Venice & Como Itinerary Help in August

We were at both Lake Como and in Venice in August 2021. This isn’t what you were asking about but I would reallocate your nights to spend 3 at Lake Como and 4 in Venice. 2 nights only gives you one full day and there is lots to see and do at Lake Como. It is also on average cooler than Venice so I would reallocate days before taking day trips. (We actually had cool weather in Venice but that was after several beastly days in Verona where temperature was close to 100. Then a front mercifully came through.)

Venice excursions:
We took a boat from Venice that went out to the Brenta Canal and sailed by several large estate homes. Wonderful day.
Also, we have gone by train to Bassano del Grappa, not terribly far. It has an Alpine feel, a big favorite of ours. There is a replica Palladian bridge over the River Brenta there. One time we we went to the Veneto focused on the architect Palladio, fascinating.
We have been out to Lido and I wouldn’t go out of my way to return there unless I had children with me and wanted a beach for them.
Bellagio: We have stayed in Bellagio on Lake Como four times and love it there. The longest trip there was for two weeks. We have always stayed at the top of town, away from waterfront with many tourists, and had terrific views of lake and mountains. .
Three times we rented apts but once stayed at Hotel Belvedere with it’s fabulous views.
We prefer staying in Bellagio partly because of the many restaurants there. By ferry, we have toured the whole lake.
I am not familiar with the other hotel you mention but obviously it is not in town. They offer a shuttle but you would be restricted to its schedule. We like to easily walk down the hill and jump on the ferries. And we like to be in, very near to town.

I was going to suggest the same time allocation as Beth.

For a swim at Venice, you need to take the vaporetto to the Lido. This is a long, wide, flat beach, typical of European beaches, meaning it has arrays of lounge chairs, umbrellas, and/or cabañas for rent at various establishments. There are also a few places for free access. You can reach about this and see photos on various websites:

https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/beaches?language=en

https://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/venice/lido.html

In Venice, to stay away from the crowds and actually feel Venice, don't stay in the St. marks Square or Rialto Bridge area. Venice is so small, you can stay a 15 minute walk away from the crowds, and have a totally different , peaceful experience. We stay in the Cannaregio area, on the small back canals, which is very quiet, yet still close to a vaporetto stop and walking to the popular areas.
Definitely more time in Lake Como , so do take a day away from Venice.
We found that weekend travel into/out of Lake Como can be busy, so I'd avoid traveling on Fridays and Sundays nights. A few years ago, on a Sunday late afternoon, our train out of Lake Como to Milan was standing room only.
Have a great trip.
Safe travels!

I agree with taking a day from Venice and adding it to Lake Como. We always stay in Bellagio. We have always stayed at Hotel Bellagio so I cannot comment on your hotel options. In Venice we stayed in Giudecca. Nice, quiet, easy to access by boat taxi.

I'd like to mention that you don't necessarily have to leave Venice to get away from the crowds. The bulk of the visitors seem not to wander far off the route from the train station to the Rialto Bridge and Market and on to Piazza San Marco, though the blocks around San Marco itself also tend to be crowded. Much of the rest of the city is peaceful.

I'd think a day trip to the Dolomites would involve a lot of time sitting on trains or buses, but I haven't taken one of those.

Padua's only about half an hour from Venice by train and has a lot of interesting sights (pre-book the Scrovegni Chapel), but it's certainly not a village.

Before booking a trip on the Brenta Canal, I'd seek current information on water levels, lest the pricey boat ride turn into a bus tour. There is public-bus access to at least some of the villas, though I haven't visited that part of the Veneto.

I'd think a day trip to the Dolomites would involve a lot of time sitting on trains or buses, but I haven't taken one of those.

There are many small group tours to the Dolomites from Venice. Just one that was mentioned recently here.
https://www.tours-italy.com/tour/private-venice-dolomites-and-cortina-tour-from-venice-italy_174

Thank you everyone for your responses. They were all very helpful. We added a day to our trip so we can stay 3 nights in Como (in Bellagio) and 5 nights in Venice. Thanks again for the help!

ViaMichelin estimates the driving time from Venice to Cortina d'Ampezzo at 3 hours 39 minutes, so that would mean almost 8 hours of sitting in a van if one took that day trip.