LLindaC

We are now booking our Slovenian trip for June. We have one week in the Julian Alps and 8 days elsewhere. The option is 3-4 days in Bled or Piran. If we do the extra day in Piran, we have the option of a day trip to Venice. I've heard good and bad. Is one day worth it, or should we just stay in Slovenia? I'd love to hear your opinions on a day trip to Venice, thanks.

zeppole

It's possible, based on the way you've framed the question, that what you are going to get (depending on how long you let the thread run) is an evenly divided shout out between people who think ANY time you can spend time in Venice, you should, and those who think the worst possible experience of Venice is being a day-tripper, and that if you are coming in by boat, you'll be contributing to the shallow-mass-tourism problems sinking the great city of Venice.

Maybe if you said a bit more about what you enjoy and what you hate when you travel, or what disappoints you, you might get answers more helpful to your personal decision.

Have you any other plans to go into neighboring Italy? Udine, Aquiliea, Civedale dei Fruili are extremely enjoyable if you like art and history, and Trieste is a very enjoyable city. The food and wine in Friuli Venezia Giulia is top notch, and the wine country just over the Slovenian border, around Gorizia and in particular Cormons is very pretty, with wonderful food.

k9korps

Without knowing more about circumstances and situation (for ex: will you have an oportunity come back?), I'd say go to Venice. Have a plan about what you want to see and do, to get the most out of the time.

adrienne

I wouldn't spend any more time in Slovenia. Go right to Venice and spend the 4 days there. Venice is much more interesting and beautiful than Slovenia.

If you do choose to go to Bled or Prian I would not do a day trip to Venice.

LLindaC

Hmmm....zeppole....interesting. Since we do have a car, it would be easy to reach that part of Italy. I have heard 100% good and bad about Venice, so I'm torn! What do we like? History, charm, anything fitness related. What I don't like? Massive groups of tourists! Maybe I have answered my own question. Our time in the Alps will be in a secluded lodge, so we expect more tourists on the coast. However, the first 2 weeks of June are generally less croded than a bit later.

zootsi

Venice is unlike any other city on the planet. Yes it's crowded, but for good reason. We spent 3 days there a few years ago, and would go back in a heartbeat. We were vacationing in Austria, and my wife talked me into driving down into Venice for two nights. We loved Austria (possibly my favorite country), but Venice will blow you away. There are so many small winding, twisted streets, you can escape most of the crowds if you are willing to walk, and risk getting lost!
The Italian countryside en route to Venice is not particularly scenic, some parts are quite industrialized. You park your car in the big, ugly garage at Tronchetto just outside the city, get on the water bus, and within a few minutes you are in another world, the world of the 15th century.

bobthenavigator

We loved Piran and also the caves at Postajana[sp].
The ferry schedules to Venice may dictate your options for you. If you do go, make it an overnite.

hkto

There is also morning bus from Piran to Triest from where there are frequent trains to Venice (another 2 hrs). Bus and train stations in Triest are in the same building. Return bus is 12:30 pm. For me that will be a long day trip but probably overnight will be a better option.

PIRAN - TRIESTE (Veolia) 6.45
FERIALI - DELOVNIK - WEEk DAYS
Piran 6.45 - Portoroz 6.51 - LucIja 6.54 - Strunijan 7.02 - Izola 7.09 - koper 7.30 - Bertoki 7.38 - Ankaran 7.41 - Skofije 7.44 - ITa/Slo 7.47 - Rabuiese 7.55 - TRIESTE 8.20

http://www.autostazionetrieste.it/in...id=11&Itemid=0

hkto

Forgot to mention that bus service from Koper to Triest and vice verse is more frequent.

PaulHahn

Venice is a wonderful, unique city--I love it.

But I'm in the group that thinks it's a terrible place for a daytrip. Especially in the high season (like June), you'll just be swept along with the daytripping crowds. You'll be disoriented, you'll have long waits for the most popular sights, and you'll probably end up "dining" at some way overpriced, touristy slop house along "daytrippers' alley."

danon

I would not know what to do in Bled for more than a day.
Given a choice, I would go to Venice .

LLindaC

From Bled, we plan on hiking and kayaking.

zeppole

LlindaC,

Here's a thought: How about kayaking in Venice? It's possible.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...ice-city-break

If you reject the cost or rigidities of a kayak tour, then your allergy to "massive groups of tourists" could be put to a severe test in Venice. Maybe the first 2 week of June are generally less crowded, but what really matters is what the scene is for your small window of a daytrip. Perhaps 4 or 5 cruise ships and several dozen bus trips will disgorge just as you arrive.

If you can live with the idea, that even if you spend a night, the charm and access to famous sights in Venice may be limited, or their enjoyment severely compromised, by "massive groups of tourists", then you stilll might enjoy, as some do, visiting Venice for a day but retreating to the peripheral neighborhoods if necessary. Try asking yourself if you arrive in Venice after having made a considerable effort to get there, and find yourself in a mob shuffling through the alleys toward San Marco or other famous sights, or fleeing from it to "soak up the atmosphere" at the edges of Venice, if you will feel so disappointed you wish you'd spent your day otherwise.

It often comes up that Venice is a "unique city" -- but it's unclear to me what the comparison is, and where the people who make that claim have also visited. Venice is not the only lagoon and canal city in history or even in the present day. Many other imperial cities of Europe poured their wealth and treasure into art that was the zenith of its day. It hardly matters anyway if you can't even see it or enjoy it for all the lines waiting getting into San Marco or the confused crowds "wandering and getting lost" when they are not snatching up souvenirs.

Anyway, you might find Venice chokingly crowded, you might luckily find it in a lull the day you go (but still expect a LOT more tourists). All I can say is that if you've any real interest in Venice, even if you go for a day this trip, the history and charm of the city is more available in the down season, for many days. A one day trip in June could be a really misleading snapshot of the city.

You might enjoy perusing this, even though you don't sound like seniors to me.

http://www.trektrek.net/tour/cycling...y---selfguided

suze

I love, absolutely adore, Venice and have been there twice. I am of the "it's magical" school of thought. But I would not bother or want to go there for only 1 day.

LLindaC

I really appreciate all your comments. I do think I'll save Venice for another time when we visit Italy. Slovenia's small enough, we should be able to do plenty of day trips in the car alone.

basingstoke2

We really loved Piran, but were last there when it was still Yugoslavia. You might enjoy clicking on my name and scrolling down to the TR called "An extremely belated TR, Italy and Yugoslavia (yes, that's right)"

There will be detail and impressions of Piran when it was still communist and it could then be interesting to compare it with how it is today. I am looking forward to your own impressions.

Bellarosa

I absolutely loved Piran; I could imagine that it was how Venice could have been before all of the development centuries before. The color of the water will blow you away! I agree with the others who say that an extra day in Bled is too much. We went to Piran about 3-4 years ago, then went to Venice from there. I think you need to see both, although maybe not on this trip.

suze

I'm not against adding Venice to a trip (because as I already mentioned I love that city) if the logistics work out but NOT for only 1/2 day visit is my comment. I don't think you'd have a fair/good impression at all on a 1-day visit, especially with your concerns about too many other tourists.

PaulHahn

Well, I've been in a lot of cities around the world that have canals, but none that I've been to are anything like Venice other than having canals.

Peter_S_Aus

I've spent a couple of months in Venice, and am there right now - for anothe couple of months.

My suggestion - a day trip in June won't work probably. It will likely be very slow to get around - remember the the main route from where you park your car to "downtown" is no wider than your average city footpath, and narrower in a lot of places.

It would take you about 3/4 hour to walk from the car park to San Marco, probably half an hour plus if you arrive by train.

Take a longer vsit sometime, out of tourist season. I'm in Venice right now, and it is pretty quiet, even around San Marco.