Hello
We are going to be spending a week in the Florence area with extended family in June/July, and have decided to extend our trip to include Venice and a few days in the Dolomites. For this extension we will be on our own with our 3 young adult children. We would like to travel by train or bus. We have never been to Italy and would love some advice on where to go and where to stay. Right now we are thinking 3 nights in Venice (staying in Venice and venturing out for the day to avoid summer crowds), and 3 nights somewhere in the Dolomite region. Is this enough time? Should we limit ourselves to one location? We also need to figure out which airport to depart from - perhaps it makes most sense to go from Florence to the Dolomites, then Venice so we can fly home from there. Any suggestions appreciated!
Posted by
Washington DC
28436 posts
To me, 3 nights is the minimum for Venice, but I wouldn't go there if I were going to leave the city every day. I don't like crowds, either, but there are places in Venice where they shouldn't be so bad. I don't understand the logic of paying high Venice hotel rates just to spend most of my waking hours outside that city.
I like Ortisei as a base for the Dolomites, but others will probably offer other suggestions. You should definitely stay up in the mountains rather than in one of the (very nice, but potentially very hot) valley cities. Three days is sort of short given the time it will take you to travel in from Venice and out to your next destination or departure airport. If you can possibly add a day or two, you should. If you decide you've had enough walking in the mountains, you can day-trip down to Bolzano or somewhere else in the valley.
You should look at fares and schedules from you home airport into Venice and out of Florence as well as the reverse. Some people find their departure options from Venice are horrible--extraordinarily early flights, little sleep on the final night, and requiring costly private water taxi service to the airport. I would also throw Pisa (busier airport than Florence's) and Milan into the mix. From some origins Milan can be a lot cheaper than any other airport in Italy aside from Rome. It wouldn't be as convenient for you, but you might decide it was worth it if the savings were really substantial.
Posted by
Reading, PA, USA
1637 posts
When we went to Italy the flights to Milan were much cheaper than the flights to Rome. So much so, we changed our itinerary to flay both into and out of Milan instead of open jaw Milan and Rome.
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
1922 posts
If you want to see Venice by all means enjoy it crowds and all. I wouldn't use it as a base to visit other areas because there are far less expensive places to stay than Venice just to sleep and venture out to other places. Sounds like a very nice trip.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2332 posts
Traveling in the Dolomites will be slower by train and bus than by rental car, but it can easily be done (we plan to do it on our trip next May). You will train to Bolzano and then bus to one of the smaller villages (Ortesei or other) to stay your three nights. While there, you will have access to buses and mountain lifts to take you to other towns and into the mountains for hiking. I think for a first trip to Italy it would be fun to get a taste of both Venice and the Dolomites, even with the shorter stays.
I agree with other posters that you should consider flying home from Milan rather than Venice (though check on both options). It would make sense to add one more night so you could stay in Milan the night before your flight home.
EDIT: It's only about two and a half hours from Venice to Milan by train.
Posted by
Glostrup, Denmark
1404 posts
If you have three nights in Venice, that means two days.
Arrival day: Settle in and then follow signs between the staion ("Ferrovia") and St. Marks Square ("San Marco"). After that you will understand why we talk about "crowds".
Day 1: Visit St. Mark's Square in the morning and then explore the Castello area in the east part. In the evening go back to St. Mark's Square to enjoy the music.
Day 2: Visit the fish market next to the Rialto Bridge, then go north, buy a one day pass and take the ferry to Murano, Torcello, Burano.