venice
 

We finally decided that Venice is one of the stops we are taking our 3 daughters, ages 15, 12 & 9. Now we need help on where to stay, what to do? Must sees.....we are an adventurous family. Will love to wake up in morn...and see the sites, take walks, ride in boats, etc....

any restaurant and shopping ideas will be great too....
thx you world travelers....
andrea

By the way...we are traveling late spring/early summer 2011

Suggest you take a look at renting an apartment instead of a hotel. Rooms to accommodate your group can be hard to find. We have used these folks in the past:

www.veniceapartments.org

These people get good reviews as well:

www.viewsonviews.com

Dorsoduro and Castello. Are areas we have enjoyed staying in the past.

Here are a few more apartments to check out....I've stayed at both. They are located in Palazzo Tiepolo on the Grand Canal with views. Located in San Polo sestiere very close to the San Toma vaporetto stop.
Corte Tiepolo has a great studio facing the Grand Canal and two other, larger garden apartments.
Tiepoletto is a large two bedroom, two bath (great with 3 girls in tow)
http://www.tiepoletto.com/
http://www.tiepoletto.com/

Have a wonderful trip!!

Opps two links to the same site...here is the second site:
http://www.cortetiepolo.com/

We stayed at this place a couple of years ago. Three bedroom, on queen bed, a room with two twins and a small room with a twin. Very nice and nice area as well.

http://www.veniceapartments.org/acca...ipazio_24.html

Most places now have as few a three night minimums.

thanks for the tips on apartments.....any fun stuff you'd recommend we not miss. I heard making masks is a must and buying paper. I love these hints...keep em coming!

Ciao

Don't Laugh: there is a great 1euro store that has some great knock offs that would make great gifts for kids friends or for back up gifts that you want to remember someone with but don't want to spend a lot.
I got great bookmarks, knock off small glass animals that kind of stuff. While no doubt it most likely came from Hong Kong all folks need to know is it came from Venice. I always check it out. <G> jh
PS I got a great set of expresso cups and saucers for 2e the set.

Love all the hints....my kids will eat up the euro store you mentioned JoanneH.

Any memorable trattorias...restaurants..etc?
My kids sayt hey want to eat pizza, gelato, pasta, bread, cheese and more gelato. They are, unfortunately, not seafood fans.

How many days/nights are needed in Venice. Realistically can it be covered in 3 nights? Remember I have 3 kids. 16/12/9

This is a B&B i stayed at in Venice a couple of years ago .It has stairs you have to go up but the owner does help you with your luggage.The rooms were very large we had a room with twin bed and a full size bed you could have put two more full size beds in room and there would still have been room.The bathroom was down the hall but it wasn't shared with anyone else.Breakast wasn't much bread and Yogart that could have been better.Owner was very nice and helpful.Easy to find since the webpage had pictures on out to get to his place.
I would stay there again ,It waas my third trip to Venice and was the nicest place i stayed and the largest.

As to three days there enought i could stay three weeks and not be bored.

www.cortecampana.com

thank you Venezia..checking it out now.

It was in Italian...sad to say i do not speak italian.

There is an option to change language at the bottom of the page andrea

thanks..will go back to it now.

Wow...looks too good to be true. The host sounds like the best part of it (Riccardo). Hope it works out. sent note regarding availability.

Thanks sam86

No problem - most websites in Italian/French/any other language have a language switch, though you may have to look for it a bit

3 nights = 2 days will just give you a sampling of Venice. Your kids will enjoy riding the vaporetto, the water bus. You can also take it to some neighboring islands in the lagoon. There's a lo-o-o-ng beach on the Lido, with public access at either end, so the kids can swim in the lagoon. And glass blowing on Murano, and lace-making on colorful Burano, all reachable by the vaporetto.

Back in Venice you can just wander around getting lost. Venice is not that big and inevitably you run into water and have to turn. Meanwhile you're seeing the backstreets of Venice, kids kicking a soccer ball in a piazza, etc. Spring for a private gondola ride or just take one on a traghetto crossing. Even with kids, I would make a point of visiting the duomo, St. Mark's, and the doge's palace (prison and bridge of sighs).

There's something fascinating about the lack of cars, boats doing all the work: taxis, garbage scows, delivery "trucks." You and your kids will really enjoy Venice. Just go as early in June as possible.

My one "must do" for Venice is to take a vaporetto #1 route (these are the bus-boats used for public transporation) that runs on the Grand Canal. it's cheap and you can't beat it for an on-the-water *tour* of central Venice.

I think 3 days/night in Venice is OK. You can't "cover" everything but you can get a taste of it. I've been there twice and stayed 5 nights but I had more time total for my trip than you do.

For finding restaurants and shopping Venice is the perfect place to just wander around and get lost exploring. Take a 'street map' but it won't be much help -haha.

My husband and I go to Venice every year for a few days. I think these restaurants would work well for a family with children:
Ae Oche: Calle Tintor or the Zattere--lots of students and
every kind of pizza imaginable. The one on the Zattere is
much larger than the other. Plus there is a big grocery
store just past it.
Taverna San Travoso: We always have at least one meal there.
It just feels like a family sort of place, and, in fact,
there are often Italian families there. Lots of pastas
and good prices. Cross the Accademia, take the first
street on the right. Follow it all the way to the canal.
Turn right at the canal and you will walk right into it.
Agli Artisti: Ruga Guiffa, the bridge off Santa Maria Formoso
with the gondoliers. Pastas and other choices.

I wrote a treasure hunt for kids in Venice - it is here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-teenagers.cfm
It might give you some ideas. And if you have the time to read it, a long trip report from our time in Venice 18 months ago:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm
Venice is good for kids - like no city that they have ever seen.

We rented the apartment below for our 3 night visit last December. There were five of us: Husband, daughter, 2 grandsons (15, 13) and me. Furio was terrific to work with and the location was great.

VRBO #182027

MelJ....do you remember the name of the place...cannot find it by vrbo.

Don't know why it won't work, but here's the web site. Forgot to mention that we were on a canal and the gondoliers actually came down it singing, which was nice since we couldn't afford to put the fam on a gondola :)

http://www.allafenice.com/

Andrea, try the www.vrbo.com again and plug in the number 182027. I just did and it came up. It has more pictures than the web site and also lists the prices, which the web site doesn't.

Haven't heard of anyone having a bad meal in Venice, so there are no "must do's" for Food - But I do recommend the Pizzaria AE Ocho. Lots of young male waiters to flirt with yoru daughters, they will like that, but the pizza is truely outstanding. Next, a lunch along the Zatere which overlooks the Giudecca Canal way, in my opinion, a high point of our trip to Venice.

For shopping you should budget several horus for the Rialto Market area, both for food and for touristy shopping, then, also just to the north of the Rialto area, across the Grand Canal is the long Strada Nova, which has lots and lots of shops of every description.

docdan...I love your recommendations. My girls WOULD love the flirty waiters. I watched a video and saw the Rialto Market. Didn't know it was more than veggies & seafood. We will definitely hit it. Is it everyday? My gals will love the Strada Nova. Thx.

MelJ....duh...I must have been 1/2 asleep. Thx again

docdan, now you have heard of someone having a bad meal in Venice. Me, on my first couple of trips!! It is very easy to get very bad food in Venice and pay a lot for it.

Andrealb: It helps to have some places in mind, although you may never find them! With children, just don't wait until everyone is starving to start looking; than can lead to a bad meal.

Forgot to say, don't over look the little places that sell pizza by the slice. They also will have paninnis and will be a good choice for lunch, if you locate one near your apartment.

With only 2 or 3 days in Venice I wouldn't plan on much outside the historic center. The other islands in the lagoon are interesting, but you'll have your hands full seeing what there is in the main part of the city in that short amount of time.

Marty...good tip. You must have kids. If we get past the point when they are just hungry...look out. I'd love any tips re: restaurant musts. I've created lists and lists of suggestions. Keep em coming! :)

Lots of corner bars have pre-made panini and tremezzini (two types of sandwiches) in a display case that are perfect to take out. These types of places actually charge more for table service to have the same sandwich or beverage seated rather than standing.

Maybe you already know this, but cafes and bars in Venice (and other places in Italy as well) have three price schedules.

Price No 1 – lowest – to drink your coffee or whatever standing at the bar. Standing is the operative word.

Price No 2 – middle – to drink your coffee sitting at an indoor table. (Tavola)

Price No 3 – highest, and frequently very high – to drink your coffee outside at a table. (Terrace?)

This can come as a shock, particularly if your children are a bit foot-sore. If you buy a drink at the bar and take it to a table, the staff will get a bit grumpy.

The tiered price level Peter describes is prevalent all over Italy, not just in Venice.

Forgot to say—if you do sit at a table, you will never be hurried out. This is also true at restaurants. Some travelers complain that it takes so long for the waiter to bring the bill. However, an Italian waiter won't bring the bill unless you ask for it.

I will risk crucifixion by many with this post – but children are children.

In Venice, there is a MacDonald’s. From Piazza San Marco, walk under the clock tower, turn right after about 20 yards into Calle Lunga San Marco. Maccas is about 50 yards on your left. Very modest Golden Arches sign.

You can sit down there without risking higher prices.

We stay in this apartment in Venice (have stayed there for some weeks, so it is a considered recommendation. We are staying there again this Christmas – Nov 20th to Jan 19th. Apartment sleeps four, and I note that you are five. But a portable bed might be a possibility – the owner could advise. She lives in San Francisco.

Location is OK, 20 minutes walk to San Marco, ditto to Rialto, and it is easy to find. Kitchen works well, and there’s an outside terrace that is pleasant. Supermarket is close by, plus a pizza place.
I’m not sure that the prices listed on the web site are still correct.
http://realvenicevacationflats.com/

Peter_S_Aus,

The McDonald's near San Marco was shut down last spring when I was there - much to the locals' delight. As I understand it, it had to do with too many complaints over the restaurant not doing much to assist in keeping the streets free of food wrappers in the vicinity.

There another location, on the Strada Nova in Cannaregio, just off the alley from the Ca'd'Oro vaporetto stop.