Venice Help

I can't encourage you strongly enough to get the Rick Steves Italy book and maybe even the Venice book. It has exactly this kind of information. Look through those and you'll be much better equipped. It will be an empowering experience for you. The fact that you asked if you need a car to get around Venice shows that you would really benefit from a good guidebook. Happy travels.

Hi Tracy, I completely agree with Michael on this one. Just about every question you ask is included in the RS Italy guidebook. With just a week in the two cities, you will have more than enough to do from recommendations in that book. Excellent lodging rec's, too.
Good luck!

of my gosh, thanks, I realize I am a total dork now. As you can tell I am not very well traveled and why at 36 and am still making my mom come with me! :- I was not sure how large Venice is and not familiar with what there is to do there so I was wondering (besides taking my submarine car thru the canals), if there was enough to do just sight seeing the city itself OR if there were small side trips we can take that we would need a car for. Yes, I AM buying the books this week now that we decided exactly where we are going!

I concur with Michael's advice. As to "car," one would not have use for one beyond the Piazzale Roma (endpoint for the train and other motorized traffic from the causeway.) Outside of a few outer islands, such as the Lido, and, perhaps, Torcello, Venice has no motorized traffic. The sounds one hears are waves lapping, gondoliers singing, people walking and talking, dogs barking, cats mewing, water buses (ferries) and water taxis (speedboats). Venice has a decent airport, which I've flown out of, but one cannot easily walk there. It's on the mainland. I took a water taxi; one may be able to take a water bus. Otherwise, I assume, one travels by train or bus from Piazzale Roma. As to arriving in Rome and flying out of Venice, yes, one can do it; this approach is called "open jaw(s)" ticketing. Yes, it may be more expensive...but, perhaps not, because backtrack traveling to point of origin may cost more. best wishes!

from Rome to Venice is approximately 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 hours and a 2nd class ticket would be about 76 euro each yes train is the way to go between Rome and Venice you absolutely do not want a car in Venice ( a boat would be better :)) no car for Rome either flying into Rome and out of Venice (or vice versa) would be a good idea, even if it costs a little more it is worth it to avoid the train costs getting back to Rome for a flight home (flying "open jaw") yes the RS Italy 2012 book is a very good idea anyway you can add a day or two to your trip? if you could do 4+ nights Rome and 3+ nights Venice. don't forget you will lose a day traveling to Italy and you will experience jet lag at some point. for hotels I suggest you refer to the RS book and maybe Tripadvisor hotel reviews for something that suits your budget
If you are travelling in May I suggest you get hotels reserved asap, especially Venice as the top rated hotels can fill up very far in advance

Thanks so much Toni. I had a feeling i need to be looking to book hotels asap, a few months ago it seemed so far away but now is approaching just a year away. Also looking to get my flights early too to try and save money. My mom bought a ticket to Rome 4 weeks in advance when she went and it was $1100+ US dollars. In Oct she priced a ticket to Rome for May 2011 just to see and we could all 3 fly for that much. (didn't include Venice but hoping for a good deal or to catch booking a flight at the right time but you can only book a year or so in advance.
4 nights in Rome, 3 in venice sounds wonderful and I think doable. I am trying to time it right leaving on a friday (using that for my travel day), coming home on a sunday as I have 2 small kids and a home business I will be closing to my clients for a week and that Friday.

Airfares in general are high this season so you might not have much luck finding a deal, there has been much talk on these message boards talking about airfares.
Good luck!

And if you book your train tickets in advance, "mini" tickets (discounted) is as low as 37 euro but are basically non-refundable tickets.

I agree with most everything that has been posted except the jet lag part. You may not have a problem with that, I never have. I'm not sure what time you arrive in Rome, but we usually arrive in the morning. While on the flight, after you finish dinner, reset your watch and try to sleep until they serve you breakfast, that will give you 3 to 4 hours of sleep, then when you wake up you are on Rome time...it's morning and you are ready to go and then when you arrive in Rome, stay up, have lunch, site see all day then have dinner and then get a full nights rest and hopefully you will not suffer from jet lag either. RS saved us more than the cost of his book with the suggestions he made not to mention all the time he saved us too. Great investment. Loved Venice. The San Marco area is very busy so take his advice and wander outside of that area into the other neighborhoods for an entirely different experience. I would also suggest open jaw instead of taking a train back to Rome, the train expense would offset some of the upcharge for the flight change and it will give you another day to "vacation". We flew into Venice and out of Rome but the reverse will work too. You can take a vaporetto to catch a bus that will take you to the mainland to the airport. Have a great time!

Tracy, given your Slidell location, I have to respond. Venice is my favorite place in Italy. The city, which is very compact, is simply magical. In some ways, it is a shame you are not flying into Venice because, looking out the window as the plane begins to land, you would think you are flying into south Louisiana, and as others have noted, transportation from the airport to the city is by boat. It's a great introduction to Venice. Get a good guidebook. The Venice chapter in the Rick Steves Italy book is very good as far as the city's sights. I strongly recommend taking a good walking tour. We took one offered by Viator that went from St. Mark's Square to the Rialto bridge and included a viewing of St. Mark's Basilica. Unless your daughter's age is a problem, consider the bar tour mentioned in Rick's book that goes to several bars for a glass of wine and appetizers at each bar. Definitely visit Frari Church, my favorite building in Venice. And as Rick Steves says often, just get lost in the city, which I think is one of the very special places in Europe. And depending on your price range, I do have a hotel recommendation. I do not know whether this small hotel has rooms for three visitors, but I keep saying that Locanda Orseolo (hopefully I spelled it correctly) was one of the finest hotel experiences I have ever had and worth a splurge because of the extraordinary service and location. Upon arrival, my wife and I were treated like old friends in this small family-run hotel right off St. Mark's Square. The reviews of the hotel on Trip Advisor contain one superlative after another and are worth reading if you are interested.

Tracy I'm confused. You said in your OP that you were looking at May 2012. Yet in your second reply you said: I had a feeling i need to be looking to book hotels asap, a few months ago it seemed so far away but now is approaching just a year away.. If it is May 2012, this year, it is not approaching just a year away. May is Feb, March, April, May = less than 4 months away. Which is it? Are we helping you for a trip right around the corner, or a year and some? You said you want to start looking at getting tickets early. If it is for May 2012 you may have missed the boat for decent fares, and for decent hotel rates.

I'm also confused. You also said "In Oct she priced a ticket to Rome for May 2011 just to see". Did you mean she priced a ticket to Rome for May 2012, or did she do this back in Oct 2010? Either way, Nigel is right that to get the best suggestions, we need to know if you're traveling in May 2012 or May 2013. We want to be helpful.

Tracy, If you are going this May, (2012), you might have trouble finding a more inexpensive room. The two places we stay at, (Hotel Canaletto, and Hotel Bernardi), are already booked for all of May. You are going to have to start working on a place to stay soon. Cheers