Starting on June 13th, we are spending a week in Venice with our almost 18 year old granddaughter. I am totally blind and the official trip planner. We have an apartment for the week. I am looking for suggestions on both local things to do and day trips.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Buy a vaporetto pass and plan your vaporetto trips accordingly. You can visit the islands of Torcello, Burano, Murano, and a couple of others. There are also easy daytrips to Padova and Verona.
In Venezia itself, Piazza San Marco with the Basilica, the Doges' Palace, the Bell Tower, and just wandering around the sidestreets is a good way to spend some time without rushing around. There are several other churches (Frari, for example) that might interest you. The Jewish Ghetto is one of my favorite places in Venezia, there are several restaurants with excellent food and lots of open air markets (true all over Venezia away from the main drag).
Posted by
San Francisco
993 posts
rowvenice.org
Rowing class! Super fun!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Your question is really too broad to be answered in a Forum. Start by getting Rick Steves Venice and at least one other guidebook. With a week, a good plan is to have each person do some research and be responsible for at least one day. That way, if someone is bored they can be reminded that "their" day is coming.
The "standard" day trips are to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello, and to the nearby cities of Padova, Vicenza, and Verona. Others include San Michele (Venice's cemetery island) and Treviso. I particularly recommend Padova if you're finding Venice over-touristed. Few visitors seem to go there, it has a nice college town vibe, and the Scrovegni Chapel (reservations required) is breathtaking. Again, read about these places in a guidebook and see what interests you and your granddaughter.
Posted by
OP
Amesbury, ma, US
17 posts
Thanks for the good advice. I will respond with more specific questions as I make plans. I do have the guide books but it is hard for me to get others to do planning. They will get into it when we get there but they count on me getting us started.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Perhaps they'll respond more to a video than a book (a picture really is worth a thousand words, particularly when it comes to a place as unique as Venice). Here are Rick's two recent Venice videos, from 2012: http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/venice-city-of-dreams and http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/venice-and-its-lagoon
Posted by
Kamloops, BC, Canada
405 posts
An 18 year-old girl will probably be interested in going to Verona (easy day-trip by train from Venice) to see Juliet's balcony (which as you probably know, isn't authentic,but who cares!). She will also have fun shopping on the main drag near the Roman Arena. Tell her to watch the movie "Letters to Juliet" beforehand for a fun preview. (She may already have seen it!) More practical details about this daytrip can be found in Rick Steve's guidebook. As a previous reply mentioned, she will love just wandering around Venice, stopping for coffee or gelato and soaking in the atmosphere. Take a vaporetto ride up or down the Grand Canal in the evening at or just after sunset to see the glass chandeliers sparkle inside the palaces lining the Canal. Wander around Piazza San Marco in the evening to listen to the orchestras playing outside the caffe's. You will love seeing Venice through her eyes. (I remember falling in love with the city at her age.) What a lucky girl!