Opinions on Venice Itinerary

Do include a tour inside the Basilica of San Marco itself. It's amazing. Do you have the RS Italy 2011 book? It has a great (and perfectly legit) tip on how to skip the line in front of the basilica. And FWIW, it's Alilaguna. :-) Have a great time. Venice is amazing.

Water taxi is about 100 euros per party, Alilaguna is about 12 euros per person if you pre pay online, you can also save on vaporetto pass. veniceconnected.com is the site. I'd skip the water taxi and spend it on a gondola. Have fun in Venice! I'm heading there in exactly one week.

Laura:
Good plan, not too rushed, lots of time to follow your nose. You will be glad to have a Vaporetto Pass! On arrival day, try to avoid napping. Take a shower, get settled in your room, and take an exploratory walk. That will help jet lag immensely. Allow yourselves to go to bed about 2100-2200. By morning you will be on local time. I agree with Michael that the Basilica is amazing. Be sure to see the Treasury above it, too, and go out on the Loggia for the view. We loved the view from San Giorgio Maggiore, a 5 minute vaporetto ride across from San Marco. I think that tower has a better view AND it is less crowded than the Campanile at San Marco. Here's a fun link to some ideas for exploring Venice in case you want to fit them in: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/venice/0067020001.html.

Michael- thanks for the response! We were planning on bringing an audio tour of the Doge after the Secret Itineraries Tour... we can stay after the tour. Do you suggest getting the other tour as well? Lisa- thanks for the info! I like your logic :) We are definitely trying to work a gondola ride into our budget... I am hopeful. Our accomodations in Venice are pricier than elsewhere in Italy, so our budget is a bit tighter.

Laurel: Thank you! I had forgotten about San Giorgio Maggiore! Is it accessible with the vaparetto pass?
Advice taken about the napping :) We are hoping to get Rick's grand canal tour in, then a nice place for supper before retiring early.

San Giorgio is accessible by vaporetto from San Marco. It's on circuit, so know which route goes directly there and which comes directly back. I don't think you need to by dinner to enjoy the two orchestras in Piazza San Marco. The food is notoriously expensive. An expensive glass of wine should do you and then eat elsewhere.

Budget suggestions: If you are purchasing a 72 vaporetto pass get it through www.veniceconnected.com for a discount, pick it up at the Hellovenezia desk at the aiport. It will cover the orange ACTV bus for the airport to Piazzale Roma as well as the vaporetto to the hotel. that saves you 100 eruo for the water taxi or 26 euro for Alilaguna. August 30 Tour the Basilica San Marco as well as the Doge's Palace. Go to the museum upstairs in the Basilica, up the stairs on the right as you enter. See the horses, go out on the loggia for great views. 5 euros per person. Lunch: Osteria Al Mascaron off Campo Santa Maria Formosa http://www.osteriamascaron.it/eng/storia.html August 31: get up really early and explore the Rialto market. Arrive before 07:00 to see them set up the fish market. Have a coffee and roll at one of the nearby coffee shops. Campanile at San Giorgio Maggiore. Instead of going back to San Marco. Take the vaporetto to Dorsoduro and have lunch at an outdoor spot on the Zattere.

Laura Leave time to explore and get lost in a different area of Venice everyday. See if RS suggests neighborhoods to visit. Pick out a bar, enoteca (wine bar), caffe (cafe) or other neighborhood establishment TWICE a day and sit for an hour or so and watch the Venetians go by. Here's something I have always wanted to try. This description from Wikipedia. "Cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-tee) are small snacks or side dishes, typically served in traditional "bàcari" (cicchetti bars or osterie) in Venice, Italy. Common cicchetti include tiny sandwiches, plates of olives or other vegetables, half hard boiled eggs, small servings of a combination of one or more of seafood, meat and vegetable ingredients laid on top of a slice of bread or polenta, and very small servings of typical full-course plates. Venice's many cicchetti bars are quite active during the day, as Venetians (and tourists) typically eat cicchetti in the late morning, for lunch, or as afternoon snacks. Cicchetti are usually accompanied by a small glass of local white wine. You can google Chicchetti. Bobbie

Instead of the San Marco Campanile, take the quick vaporetto ride from the waterfront near there to San Giorgio Maggiore and go up in the campanile there. Better views, fewer people, no crowds. (See Rick's book for details.) Since you already have your vaporetto pass you might as well use it. Personally, we found San Marco Basilica much more beautiful and interesting than the Doge's Palace. And if you like museums and art don't forget the Accademia and the Frari church. Both are easy to get to.

Your itineraty allows plenty of room for changes once you get into Venice and get a feel for the city. I agree with the others and suggest you visit St. Mark's and its roof. If you like music, do some research on any concerts that might be scheduled while you're in Venice. When my wife and I were there we visited the Church of the Frari after regular hours, saw some great art in situ, and heard some terriffic music. Many other venues hold periodic concerts that give you an chance to experience some of the smaller sites in a unique way. Have fun.

Thanks for all the replies! My excitement is getting higher with all of the advice :)

Hi again all, I have revamped the itinerary slightly, based on your responses and criticisms from my husband :) We are starting our Italy trip in Venice, and feel like this will be a perfect start August 29: Arrive Venice Transfer to Hotel (undecided on how) Grand Canal Cruise Bar Hopping Tour August 30: Doge's Palace- Secret Itineraries Tour Cross to San Giorgio Maggiore Explore St. Marks Square Appt @ Mauro Glass 1600 San Marco Dueling Orchestras August 31: Marine Museum (My husband LOVES boats and fishing) Rialto Bridge and Market Venice Jazz Club- Dorseduo
Get lost at all points in between :) We still haven't decided on where to eat, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated :) Many may say we have few museums, but we are not really museum go-ers per say, and have some planned further in our tirp (Florence, Rome). Our goal is to get a feel for Venice, with lots of time for getting lost :) Thanks again for your responses!

I suggest GROM gelato, a few euro more, but so delicious. They have a website that has their locations throughout the world. I enjoyed walking along the Zattere area, and just riding the vaporetti, water bus, that was great. My favorite thing was just wandering around the side canals, quieter and gorgeous. And eating gelato!!! have a wonderful time.

I love Venice! Rather than a nap when you arrive, why not go for a walk with the intent to get lost? Go far from the tourist crowd and see quiet and residential Venice. I think many people recommend the Doge's Palace later in the day to avoid crowds, but unless you are required to be there for your planned tour you might want to pop by early in the morning. We walked past about 45 minutes before the opening time and it was already open and accepting visitors. We had it mostly to ourselves and this was peak season (first week of September 2010). I don't know why it was open early, I assumed at the time they were getting ready for a cruise ship tour but we were in and out before any big groups arrived. It left us with lots of time for the rest of our day. We listenened to Rick's Grand Canal tour while on the vaporetto and it was terrific. Started at about 6pm and the sun set as we went along. Suggest you do this. The Alilaguna from the airport is easy but you must buy your ticket from the booth and not on the boat (as Rick's book says, unless he d it from last year). Just exit the airport, turn left and walk along the path. (are you flying Air Transat as we did?) The Campanile was lined up and busy when we went but it was well worth the wait and expense. We did a nighttime gondola ride. Not good for the budget but one of those things that if you have the cash you might as well have the experience. PM me if there is anything further you'd like to ask me about.