Lisa B

Hi to all you Venice lovers!! We only have two days in Venice in May, and would enjoy reading any "Must Sees or Must Dos" that you folks feel we should not miss. Thanks in advance!

sylvia

Oh, my goodness. Well apart from St. Marks and the Doge's Palace, the Academia. There are several nice little restaurants in that area too. You should also visit Murano where the glass is made. The shops there vary from fairly inexpensive to beautiful espensive designer glassware. <BR>Apart from that, just wander about and get lost, easy to do in Venice, you wander down a little alley and suddenly there you are in a beautiful square or by an ancient church.

Thyra

We only had 2 days in Venice, I know how you feel: <BR> <BR>1) Gondola Ride <BR>2) Get lost and have fun! <BR>3) St. Marks Sq. <BR>4) Get lost some more!!! <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful trip.

elaine

Venice expert Paulo once posted <BR>here his recommendations for one day in Venice; try searching for it on this forum under &lt;Venice daytripper&gt;. <BR>If you can't find it let me know because I copied it into my Venice file (with proper credit) which I would be happy to send if you email me. <BR>Any good guidebook has great suggestions for seeing the basics in a day or two; <BR>what you will want to do and what you would want to skip are personal decisions. Unless shopping for glass is a primary objective, I would not spend one of my two precious days on Murano. <BR>Much of Venice's art is inside it's public buildings and churches, so if I only had two days I might skip most museums. However, if you like 20th century modern art, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection would be a must, because the collection is far different from the Titians and Veroneses etc that you would see in the other museums and churches. <BR>If you want a museum with Renaissance art, the Accademia and the Correr were two of my favorites. <BR>Most of the heavily-visited tourist sites are in and around San Marco Square: Doge's Palace, San Marco <BR>Basilica, etc. Have an overpriced drink or afternoon tea at Florian or Quadri on the square, sit outside and listen to the corny music. You'll always remember the hour you sat there. There is seating inside if the weather is bad <BR>(which avoids the extra music cover charge) but in my opinion there's not much point in sitting inside. You can get better food at more reasonable prices elsewhere. <BR> The Canareggio section is slightly farther afield from San Marco but is more of a real Venetian <BR>neighborhood in my opinion and the main street of the area, Strada Nuova, has moderately-priced shops and caters less to tourists. It also leads you, after quite a long walk, to the Jewish Ghetto, the world's first. <BR>much point in sitting inside. <BR>There is a usually beautiful church in every square in Venice. Be sure to take Thyra's and sylvia's advice and leave some time to get "lost". <BR>

Paulo

Lisa, <BR><BR>To give suggestions on how you may spend two days in Venice (and draw an effective itinerary) it would help to know: <BR><BR>a) what day of week will you be arriving in Venice; <BR>b) what's your mode of transportation and your arrival and departure times; <BR>c) in which hotel are you intending to stay; and <BR>d) what are your main interests? In other words, besides the Basilica and a vaporetto tour of the Gran Canal (a certain must), which of the following would interest you most: **Palazzo Ducale (2hr, architecture, history and paintings), **Gallerie dell'Accademia (2hr, mixed bag Venetian paintings from 14-16 centuries), **Scuola Grande di San Rocco (1hr, architecture and Tintoretto's one man show), *Collezione Peggy Guggenheim (1 hr, modern art), *Ca' Rezzonico (1 hr, 18th century art and interior decoration), **Frari church (1hr, architecture and paintings), *San Zanipoló church (1 hr, architecture and mortuary sculpture) and a tour of the lagoon islands (3-4 hrs, either Murano-glass, or Burano-lace and Torcello). Estimated times are average, take or give some depending on personal interests. <BR><BR>Venice is a city where strolling and geting lost should be a priority. One shouldn't use up most of the time inside buildings. With only two days to spare in Venice, one has to be selective regarding the number of sites to be visited in detail. You should therefore plan to visit at most 4 of the above mentioned sites. Agreeing with Elaine, with a 2-day stay I'd also skip a trip to the lagoon because it eats up lots of precious time. <BR><BR>Paulo

Betsy

As someone else said just get lost. It's not like you'll end up in some scary area. If your big on pictures, Venice is a dream in the early morning. The canals are still and the light perfect.

Marty

Lisa: The beauty of Venice to me is that when you get there, you are *there*. It is so different from any place in the world. I have done several three day trips to Venice and always end up just wandering around. Around every corner is a "Must See". I have taken people to other cities in Europe, and I have rushed them to see this and that, but, in Venice, I always try to get them to just slow down and take it in. Not much help to you I am sure, but you will see when you get there!

Debbie

I would definitely recommend taking the public water transportation(very cheap) out to Murano(get off and walk around,visit glass factories) go out to Burano(get off and have a FABULOUS seafood meal in outside cafes-see lace making,etc.) then hop back on and go over to see Lido island (for an ice cream and walking around)-then hop on and see Venice for a very cheap price from the water.You will see a different side of Venice from the water(and different parts of the area- that you would probably not see otherwise.The sun on your face and the fresh air make it a magical excursion. Have a super trip! Debbie

arlene

I am sooo happy you asked that question. I am traveling with my 76 year young mother who does not like to walk fast so wondering around sounds great. My sister and I want to see a lot, but not overtax our mom. We have 2 nights as we arrive in the morning the first day. We essentially have 1 1/2 days. One of which is a Sunday. Please advise me how the weather might be in Venice on April 21. We are bringing raincoats. Thanks for all your helpful info. Arlene

Lisa B

Thank you to everyone who replied with lots of wonderful tips and suggestions. It seems the overall consensus is to just wander happily and explore, especially in the early morning and late at night. Sounds perfect! We will be staying at the Locanda Art Deco, near St. Marks. I can't wait <BR>Lisa