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Venice for 5 nights or is that too long?

Well, let me say first, we'll be with the Rick Steve's tour for 3 nights starting in Venice in late June (the 10 day Venice,Florence,Rome trip)..However, we're flying into Venice 5 days before the tour.. My question is would you recommend staying all 8 nights in Venice (as opposed to just the 3 tour nights) OR would you try to stay somewhere else and then come back to Venice for the tour? If not all 8 nights in Venice where would you stay and why? If all eight nights in Venice what are the 'must sees' and do's that might complement the tour activities? It will be my wife, 21 yr-old daughter and me. (Do they offer private bodyguards in Italy?). I've only been to Italy once (Florence in July 1985) and my wife and daughter have never been to Italy but my wife's family is Sicilian so that trip is next ! We have about five months to plan this trip and from what I hear Venice is really an amazing place and so I'd like to spend a bit more time there. Has anyone seen the great bronze equestrian statue by Verrocchio? It is considered one of the greatest ever cast and it apparently stands in front of the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. (someone told me to be sure and see this work). Anyway, any ideas or thoughts you have would be much appreciated--Venice for all 8 nights or only 3? Where else to go?

Posted by
4217 posts

Flip a coin?
On the one hand, it is an excellent opportunity to really soak in a unique and threatened city.
OTOH, if you want to pop over somewhere else for a few nights, you would still then have a chance to settle in and wander before the tour begins. I'd limit it to places within a short train ride (delve into a Veneto book), or if you are open to driving, explore a more rural place. There is really no wrong answer!

Posted by
1576 posts

Hey Charlie,

You can stay 4 nights in Venice including the 3 days on tour then used the other 4 nights in another city. You can stay in Lake Como area or Lake Lugano which is nearby. You can then take the train from there to Venice. 8 straight days in Venice would be too much. 4 days is sufficient for Venice.

Posted by
6733 posts

There's so much to see nearby, I would not dedicate 8 nights to Venice (5 on your own, plus 3 on the tour). You could hop over to Ljubljana and see a bit of Slovenia easily. You could go up into the mountains (Lake Como, or Dolomites). You have oodles of good options. I think 3 nights (and two full days) in Venice is plenty.

Posted by
6113 posts

I had a week in Venice In January when it was quiet, which was fine. Three nights wouldn’t be enough in June to see everything, so I would opt for 8 nights in Venice.

Posted by
1045 posts

8 nights in Venice can be too much if all you want to do is sightsee, just enough if you want to "be" in Venice! In a museum, you walk around looking at art on the wall. In Venice you walk inside the art. The longer you roam, the more effect it has on you! That said, let's see what I can suggest. The RS, and other guidebooks, will give you lists of things to do and places to go. I pretty much agree but over the last few years (this will be trip 14 to Venice), I've learned to head out in a different direction every day and try to get lost. If I see a large group (passengers from an ocean liner usually), I turn either left or right down the next alley. Venice is so much more than the Rialto or Piazza San Marco! You might like the Lido (not so much for the beach but for a walk that will remind you of a Miami Beach neighborhood. The other islands (Burano, Murano, Torcello) make for a wonderful day trip. Murano is my least favorite but I don't usually skip it! Torcello is jaw-dropping. If you need another day trip, how about Padova? It's less than 1/2 hour away by train (take the local - it's cheaper and takes the same amount of time). The Scovengi Chapel requires advanced reservation, specific timed entry. I usually get 2 - 1 in the morning and another one in the late afternoon. Padova is a beautiful city to walk around, or take the tram. It's very different from Venice. For the past 12 years i've stayed at Hotel Ala. It's right at the Giglio vaporetto stop - 5 minutes to the Accademia Bridge, 5 minutes to Piazza San Marco. Beautiful hotel, amazing staff, killer breakfast buffet. MY MUST DO list includes early morning (watch Venice wake up) vaporetto ride up/down the Grand Canal; cocktails at dusk along the Giudecca Canal; orchestra hopping after dark in the Piazza San Marco (don't sit down - dance!); and just before bed I take another roundtrip on the vaporetto. Venice at its most romantic! 8 nights in Venice? I'd say yes, yes to 8 nights every year! Caveat: end of June? It'll be hot and humid and crowded. Crowds from the ships are usually clogging the main walkways between 10 am and 5 or 6 pm. That's when I "turn left or right." The Frari, most of the churches and museums (like the Accademia) don't get big crowds during those hours. Hmmm, private bodyguards? There are no barricades by the canals . . . oops! :)

Posted by
6 posts

Robert in Wilmington--great ideas, absolutely love your thoughts..The three island tour with Torgetto? I've heard that's incredible and just as you say--Torcetto being the most interesting. Someone said there was an all day trip down the Brenta River--do you know anything about that? (I have an interest in Shakespeare and one of the actual locations in Merchant of Venice is 10 miles down the Brenta and I'd like to visit it). Robert and others--thank you, I will re-read your comments and respond! Really appreciate it.

Posted by
1045 posts

Charlie - I've heard about that boat trip but sorry, that's the sum total - just heard. Shakespeare? You can get to Verona fairly easily for a day trip - juliet's balcony is probably the least fun/interesting thing to do in Venice though. Sorry you won't be in Rome - there is an exact replica (so they say) of the Globe Theatre where they do Italian translations of the plays. I saw one a couple of years ago and even with my bad Italian, I had a ball!

Schedules for the Freccia trainline is a great place to help with your planning. Trenitalia.com Trains are frequent, comfortable and can be very affordable. The trick is to commit to a schedule to get the lowest price. On those trains the difference between 1st and 2nd class is minimal. Another nice thing - you can select your seats from their seat map. I use them all the time. I'm all over Italy every year so it is essential for me to commit to a schedule and buy my tickets a couple of months in advance. If you can do that, it will save you a bundle (I think at least 40%). Also, if you are going to be in Venice more than a day, get the 7 day vaporetto pass - unlimited trips beginning when you validate the ticket for the first time. So easy! Also, look at veneziaunica.it for great discounts and a wonderful downloadable booklet of special things to see/do in Venice. They'll also sell you your vaporetto tickets. I find you don't have to use many of the discounts to find you are already saving money! Saving money is something I always consider in Venice because Venice can be expensive . . . but worth every penny! My favorite advice is make the planning part of the family fun. And remember: YOU deserve this!

Posted by
2281 posts

hey hey charlie
the boat ride up the brenta is: ilburchiello.it
few years back, we stayed in the san polo area near frari church, for a week before a greek isle cruise.
two years ago we stayed at la levantina near the venice casino, booked thru booking.com
cross-pollinate.com has some places may be of interest.
they were both apartments which worked out well for 4 of us, kitchen, outside terrace, ground floor, washer, on a canal watching the gondolas and boats go by, near vaporetto stop.
you could take the train to lake garda and stay couple days. we went to bardolino and annual wine festival. fun time, gorgeous views of lake and mountains, riding a ferry up the lake, cute and small villages. so much to see and do.
ill gather some other info and saved stuff and send to you later.
aloha

Posted by
6 posts

Princess, yes yes, the ilburchiello up the Brenta--that is perfect! You have so many good ideas, thank you and if you think of more let me know. This is going to be an incredible trip and someone once told me, 'a day unplanned is a day wasted.' I somewhat agree with that, and I plan to get lost in Venice as well and not worry about it. :)

Posted by
475 posts

Padua (Padova) is just a 20 to 30 minute train ride west of Venice. The Scrovegni Chapel is stunning; you need to make an advance reservation several months in advance. There is a tour offered of the University (guides are students) that includes Europe's oldest anatomy theater--thinking your daughter might enjoy this (as well as you!). There are many restaurants where you can have a good meal. We had eight nights last spring divided between Padua and Venice; I am looking forward to returning one day as there's so much more to see! Enjoy your trip.

Posted by
6 posts

Den, I really like your Padua day-trip idea. I'm not familiar with the Scrovegni Chapel--I'm a bit confused though. There is a tour for this, and for an anatomy theatre? What is this theatre and why do you think my daughter might like it? Any other activities or specific restaurants you'd recommend in Padua? How much are train tickets roundtrip Venice to Padua? Thank you!

Posted by
16028 posts

Train from Venezia Santa Lucia to Padova is €4,45 each way if you take thee the Regionale (47 minutes) or the Regionale Veloce (28 minutes).

You can also get there on the Brenta Canal boats, but it takes all day, and costs €109 for adults ( less for teens).

http://www.ilburchiello.it/en/tour

We might do the half-day canal trip when we are in Venice in March. My husband has a keen interest in Palladio and the Brenta Canal trips include tours of one or more villas.

If you tour the islands, I too would suggest you minimize your time on Murano and maximize your Torcello time. In addition to the old church with the mosaics, there is this small art museum, with guided tours of the villa and the garden:

https://www.museoandrich.com/

How much time in Venice? Well, our first trip there was for 5 nights. The next time we spent a full month. Then we went back for a week, and in March we will make a short visit of 3 nights, “because we can.” We love the place and always find plenty to see and do, even if it is just wandering around.

But—-we have never spent time there in summer. It can be hot, humid, and even more crowded than at other times. It sounds like you could have plenty to fill your time, but you might consider 2 nights ( in the middle of your eight days) outside Venice just for a breather from the crowds. So stay 3 nights on arrival, go somewhere else for 2 nights, and then return on the day you meet the tour and check in at the tour hotel.

As for where to go, Lago di Garda is close, and the north end of the lake is very scenic. The Dolomites would be nice too, and possibly cooler. Best way to get there would be to rent a car at Piazzale Roma for the 3 days, and return it there. Public transport will get you there, but takes longer. Or turn your excursion to Padova into a 2-night visit; cruise one-way on the Brenta, stay 2 nights, and return to Venice on the train. You might save enough on the lodging ( over Venice prices) to help cover the cost of the Brenta cruise.

Posted by
1045 posts

The Scrovengi Chapel is itself a tour. You have an information session (good information but it's primarily for climate control to protect the frescos) then are led into the Chapel for about 30 minutes, which is why I like going twice in the same day.

The anatomy museum is something else - and I haven't done it and don't see it in my near or distant future (at least not before or after dinner). The university in Padova was one of the first to do research on human bodies - dead ones. That's what you're gonna see. Think it might require a strong stomach!

But Padova is beautiful . . . otherwise.

Someone mentioned the lakes and Dolomites. Great day trip! I just would caution about overloading your daily schedule.

Posted by
1220 posts

The equestrian statue you mention is quite something, and is not in the location that its subject wanted.
Venice was broke.
Warfare imminent
Enter stage left one Bartolomeo Colleoni, mercenary, wealthy.
“I’ll finance and fight your war for you, and if I win, I want a statue of me, I, Bartolomeo, mounted, to be placed in front of St Marks. Deal?”
The Commune has little choice to accept. Bart wins the war, wants his statue. In front of St Marks.
It would be unthinkable to erect a statue in the Piazza, in front of St Marks, but a deal is a deal, and Venetians honour deals.
So his statue was erected in front of the then Scuolo San Marco, a fine building, now incorporated into the hospital.

Deal satisfied.
The hospital library is really worth a look, the most beautiful ceiling, a couple of poorly lit Tintorettos and a great display of medical instruments and engravings detailing their use. Closed Mondays I think, costs three or four euro.

Posted by
973 posts

I love Venice, but I’d go nuts spending 8 days there. I vote 4 nights max! Personally even 3 would be enough for me. If I had a chance to see Lake Como area and it was that close, I’d jump at the chance.

Posted by
7737 posts

Personally, I'd do 3 nights in Verona with a long layover daytrip in Padova in between.

Posted by
3938 posts

I’d spend all 8 nights in Venice, maybe a different pretour neighborhood. I’d take a couple of easy day trips as suggested by some above. We’ve been to Venice 6 times from 4-7 nights and I’d go back for a long stay in a heartbeat.

Posted by
6733 posts

To clarify: there's nothing wrong with spending 8 days in Venice. Or 80 days. If you like being there and want to stay a while, great.

But no matter the number of days you choose to spend there (or anywhere), those days have to come at the expense of being somewhere else.

Do you have unlimited time in Europe? Have you been everywhere you want to go, seen everything you want to see?

If the answers to those questoins are Yes, and Yes, then great - stay in Venice for a looooong time if it makes you happy. But for most of us - even those who loved the time we've spent in Venice - it's all about making choices, and trade-offs. Spend 8 days in Venice if you like, but just be aware that you could be spending some of those days in Lake Como, the Dolomites, Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Vienna, Bratislava, Istria, Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Palermo, Sardinia, Malta, etc. etc. etc.

I look at the days I spend in Europe as precious little treasures. I want to spend them carefully, weighing how else I might spend them. If I could go there as often as I would like, and stay as long as I would like (I can't) then I would look at things differently. But none of us will live forever, and most of us have other stuff we need to do, and limited time for traipsing around Europe. There are a lot of places I want to go, things I want to see and do...and in recent years, as I've started exploring less famous corners of Europe, I realize that even my long list of known target destinations doesn't cover all the great places that I have not yet discovered but which will surely wow me when I stumble on them. So yeah, Venice is fun, and I'm glad I get to go there. But as great as it is, I don't want to go only there. Life is short and there are a lot of other places I need to get to.

To each their own, vive la difference.

Posted by
1220 posts

I am with Robert from Wilmington on this one. You can “do” Venice in three days, Rialto, Piazza, Basilica, Ducal Palace, gondola ride, vaporetto ride, Murano/Burano/Torcello and throw in a museum and a church or two. There, job done.

Venice does reward a longer visit, time to check out and visit the second rank of things that see few tourists. The Tre Oci photo gallery, the Fortuny, the Querini Stampalia Foundation, the Georges Cini Foundation, the Biennale, whether Art or Architecture.

Posted by
35 posts

I think 8 days would be too much in Venice but 4 or 5 days could be good. We were just there for 5 nights in September and never ran out of things to do but were ready to move on at that point. I think you can see a lot of Venice in three days but you'd be rushed.

I'd make sure to slow down a little and enjoy the cichetti experience at a few different bars in the afternoon/ evening. It was a lot of fun to wander into a bar with delicious looking appetizers inside then hang out and enjoy a spritz with a couple of small bites.

Just my two cents. Hope you have a great trip!

Posted by
475 posts

Sorry for creating confusion--the Scrovegni Chapel and the University/Anatomy Theater tour are two different locations. I was thinking that your daughter, given her age, might be interested in seeing an Italian university. The Anatomy Theater (part of the University tour) isn't gruesome at all--just a historic site. Both are described in the RS Italy guidebook. Wherever you go you can't go wrong--you'll be in Italy with history, architecture, food, coffee, and gelato (yes, gelato gets its own mention!) around every corner!

Posted by
1220 posts

In Venice, Campo Margherita in Dorsoduro is where the young university student cohort hang out, eating pizza by the slice and drinking spritzes.

Posted by
6 posts

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my inquiry. I've read all of your comments (some of them twice!). We've decided to try some of the suggestions you've made: Padua for a day trip on the train, the three island day trip (Torcetto, Murano etc). My thinking is, we'll stay overnight in Venice but get out out of town for day trips for at least 2 of the 4 days prior to the Rick Steves tour in Venice. Question: Are there any activities that must be purchased well in advance (like now) or can we wait until we get to Venice to purchase? Things like the Doges Palace, tours, train tickets... I am very excited about Venice in particular, but after hearing from you all I do agree that just tooling around Venice for 8 days straight might get a bit monotonous and I know my girls will want to be adventurous so I've got to mix it up----boats, trains, and lots of new places with shiny things to buy (!) and good eats. If any of you will be in Venice the week of June 17-24 would love to meet up with you! P.S. I just hope we're not too worn out for Florence and Rome :) Not a chance.

Posted by
2281 posts

hey hey charlie
you will have a great and fun time. are the private bodyguards for you??
everyone has there own opinions about staying all days there or packing up and moving "house" again. we did an overnight to bardolino lake garda, but kept apartment. it wasn't worth it to us to pack up and be out by 10am, get to car rental at train station, drive to lake garda, check in by 2-3pm, too late for our wine festival, eat drink and be merry, hotel staff woke us up at noon to get out haha then drive back to venice and we had our place waiting for us. we left venice at 8am and our hotel in bardolino was $99, just an small extra cost.
i'm gathering some fun things and places to check out for you and the girls. i'll send it in a private message, may be a "novel" ;)
friends are leaving friday for 14 day carribean cruise and i'm the house and dog sitter, so getting that situation settled.
aloha

Posted by
3938 posts

Another thought about multi-day stays in Venice and organizing your activities. When we were Venice for 5 days last summer we noticed there were 7-8 large cruise ships in port on Saturday and Sunday but only 1-2 on weekdays during our particular stay. Therefore we planned our excursions, rowing lessons, trips to the islands on the days when Venice was crowded with day trippers. https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports

Posted by
1220 posts

A couple of things about Padua.
The walk from the station to the centre is pretty boring, but you can take a tram. Buy tickets at the booth to your right as you exit the station. Tram stop is outside Maccas.

Get a map from the travel info place in the station. At the extreme right as you exit.

The central market is fun, but on Mondays it is a pretty tame affair, not so much produce. Tuesdays or Wednesdays are better.

Posted by
1220 posts

It is Torcello, not Torcetto. :)

When you take the vaporetto to Burano, get off at Mazzorbo, last stop before Burano. You can walk through a vineyard and over a bridge to Burano. Returning to Venice, the No 12 vaporetto can be very crowded and you might not get on the first boat. But if you walk back to Mazzorbo, they will always let you board.

Mazzorbo used to be a big deal, main point of entry for goods from the Levant into Europe. Corrupted from the Latin, “big town” = “major urbis” = Mazzorbo. Mazzorbetto, the island opposite, has a little fortress, never fired a shot in anger. Totally useless, unless one wanted to open hostilities with Torcello, or lay down shells on Marco Polo airport.

Posted by
6 posts

One more question, I'm looking at the 1/2 hr gondola rides in Venice. Is this something that should be booked well ahead of time? or can it be done a few weeks or days in advance? We'll be there around June 17th. Thanks.

Posted by
1220 posts

There is no need to book a gondola ride in advance. There are gondola stations all over Venice.
Take a voyage when the moment and location grabs you.