flygirl

Good morning. Venice is looming very soon so I'm considering possible day trips.

I was in Venice the same time, last year, and had hoped to fit in a few day trips and did not leave. I will be with several friends again this year who may or may not share my enthusiasm for getting on a train.

This year I'd like to fit in a few - for certain, at least the nearby islands. This is trip number 7 to Venice for me (it will be my third New Year's Eve in Venice!) and I've yet to visit Burano, Murano, or Torcello.

Below are the possibilities. <b> Don't freak out, I won't be visiting all of them and indeed if I merely get to the islands and Verona it will be a win.</b> Any thoughts on great Xmas markets, whether or not it's dead dead dead in winter, and places to eat (or drink hot chocolate, etc) would be fantastic. I will be reviewing trip reports that talk about each so I'm just hoping for some vignettes, here.

Bologna is a possibility. I hear it has just about the best food in Italy and I'd like to check it out. Thoughts on lunch places would be grand... I'd probably arrive around 10 AM and leave around 5 PM given that it's a 1.5 hour train trip. I would visit their big food mercato and a few churches, too. This may end up being a grazing day, with one meal in the middle. Or maybe I'd stick around for an early dinner, we will see.

Verona may be a day trip with the group - Xmas markets! I visited here with my parents four years ago and I'd love to see it dolled up at Xmas.

Vicenza and Padua (or one or the other) for the Palladian architecture. One of them has a museum about him although I cannot remember which one right now. I was hoping a boat ride would be possible but apparently December is too cold and they close up the river boat tours.

Florence - I've been here numerous times and it would be a long day trip, but, if there is a sunny day, this may be in the cards.

Mantua has a UNESCO site.

Ditto Modena

Ditto Ravenna (I think it is just too far on the train, though).

Ljubljana sounds gorgeous but also probably too far for a day trip. I don't plan on any overnights to any places I've mentioned.

Ferrara?

Bassano del Grappa

Udine

Thank you for any thoughts (excluding OMG).

latedaytraveler

Hi FLYGIRL,

I loved Bassano del Grappa -gorgeous Alpine backdrop and the historic bridge (sigh).

What about the Dolmites? Not sure how you would get there.

In any case, I look forward to your pics....

vincenzo32951

Vicenza has a Palladian center. I recommend a day trip to the city. Note: Try to avoid going there on Monday. A lot of the museums, etc., are closed then.

NYCFoodSnob

Not a big fan of day trips from Venice. Venice is such a unique experience, I don't want that experience to be interrupted in any way. I don't consider a trip to one of its outer islands a "day trip." You can certainly spend a day, but it's not at all necessary. Visiting the outer islands by boat retains the feel of Venice. Once you board a train and travel inland, Venice is gone. Photographically speaking, Burano offers the greatest contrasts and impact.

<i><font color=#555555>"Bologna is a possibility. I hear it has just about the best food in Italy."</font></i>

If that were true, I'd spend more time there. You can find good food in Bologna, but, unlike other cities in Italy, I won't make a special trip to try a restaurant there. Not that I haven't done that in Bologna. I have done it, and I've decided it's not worth the effort.

I'm not a big fan of Bologna. I'd rather be in Verona, where some famous restaurants are worth visiting just to eat. Bologna is a big college town, where the filth and litter on the streets is outrageously disgusting. Photography in Bologna is a nightmare. The electrical wire grid on poles outdoors is a mess and it's in every photograph.

I've celebrated New Year's in Venice many times. Some restaurants really do put on a fabulous celebration.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and safe travels.

HappyTrvlr

We did day tdips to Bassano del Grappa, Padua to see Scrovigni Chapel, Vicenza. There is a boat tour from Venice to tne Brenta Canal and Palladian mansions that we also took. The islands should be done first. We especially enjoyed Burano and Torcello. We have returned to beautiful Bassano del Grappa, beautiful alpine setting, Palladian bridge over the river.

nochblad

Some trips can be done by train and some might be better by car to get more in.

Rather than Bologna consider Modena a far cleaner city and the food is probably better. Bologna is filthy and a bit of a shock to first time visitors especially if one comes across an area occupied by punk bestie. However, to get to Modena the quickest route would still be via a train to Bologna - for example check out Italo from Venice http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx

Verona is certainly worth a visit and can be combined with Mantova.

I would recommend a car to do a circular trip to Treviso, Bassano (maybe also Marostica for just an hour) and then Vicenza or Padova.

You may have to be flexible as at this time of the year the Po valley area you are considering covering Bologna/Modena up to Verona can be bitterly cold and often covered in fog. However, weather forecasts are generally pretty reliable.

danon

We spent five days in Bologna couple of years ago. Did not see " filth" anywhere
We liked its unique
architecture, great food stores and green surroundings.

Sassafrass

Vicenza is one of my favorite little cities anywhere. Compact, walkable and beautiful. It is worth a trip just to see the magnificent Teatro Olympico! I would pick it over Verona. The hours and days things are open are limited, so check before you go. You don't want to go and miss seeing something like the Teatro.

Jean

We were in Bologna for a week last October. I've never seen so much graffiti, but if you skip the university area you'll miss most (but not all) of it. You'll also miss a couple of small streets there that smell like open sewers. Be careful walking at night through the portici. We came close to being pickpocketed. On the plus side, Bologna has many talented street performers.

Pepper_von_snoot

You have to make an appointment for the Scovegni Chapel.

Padova is a cute town with lots of upmarket shops and cafes.

It is a university town so an abundance of students but maybe they have a Christmas break?

A good place for lunch on Burano is Gatto Nero.

Keith and I visited La Rotonda in Vicenza. Keith fell into a ditch on the side of the road and lost his cheese sammich (made in hotel room with stuff bought at Billa, not Pantgruelica).

What I liked best about Vicenza was that nobody seemed put out that I was drinking red wine right out of the bottle at a bus stop at 11 AM.

Good luck, BA

Thin

flygirl

Thank you everyone! Good tips.

NYCFS, thank you - and you as well!

Thin, funny. I think I will wait for noon before I start swigging.

HappyTraveler, I looked into the Brenta canal boats! Too late in the year, too cold. Next time!

Jean and Danon, thank you.

Sassafras and Vincenzo, good to know. It's already bumped high because of Palladio (and I collect UNESCO sites).

I will be there over two weeks so I don't mind a few days away from Venice. It's good to narrow down what to avoid, at least.

I have already looked into renting a car and for just a day trip it's crazy spendy. I suppose I could rent it for longer, for a similar price, but then I would not only have to pay for parking I'd also have to cluster my day trips for the time I have the car and I don't know if I'd be in the mood for that.

In looking at my list again:

Torcello and Burano will happen - and not on the same day as I'd like to dine at Cipriani and I am sure someone in the group would go as well. I might fit in Murano. We will see.

Verona is almost a certainty. A few people mentioned the Xmas market, in our group, and I'm up for that.

Vicenza or Padua. Hmmm. They are both so close I could decide on the fly. One, the other, or both.

Bologna - sounds like this could wait yet again. I will keep it on the maybe-but-probably-not pile.

Modena may be a better bet overall? It sounds more quaint and perhaps easier to get around. Plus I can bring back BV from the source. Thank you Nochblad. I will put this higher on the list, after Vicenza and Padua. I am already getting to time-permitting territory...

Ferrara - If I do visit Vicenza, Padua, and Modena, sadly, this will have to come off the list this time.

Bassano del Grappa - Google Maps makes it look doable by car but too far on the train. Latedaytraveler, thank you for the visual - I wish it weren't so far on the train.

Ljubljana, Ravenna, even Udine just look too far for a day trip. Of the three Udine would be the one I'd look at more closely, I think, as the setting sounds gorgeous, a former colleague is from there, and, a student of Canaletto is from there as well.

Thank you again!

neckervd

If you want to do some of these day trips, book a hotel very close to Santa Lucia railway station (like Dolomiti, Stella Alpina, Villa Rosa). Otherwise you waste too much time between your hotel and the railway station.
Be prepared to leave Venice when it's still dark and to come back when it's dark again.

Some timetable datas:
Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Rovigo, Chioggia, Treviso, Udine, Bassano del Grappa: no problem
Mantova: Venice dp 7.50 - Mantova 10.16/16.28 - Venice ar 18.40
Ravenna: Venice dp 7.42 - Ferrara 9.09/9.22 - Ravenna ar 10.30, dp 15.33, 16.33, 18.24 - Venice ar 3 hrs later. Ravenna - Classe by local bus.
Ljubljana: not possilbe because direct Venice - Ljubljana buses leave in the afternoon only. Train - bus connections via Gorizia last too long, unless you are willing to leave Venice at 5.04am
Same problem with Cortina d'Ampezzo

HappyTrvlr

After getting a taste of the Veneto on our day trips, we returned and explored the Veneto itself the next year. We were in Venice for two weeks when we did those excursions.

rialtogrl

Bassano del Grappa is one hour 10 minutes on the train - is that too long?

I was there around this time of year some years ago, and it was so beautiful in the late afternoon/early evening. Lots of lights and decorations, and good shopping too.

nytraveler

Well I would start with Torcello and also Burano - both well worth visits. I know most visitors go to - or are taken to - Murano - but unless you want to see glass made (yawn) and purchase some - I don;t know if it;s worthwhile. And these are obviously boat trips - not train.

After that - depending on how much time you have I would check out Verona and also the Palladian houses you can usually see on a day trip.

annhig

Flygirl - you have to go to Burano to get to Torcello anyway, so unless you're going out to the Cirpiani on their private motorscafo you could still combine the two.

get the vaporetto to Burano, then EITHER tour the island [even if the lace museum is open it can only take an hour, tops] THEN get the little either over to Torcello [the dock is next to the Vaporetto stop] or get the ferry straight after you reach Burano, tour Torcello before lunch, then wander around Burano after lunch before you go back to Venice.

beware that the ferry over to Torcello stops for a whole over the lunch hour/s - the ferry man wants his lunch too, though you probably won't find him sitting next to you at the Cipriani. You might find him at the restaurant we ate at on Torcello which we liked a lot, not least for the roaring fire, which we appreciated even in March:

http://www.altronodiattila.com

if you have time, and I strongly suggest making time for this, before you get on the Vaporetto to Burano at the Fondamente nova, walk round the corner to the church of the Gesuiti to spend a few moments admiring the curtains and swags. Very nice, you say to yourself, but what's the fuss about? then have a closer look, and you will see that they are marble. Unfortunately the Gesuiti isn't open in the afternoons, which is why you have to do it in the morning.

Murano doesn't float my boat, but it's pretty enough in the sunshine.

Thin - apart from drinking wine out of bottles while you are waiting for buses, what else do you recommend doing in Vicenza? I have a mind to go there one afternoon in Feb after my morning language class.

flygirl

Hi Necker

I am at the San Stae vap stop, which won't be a bear for getting the train. Especially as I've narrowed down the day trips so much.

rialtogirl - 1:10 would be great! I would bump it a lot higher then. I just did my search on google maps which also does trains. It had an enormous loop to the west and back to BdG again. Even when I started the map at either Padua or Vicenza. Odd. Will check when I arrive what tickets and timing would be.

annhig, thank you! Great advice.

I may have visited the Gesuiti once. I was in that general hood visiting a church famous for its painting/paintings but I cannot recall which one now. I would go back, though, to look at the marble you mention.

Thank you again everyone! Good tips. I have this mostly narrowed down now...

DonTopaz

I'd encourage you to reconsider Ravenna. The mosaics are jaw-droppingly spectacular. I spent only one day there 20 years ago en route from Venice to Tuscany, but the images of the mosaics are still crystal-clear.

For a day trip from Venice, renting a car is a very doable option. It's about a 2-1/2 hour drive, and you can either take the highway or the coastal route (each takes about the same amount of time -- highway route is longer in distance but less traffic).

Myer

Last year we went on an Umbria trip that started in Venice since that's where the plane arrived.

We don't rent a car in Europe so our travel is mostly by train and very little by bus.

Since we had been to Venice a few times before, I included Vicenza, Padua, Verona, and Ferrara as day trips over a three day period. We spent one day (plus a half day on arrival) in Venice in addition to the evenings.

We then moved on to Perugia for what was to be the focus of the trip.

If I had it to do over again (easy to say now) I would have dropped two of the day trips as we did a lot of running around.

The problem of course would be to decide in advance which to drop.

neckervd

Ma be you didn't have a look at the italian timetables (http://www.trenitalia.com/ http://www.italotreno.it/SiteCollect...talo_orari.pdf).
Journey times and morning departures from Venice (in addition to those mentioned in my post above):
Bassano del Grappa: 1 hr 09 min; 7.56, 8.56, 9.56
Ferrara: 1 hr 27 min; 7.42, 8.42
Bologna: 1 hr 25 min: 7.25, 8.55, 9.25,
Rovigo: 46 min; 7.25
Florence: 2 hrs 05 min; 6.35, 7.25, 8.55
Aquileia: 1 hr 28 min; 7.41
Montagnana: 1 hr 22 min; 7.42
Trieste: 2 hrs 05 min; 7.41, can be combined with Udine
Chioggia by boat from Lido: 1 hr 15 min; 8.25, 9.25, can be combined with Ferrara (1 hr 34 by train via Rovigo)