tony140

my family of 5 will be returning to venice after a cruise, we have 6 nights there were not sure what areas to go . stay in venice , florence ?. I've heard 2 or 3 days in venice is enough. we will be traveling in july.

fall06

It is likely to be extremely hot in Firenze, hotter than Venice. Perhaps your family would enjoy splitting the time between Venice and one of the Italian lakes, or the Italian mountains. If your family is very active, and likes bike riding, hiking or windsurfing, Lago di Garda would be a good choice (you could stop in Verona on the way). There is also a famous Italian amuseument park in Lago di Garda.

ira

Hi T,

>I've heard 2 or 3 days in venice is enough.<

Over the years, we have spent over 20 days in Venice and haven't gotten through our "to see" list.

If you get bored with Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello, you could take a daytrip to Padua or Verona.

You might also want to consider splitting your time as 4 nights in Venice and 2 in Florence.

Seamus

My first visit to Venice was in July and it was quite unpleasant. Temperatures are hot, crowds are thick and prices are even higher than usual. My next visit was in October and I loved the place.
If your family has an interest in Venice you could fill up 6 days - just be sure you have place with good AC. If that interest is not shared by all in the family there would likely be some dissent in the ranks, and 2 or 3 days could be enough, then move on to Florence.
You could also stay on the Lido and treat it like a beach vacation.

alexdp

I agree with Seamus. Fall06 is right to point out that Florence will be hotter but Venice will be far more humid and July can be difficult. As Seamus says, check out the Lido where things are calmer and you'll have more space to walk and wander - important after a cruise! There are nice beaches out towards the Alberoni area of the Lido and hiring bicycles is easy and lots of fun to explore.

Check out www.secretplaces.com who have a nice selection of "different" hotels in Europe and they have one in the Lido which is central and calm.

Bear in mind that Florence can be harder for younger kids and there's no sea for them to cool off in. I would recommend 3 or 4 days in Venice mixing culture and beach/bicycles and 2-3 days Florence. Kids always seem to take more to Venice as the "adventure" is everywhere.

Italian train system, www.trenitalia.com is very good and so much easier than driving. Venice to Florence 2.5 hrs. For Venice remember to use Santa Lucia station and for Florence Santa Maria Novella otherwise you find yourself somewhere in the suburbs!
Good luck!

dickv2

You do not count the number of times you have been to Venice, only look forward to the next time you can be there. The worst is that you have all
these wonderful memories of Venice and
realize that you are unable to return.
Richard of LaGrange Park, IL>

Castellanese

Hi,

I think the minimun in Venice is 5 nights including a daytrip to isles of the lagoon.

However, if you want to have an idea of Venice and Florence for a next trip, you could easily spend 3 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Venice.

Get a bookguide and choose what landmarks interest you the most. I personally love Le Zattere in Venice and San Miniato al Monte in Florence.

Castellanese.

Statia

I'm also in the camp that you can never have too much time in Venice. There is just so much to see and I have yet to see everything I want with a total of 11 days in two trips. There are so many campos, alleys, bridges, and churches not to mention all the outer islands. I could wander for many more days just taking in the architechture and uniquness of this magical city built on water. However, Venice is also not necessarily for everyone so the amount of time spent there depends on each individual and their tastes.

I will also add that when I was in both Florence and Venice in July of 2003, I actually found Venice to be warmer than Florence. I guess it was the humidity in Venice, but I actually needed a sweater a couple mornings in Florence whereas Venice just seemed more hot and damp overall.

Whatever you decide, have an enjoyable trip!

Holly_uncasdewar

Dick - what are you saying? Are you unable to travel any more? I don't mean to get personal, but you've been contributing to this board for a long time, and I hope you're doing okay. Best wishes to you.

Holly

bardo1

<<6 days in venice ?>>

<font color="red">Yes!</font>

annw

I'm in the never-too-much-time-in-Venice camp, but traveling with a family, and in July, I like the idea above about going north a bit to the lakes or mountains to cool off a bit.

But there's plenty in Venice, between seeing the neighborhoods, taking trips out to the lagoon islands, taking the train to Padua, Ravenna, Vicenza, or Verona, and the like. I highly recommend you get the newest Rick Steves DVD which has a segment on Venice and a segment on day trips from Venice including lagoon islands. I definitely recommend getting out of the San Marco-Rialto axis at least part of the time.

Definitely take the family to San Marco in the evening, after things cool a bit, and while the orchestras are playing. And they might enjoy the fish market.

nessundorma

Someone said that Venice is likely to be more humid than Firenze in July. Not necessarily so.

nessundorma

I'm just curious:

Have any of the people who keep recommending that tony140 stay in Venice been someplace other than Venice? I can understand people wanting to share the good time they had, but there are lots of other nice places to go, especially with kids who may not be all that interested in the romantic atmosphere.