Day trips from Venice

We're trying Verona as a day trip this time. One hour on the train. We did Padua on a different trip and I didn't think it was a great day trip but I'm sure you'll get different opinions here. We did wander through some nice markets and had a nice lunch but there wasn't anything I felt was super. The Scrovegni Chapel was quite nice but I already had chapel overload on that trip.

Is Venice your only stop in Italy? If so, you might want to head to Verona for a day-trip. Take the faster train option. It's a lovely town to explore the old center and see the arena, etc. But, if you're going to other locations in Italy, you could easily spend 2-4 days in Venice - heading out to Murano and/or Burano for one of your days.

hi! No i have i have a whole trip planned for 24 days total.

London for 4 nights
Paris for 5/6 nights (was thinking about making a trip to Colmar, France if we take time for Venice)
Venice 4 nights (to be honest after doing more and more search I am getting the feeling that 2 nights would be plenty in Venice. Or 2 nights and then we have to do day trips? )
Santorini May 31-June 4
Rome June 4-9 then home.

Originally I thought of sticking Cinque Terre between Paris and Venice but I fear the crowd will make it a horrible experience since I am going around the end of May.

My soon to be husband and I are young are only 27. I know most people say to take our time and take in the sights. But I feel that we have the energy to see many of the sights Europe has to offer and we are okay with NOT seeing everything to make the experience more enjoyable and not crammed doing everything.

We plan to pack lightly carry ons only. We will be staying at mostly Airbnbs which have washers and some have dryers so we can easily freshen up your clothes without overpacking :).

Well, panda eater, first I will say that even in high season if you stray off the main paths connecting the railroad station, San Marco and Rialto Bridge, you can find much quieter, less crowded and beautiful neighborhoods in Venice. Then, the islands of Burano and Torcello out in the lagoon are wonderful and quieter, Murano can be nice too, but probably more crowded and definitely more commercial until you get out beyond the heavily commercialized area. The islands make a lovely full day excursion, even though they are actually part of Venice. Beyond Venice, I have enjoyed Padova a couple times, just a half hour by train, lots to do there. Vicenza and then Verona are somewhat further by train. There are also some nice small towns to the north of Vicenza that are accessible, although I have not gotten there yet. I can offer those suggestions, if you want them.

my trip is from May 17- June 9

My time in Venice is from May 27-31 roughly. If we keep 4 days in Venice. Unless we decide to do something in between Paris and Venice :)

You have a good plan. I am so happy to see you dropped the Cinque Terre. 4 nights in Venice is great and if you just leave San Marco and Rialto, you'll escape the hoards of cruise ship passengers. Oh, yeah, what Larry said!

Like Valerie, I was not charmed by Padua. There are a few interesting sights, but I much prefer Verona, both its atmosphere and its sights.

Have u considered ...
From Paris to Colmar - 1 night.
Next afternoon to Dijon and then join the night train to Milan.
Morning in Milan before afternoon train to Venice.

If budget is an issue, you could spend two nights in Venezia and two nights in Padova or Verona, rather than daytrip to those places. Padova has a university in addition to some great sights, so you may enjoy the entertainment options for people in your age group.

Djp_syd

Hi

I did consider 1 night or 2 in Colmar and possibly visit Strasbourg or vice versa.

I totally did not think of going to Dijon and Jen Milan night train! What an interesting idea!

Along the way are there any other option you can think of? Besides Dijon (mustard area haah)

I also tried to consider Beaune but it's out of the way I believe. But there are so many little areas in France. I am hoping to spend maybe 5 days in Paris but want a sneak peak at a little of eastern France. Hence why I am considering doing this side trip even though some people may say it's hectic.

Originally before I had even considered visiting places like Colmar. I was going to do cinque terre in between my Paris and Venice trip. Taking the flight to Pisa - train - CT. Then when it was time to leave a 5 hour train to Venice.

However I am understanding that it is very crowded during this season and I may not get the most out of my trip to CT. Colmar seems to be along the way heading toward Venice with the suggestion of small stops along the way and a night train it might just be what we need to fill in that "gap". As I am very hesitant to spend 4 nights in Venice since I think it's too much time and I for sure would we to find day trips for 1-2 of those 4 days in Venice to occupy us.

I love these suggestions. I get so excited plugging it into rome2rio / google map :)

Four full days is good -- two full days for Venice itself, and two days for short trips from there. Some will say that it too long for Venice while other will say it's not enough. Several day trips you can do from there are Murano / Burano, Verona, and Padua.

You could spend several nights in Venice and it wouldn't be too much. Venice is especially nice in the morning before the Cruisers arrive and afternoon about 4:30 you'll notice a dramatic thinning of the crowds as daytrippers depart.

Yes, you could possibly be overwhelmed by tourists if you choose to visit San Marco in the middle of the day. That's the first place the daytrippers and cruisers head, and it can be crushing. The farther away from those places you get the thinner the crowds will be.

Venice is fantastic, and there's no other city like it. Enjoy your stay and realize there's more to see than San Marco and Rialto.

Vicenza is 30 minutes by fast train and has a couple really interesting sites – the Teatro Olimpico and a museum dedicated to Andrea Palladio. There are other interesting sites (Church of Santa Corona, Basilica Palladiana, etc) as well.

I really like Padua with its university atmosphere and beautiful historic center. The Basilica of Saint Antonio of Padova is quite spectacular. I also think the food is better while more affordable than Venice…
I did a have day in Vicenza (morning) followed by a half day in Padua (afternoon) and found it sufficient. Vicenza is walkable from the train station but the #6 bus takes you right past the theater. Padua has a nice tram that runs between the train station and the historical center – very convenient.

One interesting option is a river/canal cruise from Venice to Padua. (Just google Venice to Padua cruise…)

If you are energetic enough to go to Verona, the city is gorgeous. Piazza Bra with the Roman-era coliseum and the other wonderful piazzas make it a really beautiful city. If you want to avoid the big tourist crowds, don’t bother going to Juliet’s terrace… But if you are looking for a nice museum and a really photogenic site, head to the west side of the historic city and follow the signs for the Castelvecchio.

Spent four days in Venice in October 2014. Too much time unless you have day trips planned. As others have stated, the crowds around San Marco become overwhelming after 9 AM. Clears out after 7 PM once all the day-trippers leave. Cruising around Venice late evening was great. San Marco w/ the open air orchestra's was also great. Happened to catch a Russian Polka group. Had everyone up dancing & clapping over their heads.
If you stay during the day, head to the south east end of Venice toward the Naval Base. Residential area w/ a couple of nice parks, no crowds. The locals there refer to the other end of Venice as "The Circus".

You could tick off the major touristic sites in Venice in a couple of days. The Piazza, Ducal Palace, the Basilica, a Scuole or two and maybe a museum, if you are organised. However, you won't really see Venice in that short a time.

It's the second tier, the odd and quirky things that grab us. The photography museum, Tre Ochi on Giudecca, Biennale things if they are happening (the Biennales, whether Art or Architecture, run from late may to early November), the ice house in the Hotel des Doges in Cannaregio, those sort of things, and they have no equal anywhere.

You need time to wander around, to get lost and to find yourself, time to enjoy a spritz in a campo somewhere.

i just noticed looking through rick steves' italy guide book that many things are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

I am arriving if not May 27, 28-31.

:( Is this a bad thing?

Most museums are closed on Mondays and on Sunday's may have shorter hours, but anywhere in Italy any day on your honeymoon is not a bad thing.;-)

I wish I could post photos on here of what St Marks looks like at 7am - blissfully tourist free (well, except for me and a few other people snapping pics...lol). The difference in people between even 8am and 10am would boggle the mind.

I'm a Venice lover - I've had 10 nights there over 4 trips and am hoping to go back for more in a few years. Burano/Murano/Torcello can take up most of a day, and for sure get off the beaten track - 5 min down an alley and crowds really thin. I know now not to go to Rialto in the middle of the day - ugh.

i just noticed looking through rick steves' italy guide book that many things are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
I am arriving if not May 27, 28-31.
:( Is this a bad thing?

It may, in fact, be a good thing! Get your heads out of museums and churches and see Venice! Walk out to St. Elena, take the vaporetto out to Torcello (even if the museum is closed, it is a lovely island as long as the weather is good) where Venice was born and stop on Burano (yes the museum is closed Mondays but it's still worth going) and Murano, too. Go shopping! Sit on the Zattere in the sun and eat gelato while the boats cruise by. Travel isn't all about seeing things from the tour book.

To elaborate a bit on the Venice to Padova cruise. . . It's a relaxing way to get a taste of Palladian architecture. You stop at some of his villas along the way; and the guide gives you a brief, but interesting tour. I believe that a return trip by bus is included, but you could stick around to see some of Padova. Easy to take the train back to Venice.

"even in high season if you stray off the main paths connecting the railroad station, San Marco and Rialto Bridge, you can find much quieter, less crowded and beautiful neighborhoods in Venice"

I cannot emphasize this enough. The way Rick put it, wonderfully: "While 80 percent of Venice, is, in fact, not touristy, 80 percent of the tourists never notice" and "A 10-minute walk from the madness puts you in an idyllic Venice that few tourists see."

Put me in the "I liked Padova a lot" column. It is also much less touristed than Verona, let alone Venice. The Scrovegni Chapel is breathtaking.

thank you laurel! That makes so much more sense to skip some churches and cathedrals as I am sure we will have seen plenty by that time. Eventually they start looking the same :D.

I will research a little on Padova or any other side trips if we have have at least 3 or 4 days in Venice.

I just wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for how to best travel from
Paris May 21-26
1 night (?) in Colmar or Strasbourg, France
onward toward Venice?

I know I had my heart originally set on Squeezing Cinque Terre in b/w Paris and Venice. But the fear of overcrowded hikes and tourist overload in the CT area made me cut it out.

However the charming fairytale Colmar area is tugging at my heart and I would love to fit it in and possibly spend 1-2 nights in eastern France on May 26 or May 27. Is this truly silly? As I am losing one day in Venice.