I found an amazing travel deal to Venice: $499 for four nights in Venice, including airfare. It sounds like a great deal, but does three full days in Venice (bookended by travel days) sound like too little to see what the city has to offer? I've traveled extensively in the rest of Italy, but have never been to Venice. My girlfriend and I are adventurous travelers, so a whirlwind 4-night trip to Europe would not be too difficult (a longer stay would of course be desirable, but there will be many more opportunities to travel to Europe).

p.s. If anyone's interested in the details of this package deal, I can post the URL or email it to you... I didn't want to seem like I was spamming by posting it without anyone asking.

Hi Raymond,

Considering that many people attempt to do Venice in a day, I don't think that 3 days is too little. We just did 4, and still didn't see everything we wanted to, but I'd do three in a heartbeat with an affordable deal.

Just be sure not to miss the areas of San Marco, San Polo, and Dorsoduro. You could hit most sights in those areas in three days.

Good luck!

If, like you say, you wouldn't mind flying there and back for that short amount of time, I'd say go for it. You could see quite a bit in three days.

I've been twice - once for 1.5 days and once for a full 5 days. Neither time was long enough - although I've had many people disagree and say 2 days is too long. However, the deal sounds great so if you only have 3 days then just plan it out. Try and do things that you don't have to line up for ages to get into. Half the fun of Venice is just wandering around but if there are specific things you want to see (ie. Cathedral of San Marco, Doges Palace, Murano, Burano or any of the galleries and museums) try and determine the quietest time or see if you can buy tickets in advance so you don't have to line up.

Catch the Vaparetto to Murano and Burano from the Canale della Fondamente Nuove stop rather than San Marco as this is very busy and you may wait for many vaparettos before you get on.

Buy a 3 day Vaparetto pass to help you get around quickly and to save you lining up to buy tickets.

Email me the deal PLEASE. I have a friend that would love that trip. Email is [email protected]. THANKS

Sounds great. We are planning a two week trip to Italy and doing three days in Venice. How exciting. You will have a blast.

Hi RLY,

Sounds great. Please post URL for the rest of us.

It is definitely not spamming when you find a bargain.

Hi

My wife and I went to Italy in June and we stayed in Venice for about 4 days. I think that was enough and I was surprised to see how small Venice really is. But we had a great time while we were there. The best thing was the ?Secret Itinerary? tour at Palazzo Ducale (Doge?s Palace)

I have posted a long trip report with pictures on my homepage www.gardkarlsen.com in case you are interested. Get in touch if you have any questions

Have a great trip

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

... good god, at $499, book it, Danno!!! What are you thinking, lol.

We used to do Paris in 2 - fly into Brussells, drive to Paris late Saturday, back to B Tuesday, very early, and on the plane to JFK at 11 a.m. And at $199 RT, Metro International (only two leased 747s) - Monreal-NYC-Brussels-Rome-Tel Aviv, and return - it was a hoot.

We did Venice your way, and arrived home seriously sleep deprived, but happy and snickering in the taxi.

Book that fare!!! Never look back!!!

That will be enough time. Better to go on a whirlwind trip than not to experience it at all. Burano is a must. The buildings are colorful and the locals are very laid back. An excellent place to take photographs. Stop by Artigianato D'Arte, a glass blower on a side street in venice. Beautiful, affordable glass and it is amzing to watch him work. He is located at Calle della mandols. E-mail him at glasshandmadehotmail.com. I have been to Venice 4 times and always look him up take home presents for myself and my family. Have a great time. What is the URL?

As everyone says, 3 days are better than no days. I was there for 5 days, never ventured to the islands & saw 1/2 of what I wanted to see-BUT- I was THERE!

The only caveat that no one's mentioned is that hotel rooms in Venice are notoriously small so tell us what hotel(s) are included in this package.

One day in any city is enough if that's all you have.

If you've never been to Venice, I highly recommend it. We spent five days of our honeymoon there and that was just about right. There are still some things we didn't get to see, but overall we saw what we wanted and had PLENTY of time for wandering around. Agree with other posters that if you write out exactly what you want to do/see (prioritized) and check off your list each day, you'll manage to fit it all in. We actually planned for half a day exploration, which helped!

We spent 3 days there last year and I would say that is just about right, perhaps a bit long actually. After Rome and Florence, the last thing we wanted to see was yet another art museum. Of course, if you are really into art, then 3 days will not be enough. Enjoy!

WE spent 3 days in Venice first of June and wished we had had a week. But I would take 3 days in a heart beat. I love Venice!!!

Thanks for the replies. Here's the URL with more info.

Brief details at Travelzoo.com, through whose newsletter I found out about it:

http://www.travelzoo.com/Top20.asp?i...78&top20=1

Here's the travel company doing the deal, with full details:

http://www.gate1travel.com/Destinati...DVen_nov03.asp

The $499 applies to only two departure dates, but you can depart on other dates between Nov. and Feb. for an extra $50. Price is for "Tourist Class Olimpia Hotel," but a variety of other hotels are available for an upgrade.

Now I have to talk to my girlfriend about whether or not to splurge on this (we're already going to Cabo for a week in November).

We were in Venice only a day and a half and loved it. Except for a short walking tour of the San Marco buildings included in our package, we deliberately didn't try to see any "sights" (e.g., museums)...we just walked, rode the vaporetti, and soaked up the incredible atmosphere.

Keep in mind that your first day there will not be a full day--you'll probably arrive mid- to late-morning--it may well be early afternoon by the time you actually get to your hotel and get checked in--and you'll be jet-lagged. You'll be able to wander around and eat, of course, but I wouldn't count on any heavy-duty sightseeing that first day.

Key to a successful short trip is plenty of advance planning. Get a good map and tour guide, read the guide, prioritize what you'd like to see, and get a general sense of where those things are on your map. Not that you have to follow it like a military plan, but it really helps to be prepared.

Make sure the hotel is actually in Venice and not Lido, or you'll spend time each day travelling back and forth. Not a bad thing, per se. Lido is fine, but on a short timetable you want to be close to what you're there to see.

In terms of location in relationship to getting around in the city, there isn't much difference between the hotels, except for the Bauer which is in the center of things. All of the other hotels are towards the western side, but they are all in the old city and Venice isn't all that large that being on the far western side is any big deal.

Oops, forgot. Yes, 3 days is too little if you really want to see everything, but it's long enough to see the major sights and to get away from the most touristed areas and enjoy some of the special atmosphere of this most unique of all European cities.

Raymond,
We paid $530 without the airfare. Don't miss Venice. Three days is a good first visit.

Go and enjoy!