October 4 and 5 in Venice (need to plan 2 days)

Yes, you can do Murano and Burano on the same day. NO--don't grab a "water taxi" unless you want to pay loads of money. You want to take a "water bus"--called a vaporetto, which will cost much less. Allow at least half your day to visit the two. Murano is only 10 minutes from the main island of Venice, but Burano is about 30 minutes further away. Since you'll have gone that far, you might as well visit Torcello as well, which is quite near Burano, and makes an interesting contrast to the other two.

Since you are staying at the Hilton which is on a separate island from the main part of Venice, you will probably need to take the water bus a lot. I suggest you get a vaporetto pass for the time you will be in Venice to save money.

What I love to do most in Venice is to just wander.
Early morning is great when boats are unloading.

I wouldnt miss St Marks. The mosaics are absolutely amazing. I could look at them for hours. The floor and the ceiling is spectacular. Look what they did before there was TV

Rialto bridge is fun with endless shops and stands.

Have Ombre y Cichetti at Cantina Do Mori.

Vaporetto rides are fun. Get a 2 day pass and hop on and off anytime. Water taxis are dumb. Always empty and way too $$$$.

Have fun in MY Venezia...It is heaven on earth.

So Vaporetto passes are likely sold at the train station?

If I arrive around 9-10pm on a train, will I be able to take a Vaporetto to the Hilton? I guess I need to know exactly which one to take and exactly which stop to take...?

Are these water buses easy to take, i.e. if I walk out of the hilton and want to go to Murano/Burano, do I need to plan a specific time, or I just walk out jump on any water bus and will end up getting there?

Do these "water bus" do the grand canal...a lot of people are recommending to take a ride on the grand canal up to st. marks...but where exactly should I take the water bus to do this?

No...you cannot just get on any bus...there are different routes they take. You can get info here:

http://www.actv.it/english/home.php

Here's a site with a map and routes: http://www.venice-rentals.com/info/routes.html

You can purchase the passes online prior to your trip at http://www.veniceconnected.com/

Have a wonderful trip...we absolutely love Venice and Rome. My husband is a Venice convert...he didn't want to go - we're going back in the spring!

If you purchase your pass ahead of time, you can get a discount.

From the Hilton on Giudecca, you can take the 41 or 42 to Murano. From Murano, you must take the LN vaporetto from the Faro stop to reach Burano. The full route map is here.

http://www.hellovenezia.com/jsp/en/muoversi/index.jsp

Let's say we are stuck and don't want to wait for a bus....how much would a taxi cost from the train station to the hilton (approx) and from hilton to Burano?

let's say we leave for Burano/Murano at around 9am....likely 1-2 hours per island just to walk around should be ok right?

Should we start with burano or murano? Any lunch ideas for either places?

Does it matter what day we do these islands i.e. Sunday vs. Monday......

Are a lot of stores closed on Sundays in Venice?


For the "grand canal", where is a good place to take it "i.e. the recommended grand canal water bus or water tour ride"


Any dinner ideas for the square with an orchestra view?

For the other evening, is there another "fun spot" similar to the San Marks that would be a good place to have dinner?

Would the Rialto bridge area be a good place for the second night dinner? how far is this from st. marks square?

by the way, the hilton has a free shuttle to the st. marks so do I still need a vaporetto pass?

I'd expect 40-50 euros for train station to Hilton. I'd expect way more than 100 euros for Hilton to Burano. (Airport to main part of Venice is 95 euros one way--Burano is further away than the airport, plus there may be a premium if they can't get return fare.) Water bus tickets are 6.50 each, less if you purchase an unlimited pass.

Venice is tourist central, so many stores are open.

Do the fll length of the Grand Canal: begin at the train station/Piazzal Roma and end at San Marco (or the opposite).

I wouldn't dine in the piazza--too few choices. Drinks are enough . . . and pricey enough.

Another fun piazza that has more dining is Campo Santa Margherita.

Piazzale Roma (bus station)

You haven't said how you are arriving or departing from Venice (cruise, train, airplane), but I'll make an approximation of vaporetto trips.

1 - arrival to reach hotel
1 - full length of Grand Canal
1 - trip to Murano
1- trip to Burano
1 - trip back to main area of Venice
1 - departing from hotel

6 - minimum trips over your visit (6 x 6.50 = 39.00 euros)

A 72-hour pass is 33 euros at full price.

Do you have a guidebook? It would be a great investment for your 2 day visit.

Also, I feel you should skip the islands of Burano and Murano this time and focus on seeing more of Venice.

Your hotel website has transportation to/from information.

I disagree with zoecat on this occasion, no offence zoecat! We caught the vaporetto to Burano and absolutely loved it. We spent an hour or two wandering around, stopped for a beer and a glass of something bubbly and people watched for a little while. We bought my mother in law a gift from one of the little shops. We skipped Murano as we read so many reports that it's a tourist rip off, but I know others love it.
If money isn't a problem for you - use a water taxi if you can afford it. It would be a fun way to get to either island, very James Bond!!.

If you search the 'destinations' tab here on Fodors, and find Venice, you will probably find a 1 day itinerary which will give you a good idea of what you can achieve on the first day, then take it slowly on the 2nd day and just wander. You may not find a restaurant that can feed you for your budget close to St Marks, you may have to move away from there a little.

I hope you have a lovely trip.

Thanks!

We will be arriving by train around 10PM....so I guess, I need to research if there are any waterbus that will bring us to the hilton that late? Anyone have that information?

We will be leaving by plane....really don't want to pay $100 EUR if I can avoid it.....so how would I do it?

The website posted earlier

http://www.actv.it/english/home.php

has schedules

For your departure to the airport, you can

- take the vaporetto to the bus station and take a land bus to the airport. (cheapest)

- take the Alilaguna boat directly to the airport

- take a private water taxi

What about lunch ideas for Burano or Murano?

Dinner ideas near St. Mark's and is Rialto Bridge a good area to have dinner?

What do I put as departure and arrival for the Airport to the Hilton (i.e. website)?

For the train station to the hilton?

sorry to disagree but if i only had 2 days i wouldnt go to other islands. way too much to see right in Venice.

vaporetto #1 is good to just cruise grand canal.

there is a place called du Champs on Campo Santa Margherita
that has the best spritz/aperol...

the main train station is Stazione Ferroviaría Santa Lucia.

once you are thee it wont seem so complicated.

Please look at a map of Venice. You will see that the Hilton is on Giudecca. Then study the vaporetto route map at the HelloVenezia link listed earlier.

Here is the Alilaguna site so you can compare:

http://www.alilaguna.it/index.en.html

Also, the Hilton website has directions:

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/VCEHIHI-Hilton-Molino-Stucky-Venice/directions.do#localmap

Thanks, I saw those directions and I know it's on Giudecca.....and I saw a map....I still don't know what the "stop name" would be...

what I mean is that if you go to the link below.....there is a drop down menu for Departure and Arrival....what do I put for the 2 stops?

http://www.actv.it/english/home.php

Ferrovia and Planca. It takes less than 15 minutes, so put in the arrival times as 15 minutes after you anticipate getting on the boat. Use the 24 clock for time (10:00pm = 22:00).

Also, make sure you get on the bus headed toward your right as you face the water.

If I had a little time as you to see Venice, I certainly would not spend one of them in Burano and Murano.
There is so much to see and do in Venice. Hell, I'd even favor just walking around the streets, alleys, etc.

thanks for the stop....is planca = palanca?

so I guess it's bus #2...which seems to be every 30 minutes or so, so not bad.


thanks, I guess we will spend the first day in Venice "walking around" etc. and then if we feel we need more, we will skip the islands, if not, well for for a boat ride... to these islands

I agree, spending precious time going to any of the little islands is madness on such a short trip, especially as your hotel is a bit out of the way and you will already be on boats quite a bit. I assume you are staying at the Molino Stucky, are you sure they don't do a pickup service on arrival and departure?

I've been to Venice twice for 3 nights, then for 4 nights and I have not yet made it off Venice 'proper'. I've meant to do the island tour each time and always get pulled in the direction of something else wonderful looking and hop off the Vaporetto.

Be happy you didn't plan Venice to the 9's. Think about 'big' things you want to fit in and that will encourage you to visit different siestre (neighborhoods). Accademia? Doge's Palace? Basicilica? Guggenheim? (sp?)Arsenale? Lido?

Have you read the 'official' overview provided here on Fodors? It's about the same as what a guidebook would say. If you do not yet have a guidebook DK Top 10 Venice (get the 2009 version, some bookstores keep the old ones out) is a gem and is small enough you won't feel guilty packing it!

Enjoy!

Hello,
before going to VENICE take a look at this article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/italy/article6818585.ece

IMO Most delicious Trattorie are:
Al Diavolo e l'Acquasanta-Traditional Trattoria by San Polo/ Euro 40- Tel. 041-2770307
Alla Botte- Trattoria by San Marco/ Euro 40- Tel. 041-520 9775
Cà D'Oro detta Alla Vedova- Traditional Trattoria by Cannaregio/ Euro 40- Tel. 041-5285324
Dalla Marisa- Very NICE Trattoria Highly Recommended by Cannaregio/ E.40- Tel. 041-720 211

Ciao
Enrico Maria

Yes = Molino Stucky

Where do I go to book train tickets?

www.italiarail.com the booking option of this site does not seem to work....

do trains EVER get full or could this be booked last minute?

Italian rail system:

http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html

I would wait to book until arrival in Italy. Many from the U.S. have difficulty using the site to book tickets and booking ahead is rarely necessary.

thanks for the advice.

Google maps is great, it really helped to figure out where the sites were....

time to plan my sunday...

we will have breakfast at the Molino (free since Hilton Honnors Gold member...) so should be on the road (or water) by 9h00 am...

then, some of the things I want to do are the following:

walk around Rialto bridge/walk around st. mark's square/walk around in general.../ride down the grand canal....how should I structure this......ideally, we would keep st. marks square for 4-8 pm range...we were thinking of going to "harry's bar" for dinner, it seems close to st. marks...would you say less tehn 10 minutes walk? would we need reservation? how far would the walk be to rialto bridge.....

please help me detailed plan this day, since we want to get as much in as possible - young with lots of energy ....

St Marks Square to Harry's Bar- less than 10 minutes.
Harry's to Rialto bridge- 20 minutes.
Get a reservation for Harry's.

The sunset view from the Molino Sky Bar is wonderful.

What guidebook are you using?

Another great website for Venice maps and locations is this one:

http://maps.venicexplorer.net/maps.php?hlangs=en

You keep speaking of fitting in "as much as possible" and making a "detailed plan" but you haven't actually named that many things that you want to do. "walk around Rialto bridge/walk around st. mark's square/walk around in general.../ride down the grand canal" could fill 2-3 hours with room to spare, depending on if you stop anywhere, or go into any churches, museums, or shops.

A ride on the Grand Canal from Piazzale Roma all the way to San Marco takes 30-40 minutes. You might spend 15 minutes or you could spend an hour in the Rialto markets depending on your interests. The walk from the Rialto Bridge to San Marco s about 10 minutes, but this does not allow for exploring or dealing with crowds.

I think eating at Harry's Bar is a mistake--way too expensive for the quality and ambience--a waste on money in my opinion.

Thanks again!

well, we don't have specifics, i.e. we like walking around and taking pictures, so I guess, the ideal would be to have a nice "walking route" that would take us to most of the sites (Piazza San Marco/Rialto Bridge)...

Let's say we head out at 9h00 am, where would be a good place to start? Does it make sense to take the free ride to Piazza San Marco (visit a bit/take pictures)......then walk to Rialto Bridge (visit a bit/take pictures)....then from there is it walkable to "piazzale roma", if so how long and is it a nice walk..? the reason is I thought we would then take the "Grand canal" ride back to Piazza San Marco where we would spend more time/have dinner........does this make sense?

Any other nice walking areas we are missing?

Any recommendations other then Harry's Bar? I don't mind spending a lot of money, but I'm not into "haute cuisine", i.e. spaghetti or pizza would be great for me....but wife likes the good stuff....

I know you guys think I'm overthinking/planning, but we are both people that "cant make decisions"....so if we don't have a fixed plan, we will end up asking ourselfs "what should we do/I don't care/you decide" all day....so if we do have a fixed plan, then this won't be an issue and we can always go "off plan" if we see something.....

Your ideas are a good start. The walk to Piazzale Roma is not the best of the possible walks with so little time, although no walk is bad. From the market side of Rialto, I'd walk thorough San Polo past the Frari church. (you might enjoy visiting this church) From there you can head to Piazzale Roma.

Ride from Piazzale Roma to San Marco and walk around San Marco, perhaps stopping for a drink at one of the cafes. Then walk west toward the Accademia bridge. To reach the bridge you will pass through the fancy shopping area eventually reaching Campo San Stefano and the Accademia Bridge.

Cross the bridge to Dorsoduro and have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area. You might enjoy the options near Campo Santa Margherita.

Rather than eat near San Marco

I didn't see that last sentence! Pay no attention . . .

It's always tough figuring out new cities, especially one like Venice with so much to see and experience.

I actually think you are underplanning/thinking. There are some great Venice guidebooks with walking itineraries and maps. Many have suggested itineraries for 1 day, 2 day, 3 day visits. Reading up on options beforehand and having the book in hand while you are there will help make it easy to navigate and make decisions.

we are doing rome/athens/venice/florence/mykonos/santorini, so that is a lot of guidebooks

Great suggestions ellenem! Sounds like we have a nice day planned

The following day, I think we will do Burano and Murano...do we need to plan these stops, or is it mostly just taking the water bus to the island, walking around/taking pictures, then hopping back to the next island, etc....I was thinking leaving around 9h00 am....doing both islands(1-2 hours each?), having lunch at one of the islands (ideas?) and then coming back to likely San Marco for the evening.....this is of course if we are satisfied with our first day (i.e. if we see other things or we feel we did not get to see what we wanted, we will skip these islands....)

Why on earth would you plan days in Venice? The tourist attraction in that city IS the city-the only "must-do" is to wander. I am a compulsive planner, and love it, but the only planning I would do for Venice is to read some Donna Leon books and maybe "The Thief Lord" and know how to get home to my hotel.

yes, but I need to know "where to wander" , i.e. I prefer walking along the highlighs and not end up in the slums....

Your plan for Burano and Murano sounds fine. Rather than return to San Marco, I'd get off the vaporetto on Fondamenta Nuove and wander back through Cannaregio and Castello to San Marco.

Please be thoughtful about people's suggestions: rome / athens / venice / florence / mykonos / santorini. That's Italy and Greece--two countries/two guidebooks. You are spending a lot of money to travel and quibbling about $30-$40 in guidebooks? You are suggesting eating at Harry's Bar, the most overrated tourist trap in Venice, yet questioning the need for guidebooks? You can go to your local library and check many of the same books if you want to save money. There are also online sources for 1-, 2-, and 3-day visits to the popular places you plan to visit. We'd like to help you with your trip, but we'd also like to know that you are doing a little of the work yourself.

Here's a link to a free guide book (of sorts) for Venice. I wrote it last Christmas, over the nine weeks or so that we were there, and it might give you some flavour for the place. Oh, and don't go to Harry's bar - it is grossly over rated. While Ernest might have enjoyed it with Scott Fitzgerald, that's about seventy years ago, and even in Venice, things change.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-trip-report-warning-im-most-verbose.cfm

ok, so harry's bar is off the list

thanks for the trip report and yes, I'll grab a few guidebooks for the plane....I already have a greece one, so I guess I'll grab one for venice and one for rome

good idea re getting off before and wandering

Here's a plan.
Take the Molino Hilton shuttle bus to San Marco first thing, and then follow the tour that I wrote. No museums, and one church. I wrote the tour for teenagers, and so it's a bit quirky. But it will lead you around Venice.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-for-teenagers.cfm

Just get an Italy book--it will have Rome, Florence and Venice in it. Browse the books at the store to see which brand has the type of features you value.

ttt

Peter_S_Aus...that link is pretty cool!

Here is another option- a guided tour. This company is well respected-

http://www.walksinsidevenice.com/

It’s easy to see Venice as just a theme park, a town devoted to the tourist experience, and that is selling Venice short. Venice is also a working town, and there are real Venetians living there – about 60,000 of them, with a sadly declining population.

I’d suggest just ignoring breakfast at the Hilton one morning, and getting the earliest ferry that you can to San Marco – try to be out of the hotel by 5:00 or 6:00 AM. The Piazza will be deserted; there will not be a tourist in sight, and it is then the most romantic of places.

Walk under the clock tower, (check out the statue of the woman who stopped Tiepolo’s revolution by dropping a mortar about 20 metres past the clock tower, high on your left). Follow the signs saying “Per Rialto”, and after you cross the Rialto Bridge, you’ll be at the Rialto fish and produce market. It’s about a ten minute brisk walk at that time of day, with no (or at least few) tourists around. Try and get there really early – we were there at about 5:00 AM, when the boats are unloading fish, artichokes, potatoes, oysters (very expensive, we fancy), fruit, cherries (20 Euro a kilo), eels, everything. It’s like being in an aquarium. It was dark, and we saw a different side of Venice, a reality that the tour group tourist does not encounter.

Have a coffee and a croissant at a café – it will cost about 3 Euro each if you have it standing up, and that’s how Venetians have breakfast. You order the coffee, and just help yourself to a croissant from the warm case on the counter.

Walk back to the Rialto Bridge, and just before you cross it, on the left hand side you’ll see the Law Courts. There is a pair of little plaques on the wall, at the corners of the Court building, about five metres up, that say something about the construction and frustration of building the bridge.

The bridge took some three years to build, and ran late – the Rialto merchants were not amused by the delays, and started the rumour that the bridge would not be finished until “the male member grew fingernails, and the female equivalent caught fire” – or obscene words to that effect, which Fodor’s would likely censor.

The contractor, Antonio d’ Ponte, placed the pair of plaques depicting those events on the court building, the male version at the corner closest to the markets, the female closest to the bridge.

Venice is full of miniscule “sights” like that – worth declining a Hilton breakfast in order to see them.

While I don't typically pipe in on these threads to recommend specific guidebooks, I thought I'd mention that you might find our Italy Essentials guidebook handy--it covers both Rome and Venice (along with a few other highlights) and is much slimmer than our main Italy guide.
http://www.amazon.com/Fodors-Essential-Italy-2nd-Full-Color/dp/1400007283

Oh, Peter! I do hate to see "miniscule"!
I believe that the Hilton runs a regular shuttle to San Marco, so you don't need to get a 72 hour vap-pass. There is really enough to see in Venice 'proper' to keep you busy for two days (even a month) without ever going to the islands. But I would recommend a trip to Murano and Burano. A 12 hour ticket is all you need. Buy it at 9:00-ish, at San Marco. Take a slow trip along the GC to the Ferrovia (Number 1 or number 2). Then take a vaporetto to the Fondamente Nuove via the Cannaregio Canal. Next visit San Michele (the cemetery island) and find the tomb of Sonia Kaliensky near that of Diaghilev. It's really beautiful. (You can find a photo at allposters.com). Then on to Murano. You might take up to an hour here. Don't bother with the glass factories - it's like watching paint dry while someone points a hair-drier at your face. Visit the Basilica of Santa Maria e Donato, for the mosaic floor and apse. Then Burano for another hour or so (plus 30 minutes to get there and 45 to get back to F.N.). Torcello is worth a visit, but not if you are short of time, because as well as the wait for the vaporetti, there's a long walk from the landing stage to the cathedral and church. Come back by the quickest route you can (ask!). If there's time, visit the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, and go up the campanile for a great view of Venice, without a queue, and less than half the price of San Marco's. Finish with another cruise along the GC in the opposite direction to the first (if possible). Since it will be dark by 9 p.m. you'll get some great shots of the buildings that are illuminated.
Don't miss the greatest equestrian statue in the world, in front of the Scuola Grande di San Marco (now the hospital). Go inside the hospital between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and ask for directions to the library (upstairs). Look for some gory illustrations in old books on display and for ancient medical instruments, but, most important, look at the ceiling. You will probably be the only person there, apart from the fierce lady who guards it and stops you from taking photographs.

wow, thanks! I really appreciate the level of detail

OK, Bert, let's compromise on "micro sight".

I'll take note of the library in the hospital near Mr Corleone's statue for our next visit. I'd not heard about that.

Cheers

peter

I hope I didn't miss anything in this long thread, but did anyone reply so far to the idea of having dinner near (or even on!) Piazza S. Marco and near the Rialto Bridge? Sorry if someone already did and I didn't notice, but... if you want to have two dinners that you'll remember for the rest of your life because they were 1. so overpriced and 2. so plain bad, then eat near the Piazza and near Rialto Bridge. ANYWHERE else, but certainly NOT there. You've got excellent advice on restaurants by enricomaria...

Oh, yes! The ceiling is not to be missed! I read about it in the Blue Guide. The books and equipment on display are fascinating, but it really bugs me that they don't allow photographs. Nevertheless ... [I was actually asked to leave, by the custodienne.]
I will not rise to your bait, Peter, about the name of the rider.

Speaking of the hospital, who of you knows its church? S. Lazzaro dei Mendicanti - good late Renaissance architecture and well worth a visit, too. Not possible to combine with the library, though, since it's open before 11 a.m. only. You don't enter through the facade (which faces the canal left of the Scuola Grande di S. Marco), whose door is always closed (that's why almost nobody knows that it's ever open to the public) - you enter, once more, through the hospital's main entrance, i.e. from the Scuola Grande, and proceed inside to the church's narthex, i.e. behind the always closed canal front door...

The rider is, of course, Mr Colleoni. Maybe I was channeling my inner Godfather, or Marlon Brando. It is an excellent statue.

There is of course one advantage to eating near San Marco or the Rialto. One will be able to determine the English, Eskimo, Finn, Latvian, Korean, Japanese, Javanese, Indian, Pushtan and Russian translations for Tagliatelle con Ragu from the menu. Otherwise the food in those areas there is overpriced and ordinary.