namaka

We will be arriving around 8:30pm on a Monday and taking the train to Orvieto on Friday morning. Plan to get the 72 hour pass.. I understand that we can purchase these at the airport and use them for our ride to our apt. We plan to take the blue bus and then the vaparetto to San Stae stop.

1. Would it be better to start the 72 hours from arrival or wait until the next morning so that we can use the pass on Friday morning to get to the train station?

2. I am starting to get a little overwhelmed and suddenly don't seem to remember if we need to make the reservations just to visit St. Marks Basillica, the Campanile or is it something else associated with St. Mark's? I believe it's the Basillica and if so, do you have a link?

3. Can anyone recommend the best way to take DS to Murano and let him see the glass blowing w/o having to join a group giving the hard sell?

4.I am seeing different prices for the gondola's. I have read it is 90 e for 50 min. and 80e for 40 (daytime)- any way to find out for sure?

5. I have also read to take the gondola ride into the smaller canals as opposed to the larger ones for a more intimate feel however, I read that the smaller canals have a strong unpleasant smell. Is that true?

6. Besides the train station, is there another place that I can purchase our train tickets for Friday when we leave for Orvieto?

7. When I go to Trenitalia, it looks as though there is a non stop or at least no changes on our ride from Venice to Orvieto, does that seem right?

8. Also, I am looking at getting the most reasonable train fares and am willing to take the slower trains (they aren't that much slower) to save some $ as we are a family of four. I know I can get either the Amica (if available) and/or the Family fare. What I'm not sure about is what the difference (besides price) is between 1st and 2nd class. Do we need to reserve seats? If so, how hard is it to find the car where the seats are in?

9. How late are grocery stores open in Venice? Are there any open the night of our arrival as late as 10 or 11pm near the San Stae vaparetto stop?

10. Assuming there are ATM's at the airport, are there any issues with being able to w/d $ on certain days/times? I only ask this because when we were in Lisbon, the ATM's seem to run out of $ late Sunday and Mondays. Must have tried 10 different ATM's on two separate Mondays before finding one that had $ . After the 2nd iMonday, we made sure not to chance it on those days.

Thank you in advance for all of your help! : )

Mimar

3. The vaporetto goes to Murano. And also Burano.

5. Maybe the odd small canal has a bad smell but not all of them.

6. You can buy train tickets at travel agencies displaying the Trenitalia logo. I don't offhand remember many travel agencies in Venice, but I wasn't looking. However, I went to www.paginegialle.it and found several in Venice. That's the Yellow Pages for Italy, and the site even has a link for English!

8. If you want to save money on train fares, stick with 2nd class. It's perfectly acceptable and much friendlier. Some trains, the faster ones, you have to reserve; the slower trains not. There's a very informative "article" at Slow Travel on the details of traveling by train in Italy: www.slowtrav.com/italy/trains/index.htm

9. Sounds like you're renting an apartment. Ask your apartment contact where the nearest grocery store is and how late it's open. There are not many grocery stores in Venice proper and they're a bit hidden.

namaka

Mimar,
Thank you for your responses.

3. re; Murano and Burano. If I just take the vaparetto over to these islands, will I be able to see a demonstration of the glass blowing w/o being pressured to purchase?

5. Nice to know that it will just be random canals as I think it would be lovely to ride down the smaller ones especially since I can vaparetto the larger ones.

6. Thank you for that link; I will check it out.

8. I thought that as well (2nd class being ok) but wanted someone to confirm. Thank you. I will also be reading the article on SlowTrav.

9. Yes, we are renting an apt and I will be sure to ask the owner.

J62

1. In my opinion it’s better to time the 72hrs to include your departure. The 1st day or 2 you’re more likely to explore on foot, then once you have your bearings explore more by vaporetto.

2. Link to Venice museums http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it/f...e=prenotazioni
Venice tourism home page http://www.hellovenezia.com/jsp/it/index/index.jsp
Yes, you can reserve a time for entry into St. Mark’s to bypass the line – I don’t have the exact link but it may be somewhere on the hellovenezia website.

3. Glassblowing on Murano is hit or miss. You can go there and stop in a shop, but they may or may not have a glass blower actually working. IMO Murano is a waste of time.

4. Any way to find our for sure? Yes, ask a gondolier before you get in. If you don’t like the price then negotiate. Don’t get hung up on 40min or 50min. If you’re looking at your watch as you ride you won’t be enjoying the sights. This is Italy after all.

5. No, it isn’t true. You really don’t want to be on the large, open water in a gondola anyway.

6. You can purchase train tickets at any travel agency (look for the Trenitialia logo). If you’re not looking for it you won’t see any, but once you find one you’ll see that there are many.

7. Yes, a 1 change route sounds right. Most routes require a change in Florence or Bologna. There is a no-change route departing at 13:09 and a no-change from Venice Mestre at 9:20. You can take the 8:57 or any earlier train from Venice SL to Venice Mestre. They run every 10-15min for the 10min ride.

8. 2nd class on Italian trains is just fine. Some people prefer the extra space on 1st class, but since you say you want to save money I think you’ll be perfectly happy in 2nd class. On the fast trains (EC) a seat reservation is mandatory. I don’t recall if they are required on IC trains – they cost just a few euro each so I’d get them so you ensure seats together. Cars aren’t hard to find. They are numbered 1-10 or 1-12 in order. Sign boards at the station often will tell you where the different cars will be located relative to the platform. Venice SL is a terminal station, meaning trains pull in one way and depart going backwards rather than just pass through. #1 may be at the head or far end. If you are running tight on time don’t dilly dally trying to find your car – get on board and walk the length of the train if you must, but they won’t wait if you’re not on board – at least not very long or happily.

9. Don’t count on any stores being open at 10 or 11pm. Finding the 1st grocery store will require help as there are lots of back alleys. Agreed - ask the apartment contact to show you. Our contact from Venice rentals walked us there since it was tricky to find unaided. IIRC 7pm is a common closing time. Earlier on Saturday, and many will be closed on Sunday. After the 1st day we found lots and lots of shops that have groceries - a few larger ones with meat & deli counters, produce, etc, and numerous smaller mom & pop stores to buy milk/drinks, bread, or cold cuts.

10. Lots of ATMs in Venice. Nobody can guarantee that they’ll have cash on late Sunday, so if having cash at the airport is an absolute must then get some in advance. Otherwise you’ll have plenty of choices in Venice proper, especially around St. Marks.

nytraveler

I think you'll have trouble finding grocery stores open late at night. European shopkeepers generally have much shorter hours than in the US. Assuming you're renting an apartment have the owners stock it for you for the first breakfast and tell you where to shop for the next day.

If you want dinner after you arrive the first night you'll have to eat out - and will have to look for places open late.

J62

Here's the St. Marks link.

http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/eng/index.bsm

namaka

1. J62, I think you are probably right on waiting; Thanks!

2. Thank you for the link.

3. I understand about the glass blowing but it is something that my DS chose. I am having them list places or things to do so that they are more involved this time around. Hopefully it will be more of a "hit" than a "miss".

4. I just wanted a general idea of what to expect so that I'm not taken advantage of. I realize the rates are set by the city? but there are always bad apples everywhere in the world just looking to take advantage of people.

5. Yes, I guess I can see not really wanting to be on the open water.

6. Thanks to you as well for this info.

7. Okay, so you are saying that I can get a no change train from Venice Mestre to Orvieto? But I must take train from Venice SL to Venice Mestre first? Is this more costly than say taking the train that has one change in Florence or Bologna?

8.Wonderful info to add to my link from Mimar.

9. Point taken re: grocery shopping after arrival. Will ask apt owner to perhaps stock items for breakfast as nytraveler suggested and shop the next day.

10. I suppose since we will have an 8+ hour layover in Dublin, we could get cash there....or can we? Hadn't thought about what currency they use.

aprillilacs

3. We enjoyed Murano and the glass-blowing demonstrations, which we visited on our own after taking the vaporetto (as part of our 72-hour pass, which is WELL worth the price). Didn't feel we got the "hard-sell." There are workshops you can visit -- even if you don't know where they are before you go, you'll run across them while walking around. The glass shops are beautiful. I love every minute on the water in Venice, so even if Murano had been a bust, the trip was worth it. Don't miss Burano, though--it's charming. We didn't get to Toricello but will definitely do that next time we are in Venice.

zoecat

<<<Plan to get the 72 hour pass.. I understand that we can purchase these at the airport and use them for our ride to our apt. We plan to take the blue bus and then the vaparetto to San Stae stop.>>>

<<<1. Would it be better to start the 72 hours from arrival or wait until the next morning so that we can use the pass on Friday morning to get to the train station?>>>

I believe the pass includes the #5 ACTV bus from the airport to P. Roma, not the blue bus. The blue bus is 3 euro and makes no stops. The #5 is about half the price and makes a few brief stops. Both buses take about the same amount of time, although the blue bus is slightly faster (~5-20 minutes). I would pay for the bus from the airport and begin the pass the first time you use the vaporetto.

You can save money by buying your pass (and other tourist services provided by the city) ahead of time (7 day advance) through veniceconnected.com.

http://veniceconnected.com/

Pick up the pass at the well signed both at the airport. Be sure to stamp each individual pass before boarding each vaporetto.

zoecat

2 other things-

ATM's are everywhere in Venice. If your card doesn't work at one, try another bank's machine. For whatever reason, this is sometimes necessary.

If you have the time, do visit the islands of Burano and Toricello. The colors on Burano are like nothing you have ever seen.

namaka

zoecat, I did have the link for purchasing the passes ahead of time. Have you used it?

I was planning to buy my DD the rolling Venice card before getting her pass. How should I handle that?

Should I just get the passes at veniceconnected for myself, DH and DS or just forgo the savings of the rolling venice card for the conveinence of having them all ahead of time?

Since I only will be getting a 72 hr pass, would it be better to use it upon arrival from the airport or upon departure to the train station?

My concern with the ATM is mainly because I will be paying for the apt on arrival. If I cannot get any money say at the airport, then I may be in a bit of a bind. This is what happened when we arrived in Lisbon although the apt owner was not the slightest bit worried. He just said to pay him whenever we can get the money. Very trusting!

I do want to get to Burano and Torcello if time allows. I think we have a pretty loose itinerary so it'll probably be a go.

zoecat

I have used the link for my pass and everything went well.

I don't know about the rolling Venice card for your dd. I thought it was replaced with the Venice Connection card. What does your research tell you and why one for just your dd?

It sounds like you will need to use the pass on arrival day when you take the vaparetto to your apartment stop, so you might as well use the pass for the bus from the airport also.

There will be ATM's in the area of your apartment. If you cannot withdraw the money at the airport I'm sure the apartment owner will direct you to the nearest ATM and wait until the next day when you have the time then to make the withdrawl. I have found the apartment owners in Italy just as trusting as the one you experienced in Lisbon. I'm not sure they have any other choice.

My educated guess, after more than 20 trips to Italy, is that you will have not problem getting the money at the airport. Be sure to notify your bank and credit card banks of your travels at least 4 days prior to your takeoff date. If there is a problem, use the phone number on the back of the card to contact them and straighten it out.

namaka

It's nice to know that you ordered the pass from the link and it all worked out well. I will definitely use it!

From my research, it appears that the Rolling Venice card is still being used but maybe my info is outdated. I may try to email the link you gave me and ask before I make my purchase. I was only planning on getting one for my DD because of the age requirements (14-29) as my DS is only 11. I even tried to see if there was some other type of discount pass for him but haven't found one.

I feel confident knowing that their will be ample ATM's around and I also feel that my apt owner will be just as trusting as the one in Lisbon.

I will be sure to notify my bank and credit card companies prior to leaving. I wonder how many others forget to.

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions everyone. I just don't know I'd do w/o this site.

Mimar

Ireland and Italy both use euros, so, yes, it would be a great idea to pick up some euros toward your deposit, while hanging around in Dublin.

zoecat

One more thing-

Based on where your apartment is located, you may just want to avoid the vaporetto and walk to the train station on Friday.

It sounds like you have a great trip planned. Enjoy!

ellenem

If your schedule will be tight for the active hours of the 72-hour pass, I would save it for your departure.

We opted to take the blue bus for 3 euros from the airport and then activated our 72-hour passes on our connecting vaporetto ride. Then, when we headed to the train station 71 hours later, we were able to use our pass, rather than pay 6 euros each for an extra vaporetto ride. Since it sounds like you are looking for savings wherever you might get them, this might be worth computing.

julia1

Another comment on the ATMs - if you can't withdraw the amount you need, try again, same machine, asking for a lesser amount.

If you wake to a beautiful sunny day, you might enjoy spending the whole day on the lagoon, stopping at Torcello, Burano and Murano. It's easy to travel from one to another to another on the vaporettos. On a clear day there is nothing better. Here are some photos to inspire you, if you're interested: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/c1636029.html

namaka

Mimar- I will definitely be getting Euros while hanging around Dublin then.

Zoecat- I may look into walking to the train station but am just not sure if I want to chance it with our luggage so early in the morning (possibly around 8am). I have spent months planning and hoping this trip will have something for each of us. There will be alot less musuems for me and more outdoor type things for the kids. DH is just go with the flow as long as everyone is copacetic sp?

ellenem- Leaning towards saving the pass for departure; will have to look into that. I think spending 3 euros each for the bus as opposed to 6 euros each at the end is substantial.

Julia- good tip on trying again with lesser amount. I've used that before in Paris and it did work for whatever reason.

Oh, and thanks for the link to your photos but I've already looked at them a couple of times and wow! they are unbelieveable. I hope at least one or two of mine are that good!

atlatty

bookmarking

annabelle2

I also want to recommend trying another ATM or requesting a different amount if you have a bit of trouble. I used ATMs only on my last trips to Europe, and for some reason the only place I had a glitch was in Venice - but I just went to another machine and no problem!

I have also made train reservations and bought tickets at travel agencies in Italy with no difficulties.

Enjoy wandering around Venice with no plan at least part of the time, especially early morning and at night. Magical!