Snickles

Sprending three days in Venice. Recommendation on things to do
Cruising for a week and need to get to Rome. Hotel by Vatican. Need help with what train station to get on at cruise port in Venice and which train station to get off at in Rome.

PalenQ

Venice's Cruise Ship station is a short People Mover ride to a station a short walk to the train station, call Santa Lucia or S.L. in many schedules and you can take train direct to Rome Termini, the main train station in Rome with metro and tram/bus and taxi connections all over the city. Book tickets way early for sweet discounts at www.trenoitalia.com or www.trenitalia.com - two competing railways using similar trains rolling over same tracks to the same stations - take whatever is cheapest IMO. For lots on trains check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Jean

You have more options at the Rome end. You can train to Roma Termini and take a taxi or public transportation to your hotel. But depending on the location of your "hotel at Vatican," you might want to go first to either the Roma Termini station or the Roma Tiburtina station and then change trains to one going to the Roma S. Pietro station which is located about 750 meters south of Piazza San Pietro.

When you search trains, you need to use only Italian spellings: Venezia S. Lucia, Roma Termini, Roma Tiburtina, Roma S. Pietro. If you search from Venezia S. Lucia to Roma S. Pietro, the website will show you the connection.

https://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

tuscanlifeedit

It's hard to recommend things to do in Venice based on no idea of what you like. Go to Destinations at the top of this page, or look at guidebooks.

Many people just like to walk about and get lost. Many like to hit as many art or history sites as they can. Some even go for things like gondola rowing or mask making. What do you like?

After several trips to Venice there are still some things I haven't done and would like to do. You can sort of throw a dart and land on something fascinating.

On the other hand, one of my oldest friends has been there once, hated having to take boats (even a water taxi) and didn't go in a single church, palazzo or museum. She didn't have a good time.

PalenQ

Yes you can take a train to Rome S Pietro station but see where you hotel is - if it is a bit east of that station you could have quite a walk - if taking taxi maybe Rome Tiburtina would be better as lots of taxis there not sure about S Pietro - but if that station is close to your hotel OK. Transferring to a potentially crowded commuter train also may not be much fun. Tiburtina is a much less chaotic station than Termini - easier to navigate. Can take metro from there to Vatican area.

Jean

The Metro stations are north of Vatican City, so yes it all depends on the hotel location.

There is Metro service to the Vatican area from both Tiburtina and Termini. If you come from Tiburtina, you'd have to change at Termini from the B line to the A line.

https://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=4

If you decided to take a taxi, the Termini station is closer than Tiburtina to Vatican City. There are taxis at the San Pietro station.

annhig

are you staying on the cruise ship in Venice, snickles - or in a hotel? I'm not really au fait with cruise ships but do they not provide excursions? or are you preferring to do your own exploring all the time, which would be my choice, and yours by the sound of it, but you can get an idea of what there is to see on a first stay by seeing what the cruise company offers.

As Tuscanlifeedit says, what you should aim to do depends very much on your likes and dislikes. But it would be difficult to go to Venice and not to do some of the standard things - the inside of the Basilica di San Marco [free, takes 10 minutes, but can get busy so you can pre-book your slot] the Doge's palace which will give you an idea of the history of Venice and the power it once exercised, a trip down the grand canal on a vaporetto [both day and night time].

Some slightly quirky things that I like to do - an early morning visit to the Rialto fish market, a gelato on the Zattere, afternoon tea with what must be the best view in Venice in the cafe of the Museo Correr in the NW corner of Piazza San Marco, [no charge to go into the cafe but I do like the museum too] taking the vaporetto over to the isola di San Giorgio and going up the campanile there [cheaper and less crowded than the one in San Marco], getting the vaporetto out to Burano then hopping onto the ferry to Torcello and visiting the ancient Basilica at the end of the canal to see the mosaics. These are my favourites, but I'm sure you you can find your own.

And of course there is wandering around and getting lost and stopping in a bar and having "un'ombra" [a glass of wine] and cicchetti [little snacks on bread, a bit like tapas, pronounced "chicketti"]. Perfetto.

whitehall

Some people prefer printed guidebooks, but simply google three days in Venice, and you will have more than enough choices. Once you find some things that appeal, you can drill down further (check hours of an interesting museum, etc.). Have fun. Venice can be very crowded but there are places where you can get away, and I believe it's one of those places everyone should see once.

Snickles

I will be staying in Venice for three days. Head to cruise ship. Ncl. After the cruise I will be heading to Rome. Thanks for helping.

annhig

ok, I get it now, Snickles.

a few more questions if I may - [not being nosy, just trying to tailor any advice to your exact situation]

Have you booked your hotel in Venice yet? where is it? and how are you arriving in Venice? Plane into Marco Polo Airport?