We are thinking about taking a cruise out of Venice for 6 nights in July. Got a great flight from boston arriving early and staying 3 nights. We are not big siteseeing people but love the beach, relaxing and great dinners. Can we find this here or are we better off spending the 3 nights elsewhere? Does Venice have any decent beaches? Thanks for you input.

I would have thought that Venice might be exactly the worst place for you to be. Great dinners are probably available at great prices, I am not aware of any good beaches nearby, and in terms of tourist numbers, I would think Venice in July would be as far from relaxing as possible.

No beaches, but you might consider the Italian lakes for relaxation and scenery. Lake Garda is 90 minutes from Venice by train.

No - Venice doesn't have good beaches. The beaches are on the Lido - a separate island from the center of Venice and while they are not awful for Europe (at least they're sand versus rocks or pebbles) they are not very pleasant and the water isn't very fresh. (Canal water is a hotbed of germs, esp in the summer - due to it's use as a highway and the fact that a lot of refuse and even dead animals are thrown in - and may end up long-term in small back waters.

And IMHO Venice is the one place in Italy where the food can be problematic - since the tourists (who will often eat anything) so out number the locals (who are naturally much more particular).

That said - I love Venice - but I'm a history freak who loves every old building, church and museums. And while we enjoy eating - even here - we;ve made up our minds that it's more difficult there - and we typically spend much more than we do other places.

So while we love Venice - I don;t knot that it provides what you're looking for - which sounds more like an exclusive beach resort.

Thank you for your honesty.

Venice is one of the most beautiful, unique and enjoyable places in the world. It is wonderful to wander about and has wonderful sightseeing destinations, museums, churches. What it is not is exactly what you are looking for.

Italy doesn't have great beaches but it does have great food. Find a nearby destination such as the lakes, Bologna, etc. to spend your 3 days. You should get a taste of resort life on the cruise.

See also the answers on your other thread. (Why did you repost an identical question?)

Lido di Jesolo is a gorgeous boat-ride and a longish bus-ride from San Marco (there is also a direct bus from the airport). It is a great beach, and miles long. It is a popular resort for Austrians and Italians. It's modern (no Venetian atmosphere) but it is a lively resort; there is fantastic pizza, lots of reasonably priced seafood, and great gelato. Venice, though, is a significant daytrip (Burano and Murano are also easy to get to - - but you still have that longish bus ride before you get to the boat). Lido di Venezia, on the other hand, has a beach that people say is "dirty" because the sand looks muddier, but it is great for swimming (less so for casual lazing); it is 15 minutes from San Marco. Personally, I love it - - although everybody tends to deride it - - and have stayed on Lido literally a dozen times; the food, and the gelato, are not as consistently good as at Jesolo, but it is a very pleasant, Italian-family oriented resort. I love the colors, the atmosphere, and the people. If you don't think of it as "Venice" then it is a little bit of heaven.

>>>caroline_edinburgh on Oct 23, 12 at 10:54am
See also the answers on your other thread. (Why did you repost an identical question?)<<<

I think the OP's post just simply double-posted as often happens on Fodor's (exact same post at the same time).

Here's the other thread to keep them together.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...y-455840-3.cfm