Paige

My Mom wants to go to Venice. She wants me and my 14 year old daughter to accompany her. She really just wants to visit some art museums, stay in a luxury hotel and sit at sidewalk cafes (or some other such venue) and take in the architecture. I've been stalling her on this for a couple of years but feel it's time to start making plans. <BR> <BR>We don't want to go in summer, so I'm trying to plan around daughter's spring or fall break. Would mid October or mid March be better for fewer crowds and better weather? <BR> <BR>Does anyone know if you can get a direct flight from Atlanta to Venice? <BR> <BR>Any hotel recommendations? Probably in the $100 -$200 per night range. Actually a suite would be better than two rooms since there are three of us. <BR> <BR>This will be my first trip to Europe. Plan on going for a week. Is there enough in Venice to keep me and daughter interested or should we plan a side trip mid-week and leave Mom sitting by the canal in Venice?

elaine

Hi <BR>Congratulations on your first trip to Europe! <BR>You can't fly direct from Atlanta to Venice on any airline I know; you can fly direct from New York to Venice on Delta. If you play around with Expedia for a while you can find all your airline options and where you would be changing planes--you could have your choice of London, Paris, Frankfort, Milan, almost every major European hub has flights that go on to Venice. <BR>A "luxury" hotel in Venice would cost more than the budget of $100-$200 you mention, but you can get a nice hotel for that price and you can visit the luxury places to have a drink or lunch or dinner. Many popular budget-minded hotels book up completely many months in advance, so now is definitely not too early to begin planning for next spring, or even next fall. <BR>I've been there in early October--a little drizzle occasionally, cool nights <BR>(sweater or jacket), cool mornings (ditto) and afternoons around 70F or so. <BR>for historical weather information for the time of year you're considering, you can look at <BR>www.wunderground.com <BR>www.weatherbase.com <BR>www.washingtonpost.com, click on weather <BR>I could spend a month in Venice and not be bored, but everyone is different. <BR>If after 4 days or so you found yourself getting antsy, you could go via train to <BR>Verona which is quite close and people h have said it's a nice place to spend a couple of days. <BR>I have a long file on Venice (which I'm thrilled to be returning to in a few weeks); if you'd like to see it, email me.

Steve

Paige - My wife & I are using our Delta freq flyer miles this year to fly from Atlanta to Venice (but return from Florence)--late Oct/early Nov. We're going thru Paris both times; direct from Atlanta to Paris, over there on Delta with return on Air France. The Paris-Italy flights are Air France (one of Delta's partners). We've not been to Italy in years but can update you on our hotel choices upon return. E-mail if you have questions. I know what you're asking about keeping both mom and daughter 'interested'; we took my mother a few years ago to Ireland & London. She had her sister with her; even though she kept saying for us to go off on our own (with the children), I still felt guilty when we did it. But I think she still enjoyed the trip.

Kay

March is when the Italian school children are visiting all the historical cities and sites. It can be very crowded in that area!

Marj

I was in Venice last March 16-19 with my family. There were plenty people there but I didn't find it overly crowded. I don't recall noticing any groups of local school children at sites in Venice (did notice some in Florence). It was in the 50-60s during the day, maybe 10 degrees colder at night. It also did rain one day. 4 days later in Rome it hit 80. I've never been there in the fall. March may be a bit rainier, although Venice is quite charming in the rain. Check www.worldclimate.com for average temps and rainfall, etc. You may also consider what month has better hotel deals (if there is a difference). The 4 of us stayed in 1 large room at Hotel Flora.