trip to venice!?!
 

hi readers, <BR>my husband and my 5year old and my self ofcourse are planning a trip to VENICE- want some neccessary tips on: <BR>-food for veggies-no fish(no meat basically) <BR>-whats the best things to see <BR>-cannot walk for long because of my daughter! <BR>-where to stay! <BR>-whats their speciallity to buy. <BR>REGARDS <BR>VANDANA

Ciao Vandana, <BR>Just got back from venezia, and loved it. ok the speciality there is Murano Glass, they make decorated souvenirs from glass, flower vases, rings, you name it they got it. <BR> <BR>Ofcourse a must see is Piazza San Marco, Madonna Church, and if you have time some of the outer islands. honestly the whole place is like one big sight, with water flowing through the buildings, Go on the grand canal with a taxi or bus or if your budget allows a gondola. They do have excellent salads, mozzarella, and other cheeses etc....an open fruit market. <BR> <BR>The main means of transport is walking second to that is the grand canale, you will enjoy walking through the narrow streets, it is a chilling feeling, I am sure your 5 year old will get some energy to do it as well, ofcourse with rests at cafe's and the stores adorning the streets. <BR> <BR>Ciao <BR>

you will find lots of no meat food. that's not a problem at all. we stayed at the hotel flora (3*) with our kids. It a charming small hotel located in a side street near san marco (great location). It's on quiet little street and has a lovely garden sitting area for b'fast or an afternoon snack. you can find many comments on it if you do a search. I don't remember our room number but it was a large room in the back i think on the 5th fl. It had 1 king and 2 twin beds (1 of which was a rollaway), also 2 bathrooms (1 w/ and 1 w/o a shower, both w/ toilets). check www.hotelflora.com. it has their email which they respond to almost immediately. You can purchase daily passes for the water buses so you can hop on and off as many times as you like in 1 day. there is a navy museum which unfortunately we missed (bad timing, it closes in the afternoon for a few hours) that i hear kids really like. our kids are a bit older than your child but they really just enjoyed the scenery and restaurants are very accommodating to children.

Vandana, <BR>We were in Venice last month. It is more than enchanting. My best sightseeing advice..Hop on Vaporetto #1 late in the afternoon. Lurk around until you get a seat in the front of the boat. Take your camera and just soak it all in. Vap #1 travels the entire grand Canal and is very cheap. Venice in all that golden light is something you will never forget. Your 5 year old will have a blast with all the trinkets and the street vendors. Great gifties to bring home are the glass candies. They are sold everywhere and very inexpensive. Can't find them in the US and everyone you give one to gets a kick out of it. There are also these amazing glass fish bowls - even the fish are glass. All the glass shops sell them - all different prices. They are very expensive here - don't leave Venice without one!!

Veggie meals - Pasta and Pizza. Many varieties. <BR> <BR>To make the time go easier with your daughter why don't you have her keep track of how many bridges you go over and how many boats you go on? <BR> <BR>

Hi Vandana! <BR> <BR>1) Regarding food for veggies, we had a great meal at a vegetarian restaurant called La Zucca ("the pumpkin"). Most of their dishes were completely vegetarian and delicious. It is located at: <BR>Calle del Tintor, 1762 Santa Croce, Venice, Italy <BR>Phone: 041/524-1570 <BR> <BR>2 & 3) The best thing to see in Venice is Venice itself! Just walk around, sit around in cafes, treat your daughter (and yourself) to gelato everyday! And as suggested earlier, buy a multiple-day vaporetti transportation pass. That way everytime you get tired, you can just take the vaporetti and ride around Venice's main canal enjoying the beauty of the buildings. <BR> <BR>4) I can't help you where to stay, because the place where we stayed ta did not have an elevator and we were on the third floor. I think it is common in Venice for some moderate (** and ***) hotels built in old buildings and palazzos to not have an elevator. It will helpful for you to get a hotel with elevator to avoid your daughter being more tired for having to walk up. <BR> <BR>5) I enjoyed buying handmade glass bead necklaces. There are many varieties, and some of them are in EVERY store. I looked around and found some that were only made at 1 particular store and bought a bunch. The island of Burano, which is lovely, filled with brightly pained houses (can be reached by vaporetti from the North of Venice) sells many lace, but beware when you buy, most of the lace is actually made in China. <BR> <BR>Enjoy!