Fly out Venice or Rome

Old Jun 24th, 2017, 10:22 AM
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Fly out Venice or Rome

I am traveling next spring. I had hoped to fly into Venice and out or Rome and begin my trip in Venice but the prices are too high. I found great airfare with direct flights into Rome. I can leave either from Venice or Rome for pretty much the same price on the same day. I've read that the early morning flights out of Venice are difficult

So I'm thinking of two options. Go round trip in/out of Rome (arriving at 9:10am) and then taking a fast train to Venice and working my way down back to Rome. If I did that, I would spend 3 nights in Venice, 1 night in Florence, 3 nights in Siena, 4 nights in Capri and 4 nights in Rome.

OR I could fly into Rome then basically do the same thing but backwards ending in Venice.

Is there a clear winner here?
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 10:32 AM
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What time of year is this? Capri is nice most of the year but there are one or two weeks where it is better to go one or two weeks earlier or later. Same is true of Venice.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 10:35 AM
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Instead of round trip flights are you also looking at the multicity option?
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 10:42 AM
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What time is the fly out of Venice? You can weigh the cost of an early, expensive water taxi to Marco Polo airport vs. the cost (and time) of the train from Rome to Venice at the start.

Are both direct flights? If the Venice flight isn't direct anyway, you are just trading a plane connection somewhere for the train connection. I've actually done that (fly to Rome, train immediately to Venice) instead of flying to Venice with the connection in some European city. I prefer a direct flight and a train to a flight with a connection.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 11:28 AM
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massimop --- I'm going April 17-5/3.So would it be better to hot Capril eariler or later in the trip? I'm thinking later. I could also try to push the trip back another week if that airfare holds.

Andrew and HappyTrvlr -- I did try mulitcity options. Still expensive to fly into Venice and I can't find an affordable nonstop or a 1 stop with enough/not too much of a layover.

My flight options are...

Philly to Rome – 6:35pm – 9:10 am 4/17 nonstop $580
Venice to Philly 7:45am – 3:25 PM 5/3 1 stop


Philly to Rome – 6:25pm – 9:10 am 4/17 – nonstop $590
Rome to Philly 8am – 3:25 pm – 5/3 1 stop
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 11:46 AM
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You're just missing the AA non-stop from VCE back to PHL by a week or so - they start it up again for the season in early May. If you could move your trip forward by a week, you could fly both ways non-stop on AA, into Rome out of Venice at 12:15p so no worries about an early flight. Are those dates set in stone?

If so - it still seems early to me to buy plane tickets so far out. Some people like to, but I like to wait until much closer to departure myself. (Also, keep in mind that schedules can change between now and then, so any flight you book now based on the schedule may change anyway.) I'd probably choose your best flight options and set a fare alert on them with your favorite airline reservation site, to notify you when the fares go down.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 11:52 AM
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(Sorry - by "move your trip forward" I meant travel a week later not earlier!)
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 12:19 PM
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As of last week when I went through, Venice airport has improved the connections between the water transportation (Alilaguna water busses, water taxis) considerably; still a walk but indoors and well marked.

However, once again the airport itself was chaotic, hot, extremely crowded, and unpleasant. IMO it doesn't quite manage the volume it gets. TSA-equivalent staff were decent and organized. Further, it was a day after a one-day airline strike so the orange line Alilaguna boats were crowded (might also explain the particularly crowded airport) and 2-3 passed our stop before we were able to get on. I had allowed a ton of time but it would otherwise be stressful.

Rome seems to handle the volume much more capably (much as I love Venice). So, if you can't do open-jaw, I like your idea of plane plus fast train--Leaonardo Express to Roma Termini, then express to Venice.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 12:32 PM
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For April I would begin the trip in Venice and put Capri nearer the end.

Suggest you try at least one more search for open jaw into Venice out of Naples if you haven't already.

I would also try flying into Florence and out of Rome or Naples and see what you come up with.

In the end, don't saddle yourself with lousy connections or tickets whose price you hate. But don't forget that if you fly into Rome and take a fast train to Venice, that train ticket isn't free.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 12:39 PM
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Also, have you looked at open jaw into Milan out of Rome or Naples? About the same to get from Milan airports to Venice to start your trip as it would be to get from Rome airport to Venice. Other possibility to save time is fly into Bologna, train to Venice.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 01:22 PM
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annw, I think it depends a lot when you visit Venice. I flew into Marco Polo last month, and it was not chaotic or crowded at all. In fact, it felt organized - a much nicer experience than what I remembered in Rome years ago. (I had flown into Venice about two years earlier as well.) May obviously isn't peak travel season - and the OP would be flying in around the same time.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 02:38 PM
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If those are your best options, I would definitely, without question, take option 1, arriving in Rome and departing from Venice because:

Either way, you are departing on May 31 in the morning, requiring early checkout and trip to the airport. I have not found Rome to be any easier than Venice. So departure morning is pretty much a draw in either place.

With option 2, on May 30, you will use up a lot of time, checking out of the hotel in Venice, getting to the train station, train trip, getting to your hotel in Rome and checking in. You will have used up a lot of your last day doing all that, costing time and money, energy and extra stress. All it gains you is a 15 minute later departure

With option 1, you spend your last, lovely day and evening in Venice. If you end up needing a water taxi the next morning, weigh that against the cost of a train back to Rome, and the cost of getting to the hotel and then to the airport in Rome, and it won't seem too bad.

I don't think it is, but even if departure from Venice is wee bit more trouble than from Rome, that extra whole day, actually being in Italy, not moving around, is worth it, IMHO.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 04:34 PM
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Andrew, Did you also fly out of Venice? Arrival and getting out of Venice Airport is quick and easy. For a number of flights over the years, checking in for a departing flight has been disorganized and, this past March especially, a bit crazy. Once through security, all is fine.
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Old Jun 24th, 2017, 04:54 PM
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No, Ellen, I did not fly out of Venice. I was merely giving some feedback on my experience.

I have found that one's airport experience can also vary greatly depending on the arrival time. Flying out of Paris CDG last month, I arrived three hours ahead, after hearing horror stories of long lines and delays everywhere. Instead, even though I had to stop and change my flight, there were no lines anywhere. Security was a breeze, even though I had to have one of my bags thoroughly inspected.

And yet, my seat mate on my flight (a stranger) arrived an hour later at CDG and had an entirely different experience: she said that several lines were really long and she was stressing over missing her flight! I assume I arrived just before the rush and she just hit it. And I'd guess VCE is similar: if you arrive at the peak time, it is probably crazy. If you arrive at a different time, it might seem like an entirely different airport.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 12:58 AM
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I don't think leaving Venice and taking a train to Rome to catch a flight has to be as traumatic as is being made out here. There are trains leaving Venice as late as 6.30pm that get you to Rome just after 10pm. Bring some food to eat on the train. Or take an earlier train that arrives by 8 and go have dinner. Get up the next morning and you have time for sightseeing or shopping in Rome before heading to FCO for your 3.30pm flight.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 04:39 AM
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Taking a train is not traumatic, but really makes no sense in this case.

The OP will not have any time for shopping or sightseeing back in Rome.

Their flight does not depart at 3:30 pm.

It departs at 8:00 am, only 15 minutes later than the flight from Venice will be departing.

If they return to Rome late, they use three hours or more to get there, just to check into a hotel and get up early for the flight. Sure, they could eat on the train, but why choose that over a leisurely evening in Venice?
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 06:09 AM
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The OP is going to Italy in April. It makes sense to me to put Capri at the end of the trip, and therefore it makes sense to me to fly out of Rome.

Also, just as an aside, not everybody finds a trip to Venice the best thing about Italy, the best food experience, or departing from Venice in the morning a great way to end their trip. I don't think there is a "clear winner" here. I wouldn't mind leaving Venice early to go back to Rome, either just to sleep or have dinner. That said, I wouldn't browbeat somebody else into choosing my way.

There is no guarantee that the OP will win better weather in Capri by waiting until the end of April to go. It's a crap shoot.

But one thing I'm pretty sure of: Venice will be mobbed on May 1.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 06:55 AM
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Good point, Frencharmoire about putting Capri at the end. If they think that is best, then perhaps the OP can find a better flight into Venice.

I have twice been to both Venice and Capri on the same trips, once in March and once in April. Both times, Capri was lovely, a bit cooler in March and light showers. Venice was cool and rainy (absolute downpour) in March, lovely in April. No way to predict. You take a chance either way, but I would not worry about either in April if the rest of the itinerary works.

My advice was based solely on the two options offered. Personally, I would almost always prefer to start a trip in Venice.

Many people post about finding a cheaper flight into or out Milan. They could check it out. I have done that several times and did not much like it, but if they can't arrive or depart from Venice anyway, and doing RT Rome only to save money, into or out of Milan might be another option.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 07:20 AM
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Forgot to say, any difficulty I mentioned experiencing at Venice airport would not stop me from arriving or departing there. For me, my travel time has value in my vacation and must be weighed as much as money spent.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 07:36 AM
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I agree with Andrew that it's very early to buy air tickets. Your trip is nine months from now. I never rsserve anything that far in advance. There will probably be several fare sales before then.

By the way, Norwegian Airlines now has direct flights from New York to Rome at very reasonable prices. I've seen fares for under $300. I think they're all from JFK, but they may have some from Newark, which is convenient for people traveling from Philadelphia. There are Amtrak trains that stop right at the airport.
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