Milan, Venice, 7 nights july 5
 

We are a family of five, age mid 40's and 16, 14, 12 year old kids. We have travelled with our kids to Africa, cruised in Europe from Rome, and visited Bahamas, Costa rica, but i have not planned a 8 night trip adventure like this for the family. We will fly into Milan. upon landing, Plan is to than go straight to Venice via train. 2-3 nights in venice, 2 nights in beach village or small town around venice, 2-3 nights in milan with a day trip to one of the lakes. Departing on flight out of Milan,. I think i am good with bouncing around to 3 places. Hoping to use public transportation. QUESTIONS--
1. any good air bnb or B&B or hotel ($100-150 per room per night) in these places?
2. Which beach town would you choose around Venice?
3. any to do items, restaurants, places to see, etc.
4. With a family of five, a triple and a double will be needed for accomodations unless there is a rental i can find.

Purpose of trip,~~ exploration with a little relaxation thrown in. Sitting in the piazza, watching the world go by, visiting a few churches and a museum or two. Drinking wine and eating gelato.

Thank you

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/lido-di-jesolo.html

Hotels on booking.com.

With a family of five, I'd base myself in Venice and rent an apartment. That, AFAIK, is your best chance of getting something in your price range, if it's at all possible.

Venice itself has a beach, the Lido di Venezia. I've never been there, but it might be fine for your family, and I would bet it would cost less than Lido di Jesolo at the height of the summer season.

We've stayed fairly often in Milan, but the only hotel we've stayed in that might suit your budget is the Esco Hotel, near the Central Station. We stayed there for just one night, because we were heading to the airport in the morning. It would also be convenient for the day trip to Lake Como, because you'd need to get an early start. If you check out www.booking.com you can probably find apartments in any of these places. You can be very specific about where you want to stay, for example, instead of saying "Venice", you can say "Venice San Marco". If you then sort the list by price, a lot of the cheaper places will be apartments. I would pay close attention to the guest ratings, and would only consider places with a rating of around 8 or up, and with a good number of reviews. Be sure to read the guest reviews.

In Venice, we stayed once in the Domus Ciliota, which is a budget lodging in an ex-convent. It was perfectly comfortable and the air conditioning was sufficient. It's located on a quiet street, but an easy walk to the Rialto bridge.

For your day trip to Lake Como, you could get a train to Varenna, which is a nice little town, and there are boats departing from there if you want to visit other towns (or villas) on the lake. I have a feeling it will be awfully crowded in July, though.

I'm confused by your hotel request. Do you want 2 rooms at $100 to $150 each - or are you looking for 2 rooms with a limit of $150?

2 rooms at 100-150 each

I assume this trip is this summer. That's a very low budget for both Venice and Milan. About 88-130 euros per room. I agree with vincenzo32951 and would look for an apartment in Venice. If you spent 3 nights in Milan, you might find an apartment there as well.

Buy your train tickets to and from Venice as soon as you know your dates and times. You might be able to get some discounts.