Rome or Venice first
 

Hi !
We will be in Italy next July for 12 nights (5 Rome, 4 Florence and 3 Venice). We can have direct flight from Montreal to Rome and Venice. Which one should we visit first ( we will do an open jaw ticket)?

Thanks !

I would check departure times and see what works best for you. It is challenging to get to the Venice airport early in the morning without taking a pricey water taxi so consider that.

They have more or less same departure and arrival time. The same goes for the departure ( around 13:00).

If you have issues with jet lag...go to Rome first
...more time to get over it...
getting around Venice is sometimes a bit of a chalange for the firs time
visitors ( especially if one has a lot of luggage.)

One of the neatest "arrivals" I've ever had was flying into Venice and taking a private water taxi directly to my hotel. It's not as expensive as you'd think. Arriving into Rome is like flying into any major airport in the world and hopping on a shuttle train.

Plus I think Venice is more laid back and relaxing for overcoming jet lag. Stay w/in walking of St. Marks so you can just wander over there on your first day w/out figuring out public transportation.

I'd vote for arriving in Venice.

I'd try to find a cruise ship docking schedule and arrange to be in Venice on the days when the fewest number of cruise ships dock there.

An early departure from Rome is easier than an early departure from Venice, for the reasons mentioned by Jamikins. If the departure time from Venice allows you to get to the airport easily, or if you don't mind the "pricey water taxi", then it's a tossup.

For comparison, a private transfer to the airport from Rome is normally less than €50, unless it's very early, in which case it will be a bit more. I don't know the price of the water taxi.

Here are two reliable private transfer services in Rome:

http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com/
http://www.romecabs.com/

A city taxi has a fixed fare of €48.

We leave the OMG, this is unreal, places till the end. Fly home buzzing. Forget about the trip cost. That would be Venice for us. So Rome first.

I would likely do Rome first while I am all geared up for the trip and leave the relaxation of wondering around Venice to the end when I'm "museumed out." This is just a slight preference.

"One of the neatest "arrivals" I've ever had was flying into Venice and taking a private water taxi directly to my hotel"

sounds fantastic..

On two trips to Venice our logging was not exarly on the water.
We travel light, but I remember seeing people luging their luggage for a while and boarding packed vapotetts with several heavy suitcases .
. Not very relaxing in July weather.

Maybe see which way you can get cheapest train tickets- booking far in advance at www.trenitalia.com or www.italotreno.com can get fares much cheaper than full fare. (Good sites for help on Italian trains - www.seat61.com -especially on booking your own online train ducats =for general info also www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.) - if a major difference in booking one way or other may factor into your choice.

Me I'd prefer to land in Venice after all-night flight as that city can be very relaxing outside of crowded beaten path places and a bit cooler.

danon - I've heard from friend that walking to boat docks at Venice Airport can be a trudge - your take?

cannot comment ....

we took the bus to Piazzale Roma and vaporetto toward the hotel,
another time we arrived by train ( seemed easier....one is in town already)

lodging...not " logging"

I think it would help to give more details on flights. Flight timing wise either option would work with no early morning departures for direct flights. However, there are differences in the equipments. AC also seem to fly YUL-VCE during some part of the year but it is their Rouge brand. If you are indifferent to the carriers, the ground logistics would determine which option works for you.

I found these flights by choosing July 2018 dates out of hat at matrix.itasoftware.com

YUL-VCE: Trans 442 (A310) 2115-1100
VCE-YUL: Trans 571 (A310) 1300-1555

YUL-FCO: AC 892 (A330) 1855-850
FCO-YUL: AC 893 (A330) 1150-1445

YUL-FCO: Trans 604 (A330) 2110-1110
FCO-YUL: Trans 403 (A330) 1150-1450

whle taking a private water taxi into Venice has been shown to be one of the most important ways the foundations of Venice -- upon which all those picturesque buildings sit -- is being destroyed. The problem is that small motor boats create small intense waves that strike the foundations much more frequently and relentlessly, eroding them. Gondolas do not do this, but now tourists flooding into Venice think it is "neater" to take a motor boat, so the damage is reaching crisis levels.

Venetians urge able-bodied people to use the public transports or, for those with physical limitations, to use a shared water taxi if you must

https://www.venetoinside.com/transpo...er-taxi/#step1

https://rene.seindal.dk/2015/10/04/moto-ondoso/

If you're seasoned travelers, it probably makes little difference. But English is more widely spoken in Venice- I think I would have been a little more overwhelmed if I had done Rome first, especially jet lagged.

But on the other hand, I like the idea of starting fresh in Rome because Rome takes so much energy.

>>I would likely do Rome first while I am all geared up for the trip and leave the relaxation of wondering around Venice to the end when I'm "museumed out." This is just a slight preference.<<

Yes to all of that, including the last sentence.

We did Venice first. Took the bus from the airport to the main Vaporetto office. Completed the form and got the Venezia Unica pass - a great investment! Always room for luggage on the water taxi.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...rtavenezia.htm

Agree with the comments about taking train thereafter. Fast, comfortable and generally on time. Enjoy!

So looking at that schedule, if you can arrange to be in Venice on these days in June, you will have the fewest number of

cruise ship day tripers invading the city:i

June 5 6 7 or 8

June 12 13 14

June 18 19 20 21

June 27 28 29

Most people will tell you that the thing that had the biggest negative impact on their trip to Venice was the sheer size of tourist crowds during the day. On other days in June, multiple cruise ships will disgorge thousands and thousands of tourists into the alleys of Venice.

oops! JULY

4 5 6

17 18 19 20

24 26 27