InMiami

I will be flying into Venice in the afternoon of May 11. I am planning on spending the next 6 nights at a hotel in Venice (Al Ponte Mocenigo) and do day trips to the fore-mentioned towns. When I mentioned this to a well traveled friend he suggested that I spend 3 nights in Venice and then 3 nights in one of the other towns. He thinks this would be more convenient than starting out from Venice every day. I plan to use the train and not rent a car. Any suggestions from those of you who have visited this area?

TDudette

On our second trip to Venice, we stayed for 4 days and visited Padua (an easy trip) and the islands of Burano, Murano and the Lido (this you could consider skipping if it's your first trip). Get reservations to the gorgeous church in Padua in advance.

We then went to Verona and based there for 3 days and trips to Vicenza and Milan (a long day).

You COULD train to all of these places from Venice but Verona has much to offer and Vicenzo would be more convenient from Verona.

I so love Venice that I'd make it 4 and 2, but 3 and 3 would work as well. Do you have to go back to Venice to leave? International flights leave early (or they used to) so that could make staying in Venice the entire time more convenient. OR go to Verona first and end up in Venice?

By the way, if you take a taxi to La Rotunda, be sure to arrange for him/her to pick you up. Or get bus tickets before you go. It is out in the countryside. We were there on a weekend day and luckily found a nearby bus stop, but the place that sold bus tickets wasn't open so we "snuck" onto the bus.

Take a look at the trenitalia site-the difference in time from Venice as opposed to Verona is not huge. Other Fodorites will weigh in, I'm sure!

Lexma90

It depends on what you want to see the most, and where you want to spend your time in the evenings. Of the three other cities, I've only been to Verona, and I've been to Venice a bunch of times. I'd probably be willing to take one day from Venice and spend an overnight in Verona, but I love Venice a lot.

The travel times aren't huge between the three cities, and it seems most logical to stay in Vicenza (as the mid-point) if you're going to stay somewhere other than Venice. But others will need to tell you about Vicenza as a good overnight location.

If you haven't been to Venice before, I'd say to plan all your nights in Venice, and then, once you're there, decide whether you want to do those day trips, or to just stay in Venice for all or part of your trip.

Midnightsun

Although you will see more of Padova/Verona/Vicenza if you stay overnight in those places, there is some advantage to not having to pack up and move in the midst of your trip. Train travel from Venice out along the line to Padova, Verona, and Vicenza is very easy. Although you certainly could occupy yourself in each of those three cities for a day, you might decide you want an extra day in Venice (just wandering through the neighborhoods is or more easily worth a day), and it would be easy to do that if you're based there. There might be some advantage to changing locations if you had a car for those three days, so you could spend one night in each town, but if you're traveling by train, you'll still have to make train trips between towns on two of the three days you're not in Venice, assuming you choose Vicenza (the middle of the three towns) as your base away from Venice.

TDudette

Lexma90 makes a great point about being in Venice at the end of the day. A great place to come home to!

tarquin

If this is your first visit to Venice, I would stay there the whole time. But Vicenza is a good base for the other towns (Hotel Due Mori is central and reasonably priced,) untouristy and a dream to walk around if you like architecture. We are doing Venice-Vicenza-Venice in September.

tarquin

And you can easily walk to La Rotonda from the centre of Vicenza visiting the Villa Ai Nani on the way.

zeppole

I suggest you look up train schedules between Venice and the three cities you mention and see whether the times that the trains leave and return appeal to you. (Do the same for using Vicenza and Verona as a base.)

Although the schedules might change between now and your trip next May, it will give you some idea of the logistics.

For instance, presently there is a 7:50am train that leaves Venice for Vicenza and arrives 45 minutes later. There isn't another train after that until 10am, and that train takes 1 hour 15 minutes. Many things in Vicenza will close around 12:30 pm and don't open again until 3:30.

Given the location of your hotel, catching the 7:50 am train means getting up and out very early. Catching the 10am train means arriving in Vicenza with just about an hour to see things before most things shut -- and stretching out a long lunch waiting for them to reopen.

If you have traveled before and know you hate switching hotels and would rather day trip, the answer is easy. But how many things do you want to see in each of these places? If your real pleasure is simply strolling around antique places, taking photos, seldom entering, it almost doens't matter.

But if you know you want to be able to tour the interiors of specific places in each location, you have to work with the train schedule, the opening hours of the sites and your own inclination to get up early, or be back in time for cocktails, etc to get an idea which way of visiting these paces -- overnighting or from one or two bases -- would make you happier.

wanttogo

Several years ago we did a similar trip. We stayed in Venice for 3 nights and then moved to Verona as a base to visit Vincenza, Padua, and Trento. I cannot remember the name of the
hotel at which we stayed in Verona but I know that we booked it through Venere and it was described as being a contemporary hotel mid-way between the old center and the railway station. We could easily walk to both and the desk clerk was very nice about checking railroad schedules for our various day trips.

To be honest, I think that 6 nights in Venice is too long. The cruise ship passengers are coming close to ruining any trip there as far as I am concerned. You should book hotels in Verona way in advance because it is a trade fair city and
gets filled up at certain times very early. Also, you should
reserve tickets to visit St. Mark's in Venice and the Scrovengi in Padua in advance. My final tip is to take the walking tour of Vicenza that starts at the tourist bureau-very interesting.

Pat

ira

Hi IM,

>Venice, Padua, Vicenza and Verona,

It's 0:14 hr to Padua, 0:30 hr to Vicenza and 1 hr to Verona.

You have a very good plan.

Enjoy your visit.

TDudette

"And you can easily walk to La Rotonda from the centre of Vicenza visiting the Villa Ai Nani on the way."

It didn't seem so close on the bus ride back to train station, tarquin. What's your definition of any easy walk? :-?

qwovadis

Go a lot have stayed in Padua ugly dirty around train station

Vincenza also have stayed underwhelming expensive

Verona old town/arena nice but otherwise quite euroindustrial

not too pretty for me.... 10 minutes beyond Verona by Train

is Beautiful lake Grda would overnite there

Hotel Vittorio Desanzano di Garda or my fav

Booking.com/Hotel-Eden Puond and Orwell loved it there

www.sirmione.com the pearl of the lake castles termes roman

villas prettiest of all your areas.

Happy Travels!

qwovadis

www.gardalake.it/hotel-eden

oops try this one super nice great lake views

breakfast 120 euro/nt for me last year

qwovadis

Have been to Venice-tourism.com a bunch I never get tired

of it usually vaporretto around the lagoon Torcello visit art

culture Mosaics www.eurocheapo.com best city guide

a tonne of stuff to do there I would not daytrip too much

personally except for Garda you are already in the most

magical no car water city in the world.

Why would you want to visit less pretty crowded places

buzzing with Vespas?

ellenem

I have stayed in all four places. I have also daytripped to Verona and Padova from Venice, and to Padova from Verona. Given this scenario I would stay in Venice for a few nights and then relocate to Verona.

By the way, Hotel al Ponte Mocenigo is my current favorite in Venice. You can walk to the station in 15 minutes, or ride by vaporetto in less than 10 minutes (once the boat arrives).

If you click on my screen name you can find a ink to my trip report of 8 days in Venice this past March called "How Do You Know They Are Not Killers?"

InMiami

Thanks to all for your prompt responses. I have studied the train schedules between all of these towns. I overlooked the possibility of “siesta” closing times which would complicate the day trips.

When I took a Google visual “walk’ through the 3 towns I was a little underwhelmed. I was expecting a Siena or San Gimignano with very little to remind you that you are in 2011. The 3 towns all had historic areas but were not as beautiful as their Tuscany counter parts. I could be wrong; it was just a cyber “stroll”.

Venice seems to be the real deal. And with 3 long vacations in Italy I have never been there. My friend just seems to think I will grow tired of the crowds and tourism. When I leave this areas I am headed to Varenna.

ellenem

None of the towns are hill towns like ones ones in Tuscany you mention, so they will definitely have a different feel. However it is important to note that the feel will be that of a real Italian city with a charming historical center, but a city living the real life of today and not simply a town preserved for visitors.

Here's a direct link to my trip report so you can see how we filled 8 nights..

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

InMiami

Ellenem, your trip report is both thorough and helpful.

We have also made reservations at the Al Ponte for our stay in Venice. I was quoted Euro 150/night for a superior grade room in the annex. I wanted the less expensive double in the main building but was told that they were sold out. Remarkable since this is 9 months prior.

I am also a light packer, able to fit all into a 21inch roll-on and a small “camera bag”. My companion is less concise with a roll-on bag and a back pack. I agree, the key here is less is more.

It sounds like you would not spend all that time in Venice. I prefer to change hotels as little as possible. Is it just more practical to get out of the city and into one of these towns? Will we bore of the crowds and tourists if we remain too long in Venice?

Peter_S_Aus

The OP asked: “Will we bore of the crowds and tourists if we remain too long in Venice?”

You could spend a month there, and not become bored, and it so depends on what interests you. For me, the whole insanity of Venice, building a city on a heap of mud islands and turning it into one of the World’s major powers, is quite seductive.

You can do Vicenza and Padua as easy day trips by train, and Verona is not a hard day trip either. Think about taking an apartment for the six nights – then you stroll to the station and hop a train for a day trip. Easy.

I wrote a bit about Venice. It’s here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

Or from almost three years ago:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm

tarquin

If you look on the website for Bob and Jenny's bed and breakfast in Vicenza (nothing whatever to do with me,) you will find an excellent map labelled with the Villas Valmarana and Rotonda. I don't know the distance but the lane is tree-lined and quiet, and my husband who had back problems at the time had no difficulty with the walk.

The interior of La Rotonda is only open on Wednesdays.