one day in Florence or extra day in Venice

I think it would be massively frustrating to have so little time in Florence, and that you would be glad of the additional day in Venice instead.

It depends if you'd prefer to have a small taste of more places, or a bigger taste of fewer places. There's no right or wrong answer, and different people will have different opinions. I think most here would prefer that you stay in Venice, but it's your trip.

I'll add one thing to consider, however, that leads me to agree with the "stay in Venice" camp. If you go from Venice to Florence, you lose a half day; on such short trip, even those few lost hours matter.

Yes, its worth it because even the train is fun. And better to see Florence (or anywhere) for a short time than not at all.

I would lean toward one full day in Venice and then heading to Florence on Friday morning for more time in Florence. IMO, there is so much more to see in Florence, but that is just my preference. Define what interests you most and pick according to that.

For the Saturday I would look at Padua or Verona, rather than Florence. Either of these is much more manageable with just a day, and they are on the route back to Milan.

Thank you all! David, we are actually doing Verona as a day trip on the front end of the Milan stay before my conference starts. No way I was going to miss that being a Shakespeare lover. :)

Soon, answer me this - are Murano and Burano worth it or just spend a day and a half in Venice proper and then head to Florence Friday night and spend an entire day there Saturday before heading back to airport? I am a photographer so Burano intrigues me, but I also love handblown glass ... but I am assuming there will be a ton of that in Venice without having to go to Murano, yes?

That was a thought I had as well - forget Murano and get the train to Florence Friday lunch time.
I haven't been to either Murano or Burano so can't really comment.

You are arriving in Venice Wed. night. That only gives you Thurs. and Fri. for Venice. I would rather stay in Venice one more day, than spend half my time on the train.

Also, you said you would leave for Florence Sat. morning, but you have a flight out of Milan Saturday? Do you mean Sunday? If it really is Sat. there is no way I would try to squeeze in Florence!

We would skip Florence and stay in Venice in order to make the most of the time available. It is surprising how much time is lost going between Point A and Point B. To our way of thinking it is better to see / do fewer places well than many places just lightly. Murano and Burano are photographers dreams. Definitely worth the trip.

Burano...ahh...yes! The colorful buildings are a photographer's dream! I am reminiscing now :)

Suzi,

In my fumble opinion, I would skip Florence and leave it for a future trip. There is so much to see in Florence, dropping in for just 8 or 10 hours would not do it justice.

If you are looking for a respite from the crowds of Venice, I would suggest Padua, Vicenza and.or Verona as day trips or stop-overs on the way back to Milan. Padua and Vicenza can be done in one day as a simple day trip.

Padua has wonderful markets and Churches and is a very easy city to navigate. It's also just 30 minutes from Venice by train.

Vicenza has the Teatro Olimpico which is absolutely stunning. It also has some very interesting architecture and Church of Santa Corona is a very nice site.

Verona, made famous as the site of the "Juliet" balcony (Case Di Giulietta – a cheesy tourist site), actually has enough to keep you occupied for a full day. It has very nice churches, Piazza Bra with its magnificent Coliseum, and the Castelvecchio. Verona would probably be a better "en-route" stopover on the way back to Mila - in my opinion.

Good luck and have fun,
Todd

All of Venice is a photographer's dream. It's a postcard shot around every corner. No need to go to the islands for that, nor for shopping. I would prefer to spend time in Venice just getting lost, away from the main Rialto-San Marco footpath. While perhaps less colorful, you'll find the main city richer in the grand scale and architectural details of palazzo.

we spent two nights in venice on our last trip. we wish we would have had 2 more. there is so much to see especially if you want to go to the other islands. make another trip to florence, it will still be there.

Florence is not a one day town; you are likely to just hate the crowds and the hassle of one day -- but love a week there exploring its artistic heritage. Venice is a pleasure to just wander. Get up at the crack of dawn and just walk as far as you can go -- the further you get from the center, the more picturesque it will be and unexpected. And you can't get lost -- it is islands. When you want to go back just ask some passerby the direction to San Marco, head that way, rinse and repeat. Fabulous town. We spent 5 nights 4 days there on our first trip to Europe 30 plus years ago and it wasn't long enough.

Oh gosh, Charlotte - yes, I mean Sunday morning. Whoops! But still, I think it's tight!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! You are so wonderful. We will stay in Venice and soak up every nook and cranny and catch Florence when we do the Southern Italy trip. I want to take all of you with us. :) Travel people are the best. :) Ciao!

The best time to photograph Venice is at dawn - magical. Watch the sunrise over the lagoon from San Marco.

It's worth taking the vaporetto to Burano for the ride across the lagoon. You can stay as long as you like (I wasn't impressed).

we were just in venice a few days ago and are now in florence. the treck down from venice was 2.5 hours via highspeed train. even if you took the earliest one around 7:30am, by the time you get to florence, you won't have much time to do anything as the museums and sites here will all require more time. if i were you, i'd spend the extra day in venice. so far, we like venice more than florence.