Day trips from Venice?
 

My husband and I will be in Venice later this month for about 4 days - it's the first time for both of us.

Is it worth renting a car and taking a day trip somewhere, if so, which city?

Any other "shouldn't miss" stuff while we're there would be great.

And does anyone know how many bottles of wine we can safely bring back? Thanks!

I don't know about the wine, but I do know this:

Spend every minute of your available time in Venice and none "somewhere" else! Venice itself is the "shouldn't miss".

Go here for the import restrictions
http://www.zoll.admin.ch/e/private/r..._nahrung_e.pdf

Dont rent a car. Stay put and enjoy every minute in the "serenely Beautiful One". You will wish for more days there.

Dont rent a car. Stay put and enjoy every minute in the "Serenely Beautiful One". You will wish for more days there.

I count every minute in Venice as precious. Having said that, there are barge tours daily on the Brenta Canal to visit the Palladian villas. Some full and some half day. I'd never rent a car for one day. The hassle and there are trains everywhere I'd want to go. But I wouldn't miss a day in venice.

You can bring back as much wine as you can carry. The worst case (no pun) is that you might have to pay duty, usually a matter of a buck or two per bottle. Most inspectors don't bother for the small sums.

If I wanted to get out of Venice per se, I'd take a vaporetto to one of the other islands (Burano, Murano, Lido, etc.) and explore it.

Hi Sara,

Four days in Venice is lovely. Check the fodors.com minguide.

You are allowed 1L of wine per person duty free. However, the tax is only 10%. You can safely bring back as much as you can carry in a carryon.

Are you thinking of 1997 Brunello?

Hi Sara. You guys may very well feel differently than we did once you spend some time in Venice but, for what it's worth, we had seven days in Venice last year and had assumed we'd take at least one day trip, leaning towards Verona.

We never did. We just loved being in Venice too much to leave, except to take about half a day to visit colorful nearby Burano.

I'd recommend holding off on renting a car...unless you can reserve one ahead of time with little or no penalty for cancellation.

Great advice from everyone - thank you. We'll definitely be staying put in Venice. Thanks!

Sara, I'd bet it's very likely you'll stay put but, on the other hand, you really won't know absolutely for sure until you get there. Some people don't care for Venice at all, and some only find it "worth" a couple days. I think both of those groups together are a very small minority but Venice doesn't float everyone's gondola.

Well, since everyone else has told you to stay put in Venice, I think I'll tell you what you wanted to know when you asked your question.

I agree you could spend 7 days in Venice without ever itching to leave, but then again, if you don't get to Italy often, why the heck not get out of Venice and see some of the amazingly beautiful things around it?

Having on our last trip to this area rented an apartment between Vicenza and Padua, I would say rent a car for two days and visit Vicenza, Padua, Asolo, and the region around them. There are countless beautiful towns with fascinating history and Palladian architecture and it will give you a nice contrast to Venice.

Personally, I think 7 days in Venice is too much. It's a small, confined place, and there is so much of Italy that's so close by that you could explore for a day or two without feeling like you'd not "seen" Venice. Don't get me wrong - I think Venice is one of the most breathtaking places on earth and if I could spend a full week there I'd do it in a heartbeat - but not if it meant that was the ONLY thing I did in Italy. The Veneto has a lot more to offer and in 7 days you should get out and around and tour some of the wonderful coutryside of the area.

If you want to explore Veneto there are a lot of wonderful places to see not too farway from Venice: Vicenza, Bassano, Padova, Marostica. For more informations look up the posting from August 08 "Veneto advice please".
You could spend an entire week in Venice but you could also explore and see of the other "Wonders" of Veneto...

Ciao

A correction for StCirq please:

Sara said "4 days", not 7 days, and I still think she should stay put in Venice.

Oh, Tuck, you're right. Don't know how I misread that so badly.

With 4 days, I'd be inclined to stay put, too - I think. I always have the urge to get out of town and look around a bit, though. But with only four days it probably isn't worth the hassle of figuring out transportation, etc.

I concede...

Capo,
I would take someone to a hospital that didnt like Venice at all ....
IMHO, they would have irreservable brain damage. :)

sorry too early, I cant spell irreversable !!!

As beutiful as Venice is, I would say that four day is already too mucch. What about Bologna!!! :-)

Have fun.

Ross. :-)

FWIW, among several visits I have spent a week in Venice twice, once in February. It is always painful to leave.

Janda, you would take someone to a hospital that didn't like Venice at all? Why on earth would you do that, and how would determine if a hospital didn't like Venice? :)

It sounds like we're on the same <i>pagina</i> with this most magical of cities.

Even though I find it fascinating and, as noted above, spent seven days there without any strong desire to leave for a daytrip, I can also understand why some people might not find it all that wonderful, especially if they are there in the summer when it's hot and humid and tourist thongs...er, I mean throngs...are everywhere.

You'll be there within a month or so, si? Email me, per favore, I have a question for you. Grazie. [email protected]