Venice itinerary check ... 4 1/2 days over Christmas ... THANKS!!
 

Ok, think I am getting this done, good thing, as we leave in a week! Family of four, two teen sons 16 and 18 ... I appreciate any tips, recommendations, and warnings!! :) In general, we like good food, would not say "foodies" but enjoy a good, if casual (read: hole in the wall) setting. Don't need fancy. Want to see major sites, taking advantage of weather when able, doing more museums when not. Kids both into photography.

Sunday Dec 22

Arrive into Milan at 9am, (another post handles transfers, but planning to...) arrive at apartment near San Samuele (SM) by 3pm, having bought transportation passes in route. Would love to buy groceries somewhere nearby! Need dinner reservation nearby, low key evening, surely will wander around Saint Marks square.

Dinner ? near home?

MONDAY DEC 23

10:45 Secret Itineraries Tour (booked directly). Not sure where to meet?? Beforehand we will buy Family Museum Pass at Correr Museum. St Marks - Doges Palace (self tour) - S.I., perhaps do Bell Tower? Late lunch east of SM in Castello area (ideas??) and walk along Grande Canal to Arsenal (if time and weather allows). Take vaporetto to Ca' Rezzonica BY 3:30 to see Ca' Rezzonica (closes at 5, no entry after 4, closed Tuesday).

Lunch: Wildner?
Dinner: around Ca' Rezzonica?

TUESDAY DEC 24

Rialto market first thing ... Lunch cicchetti at (Alla Ciurma, All Arco, Sacro e Profano, Do Mori)
After lunch, wander towards Frari and Scuola G. di San Rocco, (see). Depending on weather and time, perhaps do Accademie. Dinner reservation near home somewhere (still looking, as Christmas eve...doesn't need to be fancy!). Midnight mass at SM.

Lunch: cicchetti as above
Dinner: near home (San Samuele V. stop)

WEDNESDAY DEC 25

Christmas Day...I hear there is a concert in San Polo area, anyone?? Thinking of a gondola ride starting around C' d Ora and going under San Stefano at low tide (someone here recommended this!). Wander. Perhaps toward Cannaregio and see what is open in the Ghetto area? Or, wander around eastern Castello, via Garibaldi area? Perhaps an evening boat ride (line 1) down length of Grande Canal.

Lunch: open. Cafe Florian for something special? are jackets required? hear they close at 2.
Dinner: Somewhere in Ghetto that might be open??

DECEMBER 26, THURSDAY

I realize this is a holiday, but in general, seems most is open.

Depending again on the weather, if nice? (read, not raining) do the islands of Burano and Torcello. Hear to skip Murano, and with limited daylight, might be a good idea. Not planning on doing tours, just seeing the place, eating a good meal, seeing the sites. And the cats on Torcello! QUESTION. what do I do first? any good recommendations for food on either?

Take the long way back via Punta Scibbioni, S. Erasmo and Lido, ending at Accademie BY 4:30pm at the latest. Do Accademie, open til 7, then dinner in the area.

(((if the weather stinks, day will be spent doing Accademie, Ca' d Ora, etc)))

Lunch: either on Torcello or Burano
Dinner: near Accademie....LAST NIGHT IN VENICE!!!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 27

Train to Rome, no reservation, but leaving early.

One place I can recommend near San Samuele is Trattoria da Fiore (not the more expensive Osteria da Fiore). Little place with decent food, not expensive, has cicchetti.

Another bad weather option near you: Palazzo Grassi. It's a modern-art museum that the kids might enjoy as a change of pace from the typical. In fact, I'd go there instead of the Accademia, which is filled with dark, heavy art. But maybe that's just a matter of taste.

Burano/Torcello: I think you'd want to go directly to Burano first, do your sightseeing, then go to Torcello. If memory serves, there's a boat every half hour or so between the islands.

We really enjoyed the Peggy Guggenheim museum near the accademia if you have time.

vincenzo, great rec. got it on my map!! Grassi is a great idea, need bad weather back ups, for sure. Yes, the art can get overdone, the heavy dark stuff, and we are headed to Rome, so that is an option, and thanks for the order on the islands. Eliz, another good idea. plenty of back up for weather, altho bars and restaurants are always enjoyable, too.

Assume you are styaing some days in Rome.

If not - and this is a flight from Rome I don;t think it's safe to leave in the AM from Venice - way too many ways for delays to cause a missed flight.

As for the islands - we love Torcello and would do that first - given decent weather.

I would never suggest to friends to visit Burano or Torcello in winter. NEVER. There is SO MUCH to see and do in and around the heart of Venice, 4 days will disappear very quickly. To each her own.

NYC, I know, four days is a blink of the eye. I read "sample itineraries" for over 3-4 days and they suggest a trip to Verona, et al. GEEZ! But, I think getting out in a boat, and seeing the other islands could be interesting to the kids. Would love to know your suggestions that I don't cover??

nyt, yes, we are staying 9 days in Rome, so whenever we get there is fine, would like before dark. Glad to hear you love Torcello. Anything in particular there? To eat or see??

I've been to Torcello several times. I have a friend who lives there and owns waterfront property. I don't mean to insult anybody, but I fail to see why people get so excited about the place. Yes, there are a few things to see, but very few. You can Google Images of Torcello and basically see all that there is. From a photographic perspective, I don't find the place visually stimulating or compelling at all.

Burano could be a must-see in warmer weather because the place is so alive with color and everyone is outdoors. On a cold, cloudy, windy, winter day, Burano is asleep, and the colors don't excite as much.

Visiting both places by boat will steal a large chunk of the day from your very short visit to Venice. Those boat rides could be freezing cold, which gives me the chills just thinking about it.

Some of Venice's most famous glass artisans still work in factories on Murano. A lot of people get sucked into bad tours, but if you know who to visit, watching the work of a true glass artist can be fascinating to people of all ages. And you won't be stuck out in the cold. Still, it took me years of visits to finally explore Murano. Going there with only 4-days on the schedule would never occur to me.

I've sent a lot of friends with kids to Venice. I've even taken my own teenaged nieces and nephews. Venice is itself a most fascinating place, with endless things to explore. Given a 4-day visit, it makes no sense to me to leave it, because nothing else in the area offers quite the same impact.

NYC, well put. It would sure help to take it off the list, and stick to the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal, and a gondola ride (16year old must do!) Some things (Ca d'Ora, etc) were getting a bit crowded off the list. I think we will skip it. Please let me know any must do's, other than the obvious.