Planning Trip From Rome to Venice
Oct 26th, 2013, 08:33 PM
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Planning Trip From Rome to Venice
I already have all reservations made but one. I'm planning a trip from Rome to Venice and I don't really know how I want to go about doing thins except that I know I want to take a train and that I want to tour the canal on the gondola. I'm planning this trip in order to propose to my girlfriend and I knind of would like things to flow. I want to be able to get off the train and be near a part of the canal to where I can board, then travel to the end of the canal, depart somewhere to eat and board a train back to Rome. I'm on such a time hack because the day I plan on traveling to Venice, I have a 2pm check in with my next hotel so it kind of puts me on a time hack. I know the train ride is 3 hrs and 45 mins so I'll want to leave by 3pm and get there 645 pm. Leaving an hour to travel the canal, pop the question, eat with some wine and doard the train back to Rome. Can anybody give me advice on how to plot where I'll depart and where I'll board trains and the canal. I know the canal ends by Venezia S Lucia so would it be better to drop off at Venezia Mestre and depart on a canal from there?
Oct 26th, 2013, 10:03 PM
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You'd better put on your asbestos suit right now because the flames will come your way very soon ;-) when folks read about this extreme plan of yours!
Book your trains at www.italotreno.it/en/Pages/default.aspx or www.trenitalia.com and realize that Mestre is nowhere near the canals, it's up on the mainland in the industrial zone. You arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia and you're right there where the boats (the public boat-buses called vaporetti) pull up. I'm not sure about private gondolas being right there, it's possible, I hope someone else will know. Motorized water taxis (expensive) can be had there, not as romantic as a gondoliere who - for a hefty tip - may even sing you some schmaltzy songs.
You won't have much time for anything, so get a map of Venice, figure out where you want to have your meal and all that, and how you'll hustle back.
Book your trains at www.italotreno.it/en/Pages/default.aspx or www.trenitalia.com and realize that Mestre is nowhere near the canals, it's up on the mainland in the industrial zone. You arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia and you're right there where the boats (the public boat-buses called vaporetti) pull up. I'm not sure about private gondolas being right there, it's possible, I hope someone else will know. Motorized water taxis (expensive) can be had there, not as romantic as a gondoliere who - for a hefty tip - may even sing you some schmaltzy songs.
You won't have much time for anything, so get a map of Venice, figure out where you want to have your meal and all that, and how you'll hustle back.
Oct 26th, 2013, 10:11 PM
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No, not Mestre. It is not even in Venice. The "Venezia" prefix for Mestre is misleading. Put in "Mestre" in google map search box and you will find it is on the mainland -- no where near any part of the Venice canal.
I am reading that you want to travel the entire length of the canal (=Grand Canal?) by gondola? I think it would be a so called personalized tour as described at http://www.gondolieritravel.com/gond...nalized-tours/. My thought for such trip is that the it might not be what you expect. The Grand Canal is a busy thorough fare with Vaporettos and other boats zooming by. I think the romantic parts are quiet back streets after big bus/cruise tour groups have left.
Another issue is how you go back to Rome on the same day(?!). Depending on the time of the year, the last high speed train back to Rome leaves Santa Lucia at 19:25. You are arriving too late to Venice as well as not having any time to have dinner. Look at www.trenitalia.com. The competing train, www.italotreno.it, leaves Venice S. Lucia even earlier.
I highly doubt that what you are trying to do can be done as a day trip from Rome. You need to stay overnight in Venice.
I am reading that you want to travel the entire length of the canal (=Grand Canal?) by gondola? I think it would be a so called personalized tour as described at http://www.gondolieritravel.com/gond...nalized-tours/. My thought for such trip is that the it might not be what you expect. The Grand Canal is a busy thorough fare with Vaporettos and other boats zooming by. I think the romantic parts are quiet back streets after big bus/cruise tour groups have left.
Another issue is how you go back to Rome on the same day(?!). Depending on the time of the year, the last high speed train back to Rome leaves Santa Lucia at 19:25. You are arriving too late to Venice as well as not having any time to have dinner. Look at www.trenitalia.com. The competing train, www.italotreno.it, leaves Venice S. Lucia even earlier.
I highly doubt that what you are trying to do can be done as a day trip from Rome. You need to stay overnight in Venice.
Oct 26th, 2013, 11:53 PM
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Have just recently returned from Venice, all of the above is correct. There are Gondola stations very close to Santa Lucia station, with in walking distance and they are very obvious. Don't do a Gondola ride on the Grand Canal it's too busy, many gondolas duck off into the quiet waterways which would be perfect.
Oct 27th, 2013, 12:46 AM
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Please consider this. If you were in Washington DC where there are many lovely parks and restaurants, would you hop on a train to NY, hurry to Central Park to propose, find a quick place to eat and rush to catch a train back to DC? About the same as your plan.
To take your girlfriend to the city that many people think of as one of the most beautiful and romantic places in the world and then not even have a day to walk around and see San Marco would be almost a crime. She might say "no" just on the basis of the stress and craziness of the trip. Obviously, you want it to be special, but stress and rush is not special. All that rushing about would be so stressful and not at all romantic for most people.
If you must propose in Venice ( a lovely idea), then change your hotels around and spend at least one night in Venice. Also, many people actually want to avoid the Grand Canal on a gondola ride.
To take your girlfriend to the city that many people think of as one of the most beautiful and romantic places in the world and then not even have a day to walk around and see San Marco would be almost a crime. She might say "no" just on the basis of the stress and craziness of the trip. Obviously, you want it to be special, but stress and rush is not special. All that rushing about would be so stressful and not at all romantic for most people.
If you must propose in Venice ( a lovely idea), then change your hotels around and spend at least one night in Venice. Also, many people actually want to avoid the Grand Canal on a gondola ride.
Oct 27th, 2013, 12:55 AM
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One more suggestion, if you are so set on this, ask the hotel if they will let you go ahead and drop your bags off very early in the morning so you can get to Venice by mid-morning and have a good part of the day there. Personally, I would still make it an overnight, but this way, at least it would be crazy, not madness crazy.
Oct 27th, 2013, 02:49 AM
#7
I'm on such a time hack because the day I plan on traveling to Venice, I have a 2pm check in with my next hotel so it kind of puts me on a time hack. I know the train ride is 3 hrs and 45 mins so I'll want to leave by 3pm and get there 645 pm.>>
sorry, hardtop, but this is barmy, and a very bad way to convince your GF that you're the right man for her.
At the very least, re-arrange things with your Rome hotel so that you can drop off your luggage first thing, and then get the train to venice straight away. Even better, move your booking forward a day so you can have the night in venice. you might think that they won't play ball, but perhaps if you tell them WHY you want to do this, they will be more sympathetic.
for future reference, this is why booking sites like booking.com which offer many hotels with free cancelation terms are so popular.
as for your gondola ride, the gondolier ought to be able to pick you up at the station, take you round some little side canals so you can propose, and then drop you off at San Marco, so you can see the Basilica and doge's Palace, if only from the outside. Then get the no 1 vaporetto or no 2 [the express] back to the station - it goes right up the grand canal and you get a wonderful view of the lovely buildings on either side.
sorry, hardtop, but this is barmy, and a very bad way to convince your GF that you're the right man for her.
At the very least, re-arrange things with your Rome hotel so that you can drop off your luggage first thing, and then get the train to venice straight away. Even better, move your booking forward a day so you can have the night in venice. you might think that they won't play ball, but perhaps if you tell them WHY you want to do this, they will be more sympathetic.
for future reference, this is why booking sites like booking.com which offer many hotels with free cancelation terms are so popular.
as for your gondola ride, the gondolier ought to be able to pick you up at the station, take you round some little side canals so you can propose, and then drop you off at San Marco, so you can see the Basilica and doge's Palace, if only from the outside. Then get the no 1 vaporetto or no 2 [the express] back to the station - it goes right up the grand canal and you get a wonderful view of the lovely buildings on either side.
Oct 27th, 2013, 05:20 AM
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If Venice is so important to you and/or your girlfriend that you must travel there to propose, I would try to find a way to stay for a day or two. It is a lovely, romantic city and worth a bit more time so you both can remember the occasion.
Oct 27th, 2013, 05:34 AM
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You seem VERY confused about Venice. It;s not A canal - but dozens of them - no streets at all. And to take a long trip on a gondola will cost a fortune (they specialize in 30 minute romantic mini cruises arond sunset and even those are expensive.
To get from Rome to Venice, see anything, have a meal and toot around in a gondola is the best part of a day - not an hour. And going to Venice and not spending a couple of days there is IMHO a total waste of time.
As for doing all that and having a meal in one hour - you have obviously never been to Italy. You might grab a slice of pizza in that time - but a nice lunch or dinner in a restaurant you need to allow at least 2 hours. Without knowing where else you are going it's impossible to really help.
You really need to get hold of a couple of guide books and learn a lot more about Italy - esp Venice.
To get from Rome to Venice, see anything, have a meal and toot around in a gondola is the best part of a day - not an hour. And going to Venice and not spending a couple of days there is IMHO a total waste of time.
As for doing all that and having a meal in one hour - you have obviously never been to Italy. You might grab a slice of pizza in that time - but a nice lunch or dinner in a restaurant you need to allow at least 2 hours. Without knowing where else you are going it's impossible to really help.
You really need to get hold of a couple of guide books and learn a lot more about Italy - esp Venice.
