3 nights in Venice with Teens - Itinerary Help

Random thoughts:

• It was reported a few months ago that the Fundaco dei Tedeschi was about to close and the viewing platform would no longer to accessible. However, I see that the website is still live, so perhaps something has changed.

• Buy vaporetto passes before you leave the airport if they make financial sense for you. There's a place to do that somewhere in the airport. A single vaporetto ride costs 9.50 euros, which adds up very, very fast. These are the prices of the passes:

24 hours: 25 euros
48 hours: 35 euros
72 hours: 45 euros
168 hours (one week): 65 euros

I believe your teens will qualify for a substantial discount. Since you plan to use a water taxi to get to your Airbnb initially, you probably can manage with no more than a 72-hour pass. You should think about how much use you'll make of the vaporetti, though, because it's possible you'll end up walking nearly everywhere and would do better to stick with individual tickets, even though they are painfully expensive. Whether you use passes or individual tickets, you must tap into the reader before walking out to the boarding platform

• I suffer from sleep deprivation and jetlag on Day 1 and would never pre-pay for an activity on my arrival day. Others arrive in good shape and like to book something that keeps them outdoors (which helps with adjusting to the new time zone), like a walking tour.

• Venice is magnificent to just stroll around in, but if you walk along the direct path between the train station, the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, you will be part of a seething mass of humanity. That is not a good introduction to Venice. Do anything other than that, and it will be magical.

• Tell us where you're staying and you'll probably receive some practical suggestions for your arrival day wanderings. Quite likely also some handy restaurant suggestions.

• Dinner reservations are always a good idea in Italy--especially if you don't want to eat early. You can find somewhere to eat without a reservation if you aren't trying to get into a specific place, but it probably won't be as easy with four people as it would be with two, and you probably won't be eating at the best/best-value places in the city. Restaurants in Venice also do a booming business at lunchtime. I'm more inclined to nibble then, maybe buy a carryout slice of pizza or something like that, so I have very little experience trying to snag a table for lunch. It definitely wouldn't hurt to make a lunch reservation, but unless you plan to eat right after an activity with a specified end time, I don't know how you'd decide on a time for lunch.

• Murano is very interesting if you like art glass--and if family members want to shop for inexpensive glass jewelry, it's a good place to do that--but the commercial area (which is all I've seen) simply isn't very attractive. On a short trip to Venice, I don't think it's a great use of the typical tourist's time.

• Burano is much, much prettier, but it is a much longer trip from Venice proper (about 50 minutes on the vaporetto each way)--and that's after you get yourselves over to the vaporetto departure point (probably Fondamente Nove), a step that could add quite significantly to your travel time to Burano. I'd tend to play this by ear. You may decide you don't have enough time to spend a minimum of 3 - 4 hours on a trip out to Burano. Burano isn't on the route from the airport to Venice by water taxi, and a diversion to Burano would probably be quite costly. Water taxis are very expensive.

• I've never set foot in the Doge's Palace, so no help from me there. You're right that the Secret Itineraries Tour draws a lot of positive comments here.

• San Marco may well be less crowded later in the day; I've only been there around mid-day. But in churches, much of what you're looking at is high on the wall or on the ceiling, so crowds aren't fatal. Don't skip the museum.

...just wander and see what we see, perhaps loosely follow Rick Steve’s suggested loop...

That would be a very good idea. Helps with jet lag, gets you onto the back streets where you'll see more of the real Venice and not just the mobs at Rialto Bridge and St. Marks. The Jewish Ghetto is a place you should check out for many reasons. Do a google search for it an see if it has any interest.

Also, get the kids involved and have each of them select something they want to see or do. The more invested they are in the planning, the better the trip will be for all. Not that teens are ever a problem.

Thank you both! Yes, definitely planning to explore the Jewish Ghetto. I was considering a walking tour here for our arrival day if I get brave enough to book anything; otherwise, was going to look for an audio option or have everyone read up on it beforehand. The vaporetto is also a great tip. I kept meaning to research that a little, and then forgetting.

Our Airbnb is between San Marco Square and the Rialto Bridge.

Looking forward to hearing more suggestions! Thanks again!

If possible, see if you can visit St Mark’s Basilica when the lights are on. They have very limited times when they turn the lights on because the lights produce enough heat to melt the glue, causing the gold mosaic ceiling tiles to fall down. We did a St Marks and Doge’s Palace after hours “VIP” tour, and it was a little expensive but really great. No crowds and we got to see them turn the lights on in the basilica. The before and after was really cool to see, but so much prettier with the lights making the gold tiles shimmer! By comparison the ceiling looked kind of dull with the lights off.

I wrote a treasure hunt for teenagers in Venice years ago. Maybe a bit dated (like referring to an internet cafe!!!) but maybe still fun.

https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-for-teenagers-762890/

I'm not sure exactly what time they turn the lights on in San Marco every day, but I believe it's around 11:30 or 11:45 AM.