Trip to Venice
 

We will be taking a trip to Venice in the late summer, early fall. I've already seen recommendations re: hotels and will take heed. My question is: what "day" side trips (islands, areas around Venice) do you recommend. We will have 8 full days in Venice, but may want to take an excursion. I do not want to rent a car, so am looking for a guided day tours....any must see's?

Take the vaporetto from St. Mark's to colorful Burano for scenic beauty. The fare is very reasonable for a long boat ride. On the way, you can stop and check out the Lido.

The islands of Burano, Murano, and Torcello all have their points of interest.

Depending on your interests, the cemetary island, St. Michelle, might also be good.

Another neat day-trip is Aquilea, Northeast of Venice and about an hour or so by train in the direction of Trieste. This was a late Roman-era community that was sacked by Atilla the Hun. Atilla burned the Duomo to the ground. Over the years it was rebuilt. About a century ago, the medieval floor was removed and the early-Christian mosaic floor was uncovered from the ashes of the original church that Atilla burned. Odd preservation technique, but excellent 1700 year-old mosaics. There are a lot of Roman-era ruins, and an excellent archeological museum that has the remains of a Roman galley. The story has it that the Aquileans that escaped Atilla's rampage escaped to some islands to the Southwest and founded Venice.
You need to take a bus from the nearest Railroad station. I think it was Domazzano, but my memory here is foggy.

We were in Venice this summer (our third time there) and stayed a week. We did a day trip to Asolo, one to Padua, one to the islands of Torcello and Burano, and our best -- a full day trip to Chioggia. We loved it -- a sort of poor working man's Venice.

Hi VB,

You might want to consider a day in Verona or a day in Padua.

((I))