Venice for 8 nights - day trips??

We took a boat trip to Murano. It was a colorful little area that was fun... shopping, food and just wandering. We also took a train trip for a night to Tirol (I can't think of the town) It was beautiful and so different from Venice...Have no experience with the beaches. I have heard great things about Verona...not been there yet. And yes...it is very good fortune to have 8 nights in Venice. You really get a totally different view of Venice by staying that long. Take at least one morning and get up early and go down to the water and watch the sunrise as the city wakes up. Spectacular!

I envy you - eight days in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Do you have the RS Venice book? It's got lots of day trip info in it. We're going to Venice Lido in May, before summer season really starts. It's our third time to Venice. Good luck.

Hi Kerry. As far as daytrips, what kinds of things are you guys interested in? I have a degree in art history (specifically medival art) so I lean towards art and architecture. Verona has an ancient Roman arena, "Juliet's" balcony, and some cool medieval architecture (crenellations). In Padova (or Padua) there's St. Anthony's Church which has some of the preacher's relics, and Donatello's equestrian statue "Gatta Melatta." There's a also a nice park surrounded by statues.

Sarah, in answer to your questions...I love medieval architecture and feeling like you've been thrown back in time. We also love being out and about amongst locals (and other travellers) in lively town squares and on the streets, seeing the city from the outside and soaking up the ambiance of a particular village or city.

I am always reluctant to encourage people to travel away from Venice while you are staying there, even if only for a daytrip. There are so many wonderful things to see and do that Venice has to offer. While eight nights may seem like a long time, it really isn't. It will give a wonderful chance to explore all of Venice's six sestieri and see a lot of places that most tourists never see. I'll pop back in with some specific suggestions for you in Venice and on the lagoon. When in July will you be there?

Ron, I'm thrilled to have so much time in Venice and we definitely plan on doing a lot of wandering and hanging out in various squares, tapas bar hopping, etc... We plan to shop at the Rialto market and do some of our own cooking too. I'd be thrilled with any information you can provide. Further, I can't seem to find any detailed info on Lido. We will be in Venice from July 26 - August 3rd.

Be sure to save one day to tour the outer islands. The RS Venice book lays out a nice trip to see San Michele, Murano, Burano and Torcello. Each one has its own character. Torcello, for example, has an amazing medieval church.