5 days in Venice -recommendations?

For a day trip consider Verona. Easy to get there by train. Get an early a.m. start and plan on a late afternoon or early evening return. Should be able to see all the highlights during that time. With regard to Murano, Burano, and Torcello, those can easily be done on your own using the vaporetto system without a guide. Once again, plan an early start and late return. Going to all three will consume 3/4 to a whole day. We've spent a good bit of time there so let us know if you need specifics.

I think Padua would be a fine day trip, particularly if you can get a reservation to see the Scrovegni Chapel.

The three islands of the Laguna are easily toured at your own pace. The Rick Steves guide has an excellent self-guided tour of all three. We do this almost every trip to Venice and it is a lovely almost-full-day (at least 9:00-15:00).

I would choose Padua over Verona as a day trip. Again Rick has a great self-tour outlined in his Itlay Guidebook.

Just returned from 2 weeks in Italy with 7 nights in Venice. Every sight and island is mobbed with people. It was a waste of time to visit Murano. We got there before 10 to visit the museum first and then we started looking around. We then stood in line an hour to get a vaporetto back to Venice. I ended up buying my Murano glass necklaces in the shop next to our B&B. All the islands are small so other than visiting the lace or glass museum you shop. Didn't see much of Burano because it started to rain just as it was time to shop. We did go to Torchello and it had an interesting church. However, for Burano and Torcello our RS group went on a private boat. If you want to see the Doges Palace you need to book your tours more than a month before. I followed the directions in the books and everything was booked. Museums don't open until 10 am and they close early, like 5 pm. Enjoy an Aperol spritz for me. My favorite place was the Sistine Chapel of Tintoretto as RS describes it.

Murano does not do it for us, but Burano and Torcello are really worth a visit. If goung to Burano, get off the vap at Mazzorbo, the last stop before Burano, and walk throught the vineyard and over the bridge to Burano. Head left when you get off the vap.

Going back to Venice, the line for the vap can be horrendous, and you might not get on the first boat. But if you walk back to Mazzorbo, they will always allow you to board.

The campanile on Torcello is really worth climbing. The internal structure is fascinating, and a ramp winds its way up the campanile. The view over the lagoon is great.

If you visit Padua, take the tram to the centre of town. It avoids a boring walk. Buy tickets at the booth to your right as you leave the station, and the tram stop is just outside the Golden Arches.

The Accademia Museum opens around 8:00, closes around 19:00. I think that the Doges Palace has similar hours. But do check on line, as I think that museums hours may differ from day to day. Tuesdays might be early closing.

We were in Venice a month ago, and at 9:00 there was no wait to enter the Accademia. In Venice, early mornings are your friend.

Venice either grabs you, or maybe it does not. Certainly Venice is in many ways a difficult place to visit for the first time. Navigation is tricky, maps are opaque, the vaporetto system gets a bit of getting familiar with. But once you are a bit familiar, Venice can be the most seductive town (I use "town" advisedly) that you can ever come across.

We are planning our next visit; ten nights in Venice followed by four weeks in the UK next May. And I'll visit September '18 for the Architecture Biennale. Yep, we're hooked on Venice.

Verona is a good day trip but don't overlook Vicenza. The train station is close to the historic downtown and Vicenza has one of the prettiest and most impressive historic centro areas in the Veneto region. I've lived here for years and I still marvel at the beauty of centro Vicenza. It's small enough to explore it all on foot.

Agree with Rik. Vicenza is between Venice and Verona on the same train line. Entirely possible (with an early start and late return) to do both in a day. Perhaps a bit rushed but definitely doable. And Vicenza does have some architectural gems.

A place overlooked by many is Trieste. You might do that as a day trip. I am told it has the most beautiful piazza in Italy.

we will be in venice also in mid september, have planned a 4 to 5 hour prosecco tour with a private driver. we will take the train to treviso station and get picked up to start. Was a very reasonable cost considering other tours we have been on. Message me for details if interested
Aloha Princess Pupule

Spending 4 there and considering Ravenna as a day trip. Mosaics on mosaics.

Will not that Ravenna is roughly six hours round trip on trains for maybe six hours of dense sight seeing of mosaics and more mosaics. Reconsidering.

I second the recommendation to see Vicenza as a day trip. The historic part of the city has Roman ruins that the architect Andrea Palladio turned into public buildings, as well as his Olympic Theater which is spectacular. You can also tour nearby Villas, including the very famous La Rotunda villa that Palladio designed.

We did the city center by ourselves, and hired local guide Roberta Parlato to take us to the villas and were very happy with her. If you want, she does tours of the city as well.

Have fun!

Venice is great, three full days and you should see the top sights. I loved Ravenna. Verona is worth a look. Trieste was a bit of a disappointment.