florence to venice overnight

A 1-day visit to Venice? Interesting. We get requests all the time for 1-day visits to the CT and 1-day visits to Siena. But this is the first I've seen for a 1-day visit to Venice. Looking at the train schedule, it's actually quicker to get to Venice on the Eurstar AV fast train (2hrs) than it is to get to the CT (2.5hrs.). But, the roundtrip fare on the fast train is 86E ($117). The first ES/AV train departs at 8:30am and the last back departs Venice at 9:30pm. I'm not aware of any tours to Venice from Florence. I'm sure there are tours once your arrive at the train station. You can count on the cruise crowds making long lines at the key tourist sites. My question is what would you want to do there?

Are you ask about a tour from Florence to Venice? Or a tour after you get to Venice?

Hi, thanks for the interest. I am arriving Florence Saturday and I leave Saturday next. Would like to see Venice. I don't know what to ask to see other than gondolas at this point. but I was told to see Venice. I can get to Venice, and if tours are around when I get there, that is fine. I thought maybe to leave Florence early am (8:30 by this eurotrain) and then either stay overnight one night and go back to florence the next night. But it sounds like I could just do a day trip tour, finding a tour in the train station if such things exist. thanks so much.

carolyn, You could certainly just do a day trip from Florence to Venice, but it would be nice to spend at least one night there. As previously mentioned, the first ES/AV train departs at 08:30 and the last train returning is 19:27. The trip is 2H:03M. If you stay overnight, I'd probably return in the late afternoon. Second class fare is currently listed at €43 each way. Your departure station will be Firenze SMN and your arrival station will be Venezia Santa Lucia. Both cities have more than one station, so it's important to know the difference. I don't know of any firms in the area that offer day tours of Venice. You could easily do the trip on your own, with some help from the Guidebooks. Happy travels!

Thank you so much for all the information. Now I have to look through all the books and figure it out. This is such a great site and great help!

Carolyn, a couple of things that may interest you. First, you should familiarize yourself with a general map of Venice. This will make it a bit easier. Next, when you arrive in Venice on the train and walk out the front door, stand at the top of the steps and just watch for a minute or two. You will be looking at the Grand Canal and everything in motion. It's a view that yo will never forget. Next, get a 12-hour vaporetto pass. True you won't be there for 12 hours (or maybe you will) but the individual vaporetto ride ticket is 6.50E. Depending on the season, the 12-hour pass costs 12E on www.veniceconnected.com. 13.50E for 24hrs. It could vary slightly. I would suggest the following to visit for a start. St. Marks square, St. Mark's church. Definitely a tour of the Doge's Palace. Great art and frescos in there. The Venetian artists are different from the Florentine artists. The secrets tour is very nice but you won't have time. The Peggy Guggenheim museum across the canal. Simply walking some of the side streets.

Walk down any tourist filled path in Venice and pick any side path. Go down there and wind back and forth until you are completely lost. Continue, going into churches you find, and skip over any main paths you come across. Look at the bridges, the water, the narrow lanes. Look up, look out, look down. You can't really get lost. When you've had enough keep wandering until you again come across a main route, follow the yellow signs and you're home. You'll love it. (took me 4 trips before I went into any museums or the main tourist paths, except St Marks, the square and the basilica.)

http://www.hulu.com/watch/93270/rick-steves-europe-venice-serene-decadent-and-still-kicking Take a peek at Rick Steves' "Venice" episode and you'll get an idea of why you were told you need to see Venice! The peace and quiet of early mornings and evenings make it worth an overnight stay. Otherwise, you're a daytripper like the gillions of others...clogging the famous sites during peak tourism hours. See the city when the daytrippers have left...

Unless you're really, really into modern art, don't bother with the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, imho. Save it for your third time to Venice, if then.