Here is our itinerary (hotels are all set; we are planning on training in between cities once we are there):
Fly to Pisa Oct 1st. Train to Manarola.
Manarola: Oct. 1-4
Florence: Oct. 4-7
Venice: Oct. 7-9
(Fly to Dubrovnik Oct 9: 7p)
Any insight and help would be much appreciated!
Thanks :)
Hi, Matt:
What is it you want help with? Let us know your interests and what kinds of questions you have, and we'll be glad to pass on our opinions, advice, and share our experiences.
I've only been to Venice of the places you are going. Get the Vaparetto pass, it's worth the money. I'd also booknown a tour the first day you are there, I wish we had.
Walk away from the Rialto, St. Marks square and you will find a different Venice with no crowds...good to do this is middle of the day.
You will get list..don't worly, it's not a big place and there are plenty of signs to help make your way back.
Even if you are not a morning person, get up early one day and to St. Marks square by 8. Meander through the quiet streets and stop at cafes along the way. It's magical that time of day.
Go up the bell tower, get in line by 9 that early morning...it's a great unique view.
You have 2 full days in Manarola and Florence and only a single full day in Venice. For me, it's not enough time and too much travel. I would pick no more than two locations and spend the time between them.
Donna
we are really into:
hiking
food
wine
history
art
photography
i know we are kind of rushing and fitting a lot into a little bit of time, but it is what it is at this point...we definitely plan on being back in italy again in the future!
we appreciate any and all insight...we are staying at airbnb's in manarola and florence, and the JW in venice.
all we have booked thus far is this tour in florence: https://www.walkaboutflorence.com/tours/cooking-class-at-a-farmhouse-in-tuscany
other than that, we are pretty open...
things we want to try and do:
everywhere: find as many non-touristy places to eat as possible; find the best views from every town we stay in...we love taking pictures; experience some of the history in each place we stay; just general do's and don'ts/can't miss experiences
cinque terre: hiking, find cool vineyards / wine tasting (since I don't think we'll have time to do much exploring around florence)
florence: the aforementioned food/wine/farmhouse tour; we are staying very close to the duomo, so any advice on maybe hitting a museum or three and what to avoid would be helpful; anything else that is can't miss in and around the city, since we want to dedicate a full day to exploring, here
venice - we are staying here: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/vcejw-jw-marriott-venice-resort-and-spa/
is it cheesy that we want to ride in a gondola? since it is such a touristy city, we'd love to just know the do's and don'ts, with having such a short time there...
I'm sure you have a good reason for staying in that hotel in Venice. But you'll chew up a lot of the little time you have shuttling to Venice proper. You will miss a great moment, as a previous poster noted- waking up early, throwing on some clothes, wandering to St. Marks, having a coffe, communing with the pigeons-doing this all before the city wakes up. But, Venice is magical and unique, so enjoy it. Wander off the beaten track, look for a restaurant without an English menu outside, filled with families, and that is your place. Enjoy risotto sepia. The gondola ride is a must IMHO. Far from cheesy. Do it at dusk. Seeing Venice from the water is a once in a lifetime. If you love art and have time, The Academia is wonderful as is the Scuola Grand di San Rocco. If you want to visit the Doge's Palace, buy your tickets in advance. Venice will soothe you with it' silence after Florence.
Do you realize you're not really staying in Venice? You're on one of the outlying islands. Looks like a fabulous hotel, but it's so isolated and separated from Venice I would not stay there.
Do you have any place in particular you recommend in Venice, then? I didn't realize that the JW wouldn't be a good place to stay
There are numerous hotels in Venice. Some well known ones, like the Gritti Palace are hugely expensive. The smaller ones can be charming, but few bargains. Expect small rooms, but you won't spend much time there. The best areas for a short stay would be near San Marco, Rialto, Academia- in other words in Venice and fairly central, although Venice is small, so just being on the island is OK. The area we did not like was near the train station-too far, too congested. I suggest looking in RS Venice book and/or going on booking.com for reviews (you have to actually stay there to post a review so fewer fakes) then booking directly as you will likely get a better price. This close to your stay communicating with the hotel by email is probably best.
The JW has a complimentary shuttle to San Marco. I think getting around Venice will not be a problem given that. However, you should consider the amount of time the shuttle takes as dead time, except seeing Venice from the water isn't all bad! Catch the shuttle early, as someone has suggested, Venice in the early morning is special.
Gondola = cheesy. Well yes it is, but..... if you haven't ever done it you have to do it once. Expect to pay a bunch, they aren't cheap, somewhere around 80-100 euro.
I would have spent more time in Venice if I could have.
Oh, don't stay there. Stay in Venice itself. I really think you will lose something by not being there early in the morning and well into the evening.
I agree with everyone else, to go to Venice you really need to stay IN Venice. When all the day tour crowds retreat back to the mainland, Venice becomes a completely different place and if you hadn't already fallen in love with the city by then, you definitely will once night falls. To stay on the mainland or some outlying island, is like taking a trip to Manhattan but staying at a hotel in Jersey.
My suggestion is to stay near Piazzale Roma. This is close to train station and the major bus and taxi stop. This allows you to settle quickly in hotel on arrival and to depart for airport without a lot of lugging or transport of luggage. If you take the vaporetto down the Grand Canal to San Marco and back, you get max value on your fare because you are on one end and San Marco is on the other. If you walk it, you can hit all the major attractions in between.
Just have to politely disagree about the Piazzale Roma. It is definitely the least scenic or romantic area in Venice. It's really a car park, bus terminal, train station, and a 40 minute walk to San Marco. Look at this site http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/piazzale_roma.htm. No, do not stay here. We did once, never again.
Lulu's right about getting off the beaten path (or canal) in Venice. When we were there some years ago with the Best of Europe tour, it was high tourist season and the streets were packed with people, most of them from the cruise ships. DH and I grabbed a map and headed away from the main thoroughfares, and were absolutely charmed with what we found. Quiet streets, neighborhood piazzas with older folks watching kids playing, tiny cafés and bars, and interesting churches full of art.
That one afternoon changed our minds; we had decided we didn't like Venice and wouldn't return. Now, we are looking forward to another trip, preferably off-season.
Matt re: is it cheesy that we want to ride in a gondola?
Like Gordon said. So what if you think its a touristy thing to do. They've been getting around that way for several hundred years, so why not participate in living history? It would be like going to San Fransisco one time in your life and not riding the cable cars. Its the one thing everyone will ask you about being in Venice - did you take a gondola ride?
You could really benefit by reading some guide books. The RS ones are good for first-timers because they focus down to what ou need to know - the do-s and don'ts as you say.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I've enjoyed a cable car ride myself, as a "local tourist" despite the long lines and high priced tickets. There's another thread here in RS about whether or not to go to Oktoberfest. I would encourage you to do it all, regardless of how "touristy" others may say it is. Ultimately, the experience will be your own, whether it's a gondola ride or anything else. Your attitude, and those of the others you share that experience with, whether they are your travel companions or complete strangers, will make that specific ride on the gondola unique.
One thing I would definitely do if I ever go back to Venice is pay for a table at one of the several outdoor "music" cafes on Piazza San Marco. These are the cafes with a live band playing (usually classical music or popular music played in a classical style). The drinks are $$$ but as RS says, you're not paying for the food/drinks, you're paying for the music and the view. At night when the crowds thin out, the lights come, the views, the atmosphere, the sounds, are absolutely euphoric.
Take the earliest train out of Manarola so you can gain some time in Florence (skip Pisa it's very touristy). I think you will love Florence based on your interests and it is very easy to get around. I would take a day trip (either car rental or tour) to Tuscany. San Gimignano is a favorite and you can use your hiking skills (it's like San Francisco, all routes are up hill). Also, there is a nice hike up from the Boboli gardens to overlook Florence, a great hike at dusk.
One full day in Venice is enough in my opinion. Plus you have nearly a whole day on travel days. The train from Florence to Venice is only 3 hours so you can take an early one and be settled in your hotel in time for lunch, a siesta and then go out in the evening. I do agree staying on the islands is ideal if you can afford it. I stayed at the Hotel Certosa and really enjoyed being close but apart. Hotels are cheaper in October so splurge a little in Venice and skrimp a little in Florence. October is flooding season in Venice. Make sure you bring one pair of good shoes just in case. The 12" high platforms that you will see all around town are not benches...they are walking paths in case it floods. Don't panic, flooding is normal and the Venetians are experts at handling it. Don't pack an umbrella...just wait for the African immigrants to magically appear with ponchos, umbrellas, and little plastic bootie things as soon as the rain starts. I was in Venice in October two years ago and it didn't rain at all but my mom was there the year before (to get married) and it poured and flooded a little.
Some other tips:
Venice pass not worth the cost...but get a vaparetto pass and use it like a tour bus. Rick even has an audio recorded tour of the grand canal based on the vaparetto boat/bus. There are a few must see things in Venice but really just plan to wander the side streets, get lost. Also for the the really good food in both Florence and Venice you have to wander away from the tourist paths. The restaurants south of the Grand Canal are a great place to have dessert and watch the sunset. but the dinner isn't great
The Florence pass, totally worth it. Lines can be long even in October and the pass really helps.
Use the TrenItalia website (not RailEurope) to research your train times. You don't have to book in advance, in fact, I recommend you don't so you don't have to rush to meet a specific train. You'll have to use the Italian station names. Florence = Santa Maria Novella, Venice = Venezia Santa Lucia (not Maestra which is on the mainland). Freccia and Italio trains are the fast ones.
KC, you are so right about the cafes. We went ahead and after dinner one evening went to the Florian and sat down. It was so lovely with the music...a beautiful free concert with the tuxedoed career waiters, so professional. We had 4 proseccos, 2 desserts and 2 coffees...and yes it was about 117 Euros. But we listened for almost 2 hours and it was so romantic. We only left because it started to sprinkle.
Thank you guys, so much. This is such great advice!! I am now torn on staying at the JW...we are staying in pretty prime locations everywhere else in Italy/Croatia (where we go for a week after Italy) and they are all airbnbs. We figured we would do a hotel for Venice before flying to Croatia on Sunday Oct. 9. I was able to use Marriott points, so we didn't have any out of pocket cost for those two nights, which was huge. Now I'm second-guessing it...there are no cancellation fees for our JW room, but I'm having a hard time deciding where we'd stay, instead...some of the hotels seem incredibly expensive!!!
Also, any specific must-sees? We are big foodies and would love to have a really good end to our Italy trip with a cool dinner or something...we love sunsets, too (that picture that mandyk01a posted was incredible!!!!), so we will want to end up somewhere with that type of view the night of the 8th...but any specific info is much appreciated.
Thanks again, everyone!
You'll pay dearly to dine here on the terrace (specify when you reserve) but no finer view in Venice. Ask George Clooney. http://www.clubdeldoge.com/en. As for your hotel choice: using points tempting but you will not really be staying in Venice. If the shuttle is frequent and convenient, fine. But otherwise you are cutting into a very brief time in a very special place.
Just an FYI that you can do a gondola ride on the Arno in Florence as well and it comes with a tour guide. We really enjoyed it, it was through florencetown and our guide was Valentina who was really great.
29 euros for a cheesburger -yikes
We just stayed in Venice last week and our hotel was Hotel Ala. Perfect location about a 3 minute walk to San Marco. A big plus is that it's off one of the vaporetto stops, so don't even need to carry your suitcase over the bridges! We ran into a RS group there, so even RS likes this hotel! All around great accomodations. And I'm giving a strong "No" vote to staying anyplace off the main island of Venice. You'll understand when you're there. Enjoy your trip!
