venice and verona
Jan 29th, 2009, 05:51 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
venice and verona
we would like to hear from someone who has traveled in italy in the venice and verona area...if weland in milano can we rent a car and get to those areas and back to milano in one week?all suggested itineraies are greatly appreciated.
Jan 29th, 2009, 06:10 AM
#2
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes you can - Google Maps or viamichelin.com will show you the distances.
But why rent a car? Take the airport bus into Milano, it goes to the Centrale station, then take trains.
In cities like Verona, and especially in Venice where there are no streets (only canals) a car is useless.
Train schedules at www.ferroviedellostato.it - Venice has two stations, you want Santa Lucia down by the canals, not Mestre up on the industrial mainland.
But why rent a car? Take the airport bus into Milano, it goes to the Centrale station, then take trains.
In cities like Verona, and especially in Venice where there are no streets (only canals) a car is useless.
Train schedules at www.ferroviedellostato.it - Venice has two stations, you want Santa Lucia down by the canals, not Mestre up on the industrial mainland.
Jan 29th, 2009, 06:43 AM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes you can - Google Maps or viamichelin.com will show you the distances.
There are not many itinerary choices in that short a time. If that week includes your travel time, then you hgave less, because you lose a day in going over (assuming you come from North America like most Fodorites?).
Verona for a night on arrival in Italy, then the next morning check out, leave our bags with the hotel staff or at the train station (luggage storage = Deposito Bagagli), explore Verona, at the end of the second day go to Venice, stay a few nights, back to Milano the day before your flight and that's about it.
But why rent a car? Take the airport bus into Milano, it goes to the Centrale station, then take trains.
In cities like Verona (1:22 hr from Milano by train) , and especially in Venice (1:11 hr from Verona) where there are no streets (only canals) a car is useless.
Train schedules are at www.ferroviedellostato.it - Venice has two stations, you want Santa Lucia down by the canals, not Mestre up on the industrial mainland.
The fast trains like those from Milano Centrale (which is the most important train hub of all of Northern Italy) to Venice all come with reserved seats, a bit like on most airlines.
You can book tickets online in advance - no longer than 60 days out - but in a case where you fly in from overseas and can't really be sure just how punctual your arrival will be, you might as well just take that bus to the station and go buy your ticket there. Then you'll know what train you're on, in which carriage number and in which seat numbers.
Second class is very spiffy, no need to spring for first which only buys you a little extra space and maybe a free newspaper you can't read anyway...
Those trains rarely sell out completely, and they run frequently. If you have a bit of a wait, you can stash your bags with the gents at the luggage service window called Deposito Bagagli, on the same (upper) level as the trains. Then go outside, down the steps, there are restaurants in the streets surrounding the station, maybe a leg stretch and a snack will be a good thing after the flight?
Use an ATM to withdraw some Euros - before you leave home, tell your bank where you're going and on what dates, so their security system won't block the transaction from overseas. Also have them increase the daily withdrawal limit. European banks don't charge a transaction fee, but your bank probably will charge a few bucks for every ATM transaction, so don't take out 20 Euros every few minutes...
Also notify your credit company about your trip.
Then back at the station you watch the big display board for your train - the track number (binario) is the last column - when it is displayed, head for it - the tracks all end at the same big concourse.
Stick your ticket into a yellow box like you see others do near the platform access (it validates it with a timestamp - don't forget) and find your carriage number (numbers are easily visible near the doors) and your seats.
Piece of cake and peace of mind - thousands do it every hour.
Many trains go all the way down the causeway to Venezia Santa Lucia, but if you get a good fast train that stops only in Mestre - no problem, simply switch to the local train that runs down to Santa Lucia, they leave many times an hour.
When you come out of the Santa Lucia station, down those famous broad steps, you are right at the Grand Canal, and most of the vaporetto lines (the boat buses) stop right there. Orient yourselves in advance about the location of your hotel and which vaporetto gets you there - the website is www.actv.it, and your hotel will have info for you I presume.
You could take a water taxi, of course, but it will cost a bunch extra. Water taxis are small fast boats that can go into small canals where the big vaporetti don't go, so that can be an advantage, at a price, of course.
Use Google Maps and www.viamichelin.com a lot - print out detailed map sectoins, and take a little compass with you from home (from the sports sections at Target and K-Mart etc.), it helps on an overcast day and after dark.
Hope this
There are not many itinerary choices in that short a time. If that week includes your travel time, then you hgave less, because you lose a day in going over (assuming you come from North America like most Fodorites?).
Verona for a night on arrival in Italy, then the next morning check out, leave our bags with the hotel staff or at the train station (luggage storage = Deposito Bagagli), explore Verona, at the end of the second day go to Venice, stay a few nights, back to Milano the day before your flight and that's about it.
But why rent a car? Take the airport bus into Milano, it goes to the Centrale station, then take trains.
In cities like Verona (1:22 hr from Milano by train) , and especially in Venice (1:11 hr from Verona) where there are no streets (only canals) a car is useless.
Train schedules are at www.ferroviedellostato.it - Venice has two stations, you want Santa Lucia down by the canals, not Mestre up on the industrial mainland.
The fast trains like those from Milano Centrale (which is the most important train hub of all of Northern Italy) to Venice all come with reserved seats, a bit like on most airlines.
You can book tickets online in advance - no longer than 60 days out - but in a case where you fly in from overseas and can't really be sure just how punctual your arrival will be, you might as well just take that bus to the station and go buy your ticket there. Then you'll know what train you're on, in which carriage number and in which seat numbers.
Second class is very spiffy, no need to spring for first which only buys you a little extra space and maybe a free newspaper you can't read anyway...
Those trains rarely sell out completely, and they run frequently. If you have a bit of a wait, you can stash your bags with the gents at the luggage service window called Deposito Bagagli, on the same (upper) level as the trains. Then go outside, down the steps, there are restaurants in the streets surrounding the station, maybe a leg stretch and a snack will be a good thing after the flight?
Use an ATM to withdraw some Euros - before you leave home, tell your bank where you're going and on what dates, so their security system won't block the transaction from overseas. Also have them increase the daily withdrawal limit. European banks don't charge a transaction fee, but your bank probably will charge a few bucks for every ATM transaction, so don't take out 20 Euros every few minutes...
Also notify your credit company about your trip.
Then back at the station you watch the big display board for your train - the track number (binario) is the last column - when it is displayed, head for it - the tracks all end at the same big concourse.
Stick your ticket into a yellow box like you see others do near the platform access (it validates it with a timestamp - don't forget) and find your carriage number (numbers are easily visible near the doors) and your seats.
Piece of cake and peace of mind - thousands do it every hour.
Many trains go all the way down the causeway to Venezia Santa Lucia, but if you get a good fast train that stops only in Mestre - no problem, simply switch to the local train that runs down to Santa Lucia, they leave many times an hour.
When you come out of the Santa Lucia station, down those famous broad steps, you are right at the Grand Canal, and most of the vaporetto lines (the boat buses) stop right there. Orient yourselves in advance about the location of your hotel and which vaporetto gets you there - the website is www.actv.it, and your hotel will have info for you I presume.
You could take a water taxi, of course, but it will cost a bunch extra. Water taxis are small fast boats that can go into small canals where the big vaporetti don't go, so that can be an advantage, at a price, of course.
Use Google Maps and www.viamichelin.com a lot - print out detailed map sectoins, and take a little compass with you from home (from the sports sections at Target and K-Mart etc.), it helps on an overcast day and after dark.
Hope this
Jan 29th, 2009, 07:51 AM
#5
We just returned from both and have a posted trip report - you may want to take a look.
I agree with the others that a car is not worth the hassle and expense. You wouldn't need one in Verona and can't use it in Venice. Take the bus from the airport to the central station in Milan. They run several per hour and it only costs 7 Euro. There are plenty of daily trains to both cities.
I agree with the others that a car is not worth the hassle and expense. You wouldn't need one in Verona and can't use it in Venice. Take the bus from the airport to the central station in Milan. They run several per hour and it only costs 7 Euro. There are plenty of daily trains to both cities.
Jan 29th, 2009, 08:00 AM
#7
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 479
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We travelled to Venice and Verona
in 2007 without a car. The train is very convenient to travel most parts of Italy. I cannot imagine using a car there.
We especially enjoyed using Verona as a base for day trips by train to
Padua, Vicenza, Trento and Belaggio.
Each was interesting and easily reached from the main station in Verona.
Pat
in 2007 without a car. The train is very convenient to travel most parts of Italy. I cannot imagine using a car there.
We especially enjoyed using Verona as a base for day trips by train to
Padua, Vicenza, Trento and Belaggio.
Each was interesting and easily reached from the main station in Verona.
Pat
Jan 29th, 2009, 08:56 AM
#8
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,965
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've driven to both.
One expensive and time-consuming lesson was driving to Venice and parking there.
The better way is to park on the mainland and catch a train for the short leg into Venice. It's cheaper, faster and more secure. It also will save time collecting your car when you leave Venice.
If you are only going to cities, trains are the better option.
For just those destinations, a week is plenty. I might do Verona 2 nights, Venice 2 nights and Lake Como 2 nights. It's a fairly long drive. You could shorten Verona to one night since the center is pretty easy to cover and spend and extra night in either Venice or Lake Como.
One expensive and time-consuming lesson was driving to Venice and parking there.
The better way is to park on the mainland and catch a train for the short leg into Venice. It's cheaper, faster and more secure. It also will save time collecting your car when you leave Venice.
If you are only going to cities, trains are the better option.
For just those destinations, a week is plenty. I might do Verona 2 nights, Venice 2 nights and Lake Como 2 nights. It's a fairly long drive. You could shorten Verona to one night since the center is pretty easy to cover and spend and extra night in either Venice or Lake Como.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
wendysuebob
Europe
18
Nov 25th, 2010 05:53 PM
meowmeow
Europe
9
May 12th, 2010 05:58 AM
ciaodeb
Europe
6
Jul 18th, 2008 02:47 AM
