!!

If Venice is your dream city, go to Venice. I've been there in summer three times. It's not that big a deal. Wander off the main areas and it's just fine. There's nothing like Venice so if it's your dream city do it.

I wonder if you understand how "inferior" (to Venice ... ) are the canal cities you have chosen? That word, inferior, isn't really strong enough to cover my sentiment! I haven't been to Annecy, but I have seen the others, and also Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Gent, and Leuven. You should consider the rising-water threat to Venice, and the possibility of per-day visitor limits being instituted in the future. I suggest that you go now, rather than putting it off. There is also a big art fair in Venice this summer.

It seems to me that Strasbourg is on the way to Switzerland, and would make sense. You need to understand how small and medieval are the scale of Colmar and Brugge (which is much bigger than Colmar.) They are both great medieval towns, don't get me wrong about that. It's just the Venice is still a major city of the world. None of the other choices is such a size. Of course, it depends where you are going in Switzerland, but Brugge and Colmar seem like detours to me.

You are making a mistake. Do you know how expensive Switzerland is, BTW?

I'm sorry but none of them is an alternative. Not close.

If it is your dream city stop dreaming and go.

I haven't been to Venice recently and am prepared to believe that it's more crowded than when I was last there, but people have been saying it was too crowded for decades. I am convinced a lot of those people didn't stray from the path from the train station to the Rialto Bridge to San Marco. I see the same thing happening in other touristy towns--everyone's on the main street full of tourist shops. Walk two blocks perpendicular to that street, turn a corner, and there's no tourist in sight.

Just don't go to Venice for 1 to 1-1/2 days with a list of the same must-see sights everyone else has. That's a prescription for seeing nothing but crowded areas.

I agree with the others. Nothing compares to Venice. If you are worried about crowds, visit the main sites when they open or late in the day and get off the main tourist strip and use parallel streets. We did this and it made a huge difference.

Have to say it. There is no substitute for Venezia.

I've been to Venice every summer for the last several years. Yes crowds build starting in the morning but they quickly dissipate about 4:00 pm. The crowds tend to congregate around San Marco Basilica and the Doge's Palace so just avoid those places during the crowded daytime. It's not a big deal. If your dream is to see Venice then why on earth are you NOT going to see it???

Skipping Venice in the summer to avoid crowds is completely understandable. You can improve your experience by getting off the main roads and getting out in the evenings. At times, however, you will be inundated, even if you travel in November.

All of the European places that refer to themselves as "Little Venice", however, aren't really anything of the sort. They are cute towns, usually with a canal or two that "invokes" thoughts of Venice. In most cases they're great places to visit - just not really something that should be considered a substitute for Venice.

Colmar's a nice little city, but the "canals" today are an extremely minor part of the landscape. I would say Strasbourg has far more prominent canals, but even here, they aren't that prominent.

Brugge... much more so, although it doesn't have the same sort of feel as a "water city" like Venice.

I've lost track of the number of cities that advertise themselves as "the Venice of (fill in the blank)."

Thanks all for your replies. Sorry for late response. It was passionate discussion. I agree we love to visit Venice and none of these these can actually be alternative in real sense. But crowd is something we cannot stand. Having covered two big attractions - Paris and Bernese oberland, we are ready for smaller but relatively less crowded place.
Paris and Switzerland is in our must do list, and inspite of Swiss being expensive, we wish to do it.

We wanted to cover 3 places in 15 days. Shortlisting 3 places is definitely not an easy job, given that there are so many beautiful places in Europe. Though Rome and Venice is in our list, but the crowd of June is scaring us. So we are searching for 3rd location.

Our tentative dates - June 14-20 Paris. June 20-June 25 Lauterbrunnen. June 25 - June 29 (Rome/Venice/Vienna/Amsterdam/Any other place).

Suggestions and criticism are welcome :)

I love Brugge. I spent a week there and did day trips to a couple places (Ghent and Brussels to name a couple.)
In Brugge I did along canal tour with a guide who translated his talk into at least 4 different languages (yes, the are better educated on languages than we are)
I also rented a bike and rode along a long dike that went past several windmills.
If you go be sure to have the fresh french fries that are cooked in a kiosk right outside the main cathedral ( they say fries were first "invented" there.)
The chocolate shops are wonderful too!!!!

FWIW, Colmar and Brugge will also be crowded. Both attract a lot of group tours and independent travellers. Many of these folks have readthe same guidebooks and websites and will descend on the city with the same intinerary. They are a lot smaller in size overall, so perhaps less overwhelming, I guess. I was in Colmar in September and found it surprisingly crowded. Unpleasantly so in many parts of the city. And I support the posters who suggest Strasbourg instead of Colmar.

I'll add another vote for Venice. It is just so extraordinary. But if you are serious about finding an off the beaten track third destination, perhaps you can say something about what you are interested in.

Thank you all again for your advice. Amsterdam it is - finally. Yeah I know it is also crowded - but me and my wife somehow made up our mind on it. It is easy to fly back home also.

It just came to me, the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas. They even have gondola rides. After that you can hit Paris Las Vegas and go up in the Eiffel Tower. Since this is a European vacation, you'll have to skip New York, New York.

Amsterdam supplanted Venice as the richest trading city in the world, both based on water born freight and canal transport. It is a nice contrast.

I will say Salzburg gave me somewhat of a Venice feel because a lot of the architecture has similar qualities. Salzburg is one of the prettiest cities I've ever visited. I've visited a few times, I believe all September/October. September is great but it starts getting cold sometime in October.

I much prefer Venice in October. I think the weather is most comfortable that time of year and the crowds aren't nearly what they are in the summer.

I know you have already decided, but you can loose all those crowds by walking the back streets, going out early or staying out late. We walked streets alone, so it isn't that bad, just stay away from the main drag. There is no place like Venice!