Basically 3 days in Venice ... any advice on sights
 

Hello.

My parents and I will have basically three days in Venice to sightsee before taking a cruise that departs from there.

We all arrive at Venice Marco Polo at 4 pm on a Saturday. Getting baggage, going through passport control and getting to Venice proper will probably mean that we will not really be able to sightsee on Saturday. I have e-mailed the tourist office for information on late-closing Saturday sites; if anyone can offer advice on this end, I would really appreciate it.

I will be coming from the UK so I won't have to worry about jetlag, but my parents will be coming from the USA, so jetlag may be a factor on Saturday.

The heart of my question, though, is what we should do for the other three sightseeing days. We will have all day Sunday and Monday, and part of the day Tuesday until our ship departs at 5 pm ... I'm guessing we would want to be back around 4 or something like that.

We are definitely planning on doing the Secret Doges tour thing and the rest of the Palace I'm sure. I would bet a lot of money that we'll see the Accademica and St. Marks as well. Just wondering if anyone can offer advice on other things we should see and do and ways to maximize our sightseeing time on the days we will have.

Thanks!

We had three days of sightseeing when we were there, so my trip report link below might give you some ideas. I did a lot of research beforehand on how best to use our time, but your interests might be different than ours.

I hope I have copied the link correctly. Just scroll down to the Venice section after our vow renewal on the first day.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34437042

There are a great many trip reports on this board so doing a text search in the box above will also render more good ideas for an itinerary.

Thanks very much ... I just looked at your Venice portion, and it sounds great. I have read a few other trip reports as well via the search function before posting; thanks for that top.

Congratulations on the renewal ceremony. What a special place to do that.

As you'll be in Venice on a Sunday (a very busy day) & Monday (much quieter) - I'd save visiting the Doges Palace (including the secret itineraries tour), Basilica & Campanile for Monday or Tuesday. However visiting the Piazza either late at night (after 10pm) or early (before 8am) is always a wonderful way to start of finish any day.

Sunday would be better spent way from the main San Marco area which is always very very busy on weekends. You could visit Salute and the Accademia, and maybe Ca'Rezzonico - a favorite of mine as well as wandering through the streets of Dorsoduro and San Polo.
A visit to the Rialto markets is always wonderful - but again you're best to go early. A trip up or down the Grand Canal on a vaporetto is also not to be missed.

Hi-
Definitely do a gondola ride...

And if you all like contemporary art, make sure you see Peggy Guggenheim's house which is open to the public..It is truely awesome!

And at nite, have an espresson at San Marco sq and listen to the orchestras.
This is the place I always wrote in my journal...as it was sooooooooooo relaxing...

Sunday there is a chant by the Benedictine Monks at San Giorgio Maggiore Island at 11am.

I agree with previous poster - Sunday would be a great day to do the above then head over to Salute and Accademia and stroll around Dorsoduro. It's a quiet area - very relaxing, and contrary to what we read, there is alot open - shops, restaurants, etc. Walk the Zattere - very nice - there are some great eating spots on the water.

I would definitely stay away from San Marks Sun. Rilato market closed Sun, and fish market closed Mon. Maybe save that for Tues.

JoeTro,

Make sure to RESERVE for the Secret Itinerary tour of the Doge Palace. When we were in Venice (4 of us), they only had 3 available spots. Hub & I sent Mom & Niece as we'd been on this tour before.

I've done a Copy/Paste of info from my files for you in order to either call or book via online. According to the website, from which this was obtained, advance reservations via phone call is limited, but online bookings are not. Here it goes:

Secret Itinery Tour:

Secret Itineraries tour of Doge’s palace Phone number is 011 39 041 520 9070.

You will not be charged if you don't show.

And THIS is the website for the Palazzo Ducale: ((Doges Palace)
where you can book the Secret Itineraries Tour in English on line:

http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it/f...ione=biglietti

the online site charges your credit card when you make the reservation.

Secret itineraries
The tours are all with a specialised guide, for a minimun of 2 people and maximum of 25; they start at fixed time according to the following schedule; (English 9.55, 10.45, 11.35)
after 1pm tour can be arranged at various times, with an additional paymente of 31 Euros for group.

Full price: 12,50 euros
Reduced: 7,00 euros
students* aged 15 to 29; escorts (max. 2) for groups of children or students; E.U. citizens over 65; staff* of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali; holders of the "Rolling Venice Card"; Venetian residents; I.C.O.M. members*
Special Reduced: 4,00 euros
children aged 6 to 14; escorts (max. 2) for groups of children

Bookings
- can be made at the Museum Information Desk the day before the visit or the same day, depending on availability;
- Telephone Booking at the number 0415209070 up to 48 hours before the visit;
On-lineBooking: VISIT IN ENGLISH
VISITA IN ITALIANO
VISITE EN FRANÇAIS

For such pre-booked tickets there is a supplementary charge of 2,50 euro

Thanks very much for all the replies so far. My parents have handled the booking for Secret tour, I'm not sure what day that is, but I'm sure it is reserved/confirmed. Looking forward to that for sure.

Is the Rialto market and/or the fish market really a big deal? My family and I are not much at all for shopping.

Thanks again.

Joe, most people think the fish and produce market are a big deal because you will see virtually every kind of seafood there is, many of it items that one has never seen before. The way the market bustles with everyone purchasing, cutting, packaging, etc. is also quite fascinating.

I highly recommend at least a stroll thru the fish/produce market, but the souvenir market on and around the Rialto bridge isn't too terribly big of a deal if you aren't into shopping or buying souvenirs.

If you're near the Rialto, the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli is a little gem.

In Dorsoduro, the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, generally known as just Frari, and the adjacent Scuola di San Rocco with two floors of paintings by Tintoretto.

Thanks very much for the replies so far.

I wanted to ask a follow-up question: is it necessary to make bookings to see any museums, special paintings, etc., like it is in Florence or Milan?

Not that I'm aware of (except for Secret Itineraries), but lines can be long for the Accademia and the Basilica di San Marco. I seem to recall reading here that there is a commercial agency that sells advance tickets to San Marco.

see my comments in this thread, concerning the Secret Itinerary tour.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34629985

I have a long file on Venice; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]