Have 3 days in Venice. First trip to Europe looking for any suggestions. Thank you

When?

What do you want to see/do while you're there?

If you're looking for a hotel recommendation, what's your budget?

Are you traveling alone?

Where are you going before and after Venice? How are you arriving and departing... plane, train or car?

$200.00 per night, with my wife, flying into Venice or Milan. Will rent a car and drive to Stuttgart for business meetings. Thank you for taking some time to help!

Have you looked at the travel cost and the travel time for renting a car in Venice and driving to Stuttgart? If this is a no go, the recommendations might be very different from what you started asking.

Frankly, renting a car just to drive to Germany seems like a foolish, money and time time-wasting idea but to each their very own.

You will pay a huge penalty to drop off a car in a different countey.
Venice is magical; what interests you?

Just curious as to why Venice for your first trip to Europe. Also why driving to Stuttgart? When are you going? $200/night should find you a decent 3 star hotel in Venice.

If you can't fly into Venice, I wouldn't go there. Malpensa Airport to the Venice Santa Lucia train station takes 4 hours, and then you have to get to your hotel. You could be looking at close to 6 hours from the time you land to when you're in your hotel room.

If it's Malpensa, three days on Lake Como would be a nice alternative, although you still haven't mentioned what time of year...

If Venice Airport and you have a few days between Venice and Stuttgart, you could pick up a car in Venice as you're leaving, drive through the Dolomites, drop the car in Bressanone or Bolzano and then train to Stuttgart. You might get hit with a one-way car rental surcharge, but it won't be anything like the charge for renting in one country and dropping in another.

To see what your hotel options are in Venice with that budget at the time of your trip, do a search on www.booking.com. Once you have a short list, come back to see if anyone has experience at those properties.

Thanks everyone! Traveling late October and want to drive through the countryside and see the Alps. Need to be in Stuttgart for meetings then driving or train to Annecy France for a day of meetings. Have always wanted to see N. Italy and Venice seems like a good place to start? Love to hear your thoughts.

Yes, many people like to drive. Have you actually computed the travel time and cost, and are they acceptable to you?

Venice to Stuttgart is about 9 hours without stopping. Stuttgart to Annecy is about 7 hours without stopping. Unless you and your car can travel this long without rest stops or meal breaks, neither are realistic travel times.

You mentioned "to Annecy France for a day of meetings." Are you thinking making of this a day trip from Stuttgart?

How much time do you have to travel each segment?

Greg, The cost to drive isn't so bad, but as you said, the time and distance may be too great. Not dead set on Venice either. We will have three days of free time to go and see anything, just need to be in Stuttgart on Sunday night for Monday and Tuesday meetings. Then we go to Annecy for another day of meetings then fly back to the states. Thanks for the help!

I think you have a real time/distance issue here. I have been to neither Stuttgart or Annecy but they are not close to each other and Stuttgart is not close to anyplace I would go for my first trip to Europe. I think you can fly into most major tourist destinations in Europe than fly to Stuttgart. Venice would be fine but only if you are flying into Venice. Train to Annecy than depart via Geneva to home?