sueger

Two couples will be spending 2 nights in Venice next June. Would love some ideas of things we should definitely see and do in that short time. We will be staying in the Cannaregio area. Thank you.

annhig

Where will you be travelling from Sueger? And what time do you arrive and leave?

sueger

We are travelling from Ljubljana on June 15th and will arrive I would think mid afternoon. We fly out of Venice on the 17th at noon.

pariswat

Just get lost !
Really. Go into the maze of the city and love the places you end up in.

If you have too much time go to Burano for half a day.

michele_d

Just roam around aimlessly. You cannot get lost. Look up high on the bldgs for the street signs. Find an out of the way place to grab a bite to eat. Take a vaporetto ride on the canal in the evening to see the beautiful lit bldgs. Hop off at any stop...grab dessert somewhere. Head out early in the morning and visit the Rialto Market. Head down the side streets. Take a break, sit in a plaza, watch the kids kick around the soccer ball. Soak it all in. Avoid the Rialto bridge during the day when the mobs of tourists are there. Stroll through St Mark's Square in the evening, watch the battle of the bands.

annhig

So you really have a day and two ¼ days, which isn't a lot but OTOH you won't be suffering from jet lag.

On your first evening I suggest heading for the nearest vaporetto stop on the grand canal and hop on the no 1 down to Piazza San Marco, and enjoy what Napoleon called the greatest drawing room in the world. Visit the Basilica [it only takes about 10 minutes to see the main part of the building] and you cannot help but be impressed by its mosaics and atmosphere. As it's June, it would be nice to eat somewhere by the water so I suggest doing your research between then and now and finding somewhere roughly between San Marco and your hotel where you would like to eat - getting there and then getting back to where you are staying will mean that you see quite a lot of Venice!

The next morning, if you can manage to get up in time, I suggest going to the Rialto market and seeing the fish, fruit and veg on offer. Of course you may already have seen something like that on your travels in which case you can afford to get there a bit later. Then take a walk through the back streets of Venice, heading for the Zattere - the long canal-side walkway at the south of the the Sestriere of Dorsoduro. Walk east along the Zattere, past the Academia, right to the end where there is a fantastic view of the basin of Venice - the grand canal to your left, the Doge's palace and granary ahead of you, and the Palladian churches of San Giorgio and Il Redentore to your right. [I'm assuming that you will stop for drinks and meals as required].

From here you could cross over to San Giorgio and go up the campanile to get a view over Venice - just as good as the one in San Marco but shorter queues and it's cheaper. or visit the Academia or the Guggenheim collection if you fancy some art.

By now you will be tired so you will probably want to go back to your hotel for a rest - so you could then get the vaporetto back up the Grand canal, [so you get a different view from the one you had the day before].

In the evening you might want to explore the area around where you are staying and eat in a different area - again some research would be good before you arrive.

The next morning you could head for the Church of the Jesuiti which is not far from Cannaregio to admire the wonderful "curtains", or perhaps by then you will have your own ideas of how to fill your last 2 hours or so - always a difficult time to fill i think.

Have a wonderful time, whatever you decide to do.

sueger

Thanks for all your ideas..I especially love the "get lost' comment!! Everything sounds wonderful and I will continue to do homework. No-one mentioned the gondola rides..are they a must do or must stay away from? Vaporetto rides seem a good idea..I'll check that out.

pariswat

Gondolas.
First time in Venice I found too expensive and haggled the price. Didn't reach an agreement so refused

My wife mad me come back because she wanted her gondola ride.
I got 20 pc rebate and pretended to be happy.
It was a real great moment.

Don't be as daft as I am and just go for it !
Great time ! A must do for sure.

StCirq

I wouldn't call the vaporetti "rides." It's a crowded, somewhat frantic way to get from point A to point B and pretty much your only cheap way of transportation around the city. Still, you go by endless points of interest and...you're in Venice!...so it's all an adventure.

I did a gondola ride decades ago and enjoyed it. I think now I'd be overcome with the smarm and the costumery and the prices.

jelopez33

Hi Sueger!

I agree that vaporetti can be a crowded experience, as St.Cirq sad, BUT f you can manage to take the vaporetto at Piazzale Roma, 8 a.m. or so, it can be empty and you can enjoy the most beautiful ride from P.Roma to San Marco, or go even further to the Lido, and return to San Marco.

You will enjoy anything you do....no doubt.

Enjoy!

isabel

I was in Venice last March for just a little longer than you are going to be there. I wrote about what you can see in Venice if you only have about a day.

http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/201...italy-in-march

vincenzo32951

If you take the "getting lost" advice, somewhere in the middle of it you're going to ask yourself, "What was I thinking?" probably about the 3rd time you run into a canal at the end of an alley with nowhere else to go except to retrace your steps.

With that small amount of time, you should carefully plan your days and nights.

michele_d

<With that small amount of time, you should carefully plan your days and nights.>

I think you would probably regret this. You will miss out on the real Venice. Sure, plan to see some of the super touristy spots but then allow time to get lost and explore. Venice is so much more than the tourist spots. Hopefully the OP will get to enjoy just a little of the 'real' Venice.

bvlenci

I agree that one of the best things to do in Venice is just get lost. I've several times taken visiting friends and relatives there for very short trips, even for day trips from my home, which is over six hours round trip. Even on the shortest trip we've made time for getting lost, and had some memorable experiences. Once we happened upon a graduation party (in Italy, it's really a thesis defense party) in a little square. We once saw a family moving house, with a gondola moving "van". And at Carnevale, we happened on a neighborhood party in costume, far from the crowds.

In addition to Annhig's suggestions, I'd add the Ca'Rezzonico and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. The Ca'Rezzonico is a sumptuous palace with a gilded grand ballroom. It also has a nice art collection. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco was the headquarters of one of a number of fraternal organizations. It's lavishly decorated with paintings by Tintoretto.

San Marco, in high season, often has a long wait to get in. I'm a great admirer of mosaics, so the wait was worth it for me, but if there's a long queue and you're not into golden mosaics, you might want to move on.

annhig

Nice ideas, bvl. Regarding San Marco, I was hoping that by the time the OP got there, the crowds might well have dispersed, but I don't actually know what time the hordes return to their cruise boats and coaches so there's no guarantee. you can book in advance of course, if you can work out what time you can definitely get there:

https://www.venetoinside.com/attract...arks-basilica/

vincenzo32951

>>I think you would probably regret this. You will miss out on the real Venice. Venice is so much more than the tourist spots.<<

Yes, mistakenly wandering down a dead-end alley in the dark is the real Venice. Why does careful planning = tourist spots? You mean, designing your own walking tour obligates one to see tourist spots? Would you be less likely to "happen upon" something interesting if you plotted out a walking tour of, say, the Dorsoduro?

annhig

I tend to agree with you here, V. In fact I think you are more likely to end up at the tourist hot spots if you wander around aimlessly rather than having a plan. When you are lost in Venice there are directions painted in large white letters on the corners of buildings for you to follow but if you do that, you end up with the rest of the hordes all heading in the same direction.

If you're going to get lost deliberately, I suggest doing so in Cannaregio or Castello where tourist numbers are lower. That's how we came across the Church of the Jesuiti which I mentioned above but there are many more gems waiting for you to discover them.

PalenQ

Yes to all the just get lost (not hard!) off the beaten track between train station/Pza Roma bus depot and car park and cruise ship people-mover depot -between that busy area and St Mark's Square - a thronged gauntlet elbow to elbow practically at times.

But most day tourists and bus groups, etc rarely get off that track and there is so much of Venice that sees relatively few tourists and these are sublimely nice -especially so in the far eastern end of the main island.

Must do - take a vaporetto up and down the Grand' Canale during the day and especially at night - so so surrealistically beautiful with all the faed-pastel hued palazzos slipping by so quietly.

bvlenci

Well, I agree that it's a bad idea to wander aimlessly in the dark. I didn't have that in mind.

The vaporetto on the Grand Canal, as someone else said, can be unbearably crowded in high season. Very early or very late would be the best times to do this.