day trip to Venice from Florence....

Do you ever plan to go back to that part of Europe? We thought our first trip would be our only one. 13 trips later, we are planning the next. We did Milan, Venice, Lake Como and Switzerland in 2001. Last October we did the rest of Italy. I wondered on the previous trip if we should spend one less day in Venice and go to Florence. I am glad I didn't as it would have reduced our enjoyment of Venice and not given me the real enjoyment of seeing Florence for four days as we did last year.

I have been to Florence two times now in the past couple years. It is one of my favorite places to visit in Italy. Did you know there are 67 museums in Florence? There is so much to see and I agree that you need around 4 days there to say the least. Venice was very nice and I am glad to have gone there but Florence is wonderful!

Personally I wouldn't bother. Half your day will be taken up with travelling and I think Venice deserves more than a day trip. It really is wonderful. You also seem to be packing quite a bit into 10 days - I'd enjoy what you have already planned.

Shannon - Don't bother with a day trip to Venice. It's too far and Venice deserves more of your attention. Save her for another trip.

Venice is too far to do as a day trip from Florence. You will spend over 5 1/2 hours on the train round-trip. There are so many closer options for a day trip within Tuscany or even Umbria that you should skip Venice. It's possible, but not a good way to maximize your sightseeing.

It's like doing a eight hour tour of Rome from a cruise ship. You may have seen it but you really haven't experienced anything.

The travel time would be most of your trip. You would probably get a quick boat ride and a look at St. Mark's Square. If you are in high season, it will be packed with tourists. Unless you can give it a couple of nights, you won't really enjoy it.

Venice needs to be savored. The city is picturesque from every angle. Wandering along quiet canals at night was one of my wife's favorite experiences of our trip. Feeding pigeons in the square was a favorite for our children (8 to 16 yrs old). Seeing inside St. Marks Cathedral when lit is a lasting memory for me. We all enjoyed people watching and wandering aimlessly during our days (the weather is comfortable and crowds aren't outrageous during shoulder season).

Friends did a day trip to Venice when staying in Florence and still regret not staying overnight. I think you will to for all the reasons others have said.

Probably the best reason not to do it is because Venice is magic at night after the tour buses have left.There are still a lot of people but it gets much less crowded.

Physically, you can do it. Leave before sunrise on the Eurostar and 2.5hrs later, you're in Venice. You can spend 6-8 hours walking around and getting on a few Vaporettos. Then, take an evening Eurostar back to Florence. I would not suggest making this roundtrip from the CT. It would add another 3-4hrs of train travel.

Yes, you can see a small part of Venice in one long day from Florence. If that's critical to your travel plans, then do it.

Without a doubt, go to Venice. It is a truly wonderful experience. You jaw will drop once you leave the rail terminal and see the Grand Canal for the first time. Take the water bus to St. Marks. It is located not 25 feet from the terminal. Stay 3-4 hours, eat lunch, walk around and return. Don't miss it.

And I vote for "Don't bother," despite the fact that Venice is one of my favorite cities in Italy. If you try to do it as a daytrip, you'll be arriving with the hordes of other tourists flooding into the city and you'll be leaving with them as well. It will negatively color your experience of the city and you might decide that it's not worth going back to. That would be a big mistake. As others have noted, the magic of Venice is after the crowds have gone.

There's so much to see in Italy that you will always be missing out on something. It's just a fact of traveling. Go to Venice on your next trip.