How many days should I alocate for our stay next year?

I spent 5 nights which included my arrival day... didn't have time to see Murano, Burano, etc. But, I did see probably much more of the great sites that most visitors wouldn't even think of seeing.

Mimi, that all depends on YOU. Some people think a week is barely enough for a first visit. Others can get away with a few days. You have to explain more about your travel style and places you have been before - what you liked, disliked, spent time on - to get a good answer for that one. Also, if you have never been to Italy before and have only ten days, I wouldn't recommend spending seven of them in Venice, you know?

I think Andrew is right, in that it depends so much on what sort of things you like to see or experience when you travel. In four days, you can see the “big ticket” sights in Venice – San Marco, Doge Palace, Grand Canal via vaporetto, several churches, walk along the Zattere, cross the Rialto Bridge, check out the Rialto markets. That is just scratching the surface, though.

Some people spend less time there, and are satisfied with what they’ve seen, happy that they’ve “done” or “hit” Venice. Others have spent ages in Venice, and the more often they visit, the more they want to visit. Franco has spent the equivalent of a year in Venice, and I’ve spent a couple of months. And we’ll both be returning.

I think that if you spend five nights, you won’t run out of things to see, sights to amaze you, little corners of the Venetian treasure chest. And your kids will have a ball – Venice is a great city for kids. No traffic, no street crime, the opportunity to be free spirited visitors.

I wrote a Venetian treasure hunt – it’s here, and might be fun for your kids. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-teenagers.cfm

Thanks everybody.
We just came back from a 2 months trip in Europe, 31 days in Italy.
We want to hit now what we couldn't on this trip.

I spent 7 nights this past June and loved it! It was my 6th visit to Venice. You can click on my name to find my journal.

Read up on the sights and decide for yourself how many days you want. There are plenty of places for day trips too.

Monica

I would suggest a bare minimum of 4 days to see the major sites and get a feel for the area...more if you can!

Monica,
I read your report and I saw some of your pictures also.
What kind of camera do you have? I promised myself to bring a better camera next year.

Absolute minimum of four full days. You really should tell us where else you are going and what you like to do....are you interested in art, for example?