Estram

Here is my final Itinerary for our quick stay in Venice. I would appreciate any feedback as I do not have a strong grasp on the layout of Venice or the distance between locations.

Day 1: (Friday)
11:30 AM arrive at Marco Polo Airport from the US
12:30 (is this enough time to collect luggage and get to where we need to board?) Either water bus or water taxi (there are 3 children and 3 adults ) recommendations here are welcome, I am not sure how or where to reserve these services.
1:30 arrive at our apartment (Castello area)
4:00 Skip the line tickets to the Bell Tower
Explore some neighborhoods (suggestions welcome) , eat dinner (what area, slightly off the beaten path, should I look for a restaurant) and head back to St. Mark's to hear the bands battle.

Day 2: (Saturday)
Rialto Market
Rialto Bridge
Hop on a vaporetto and head to Burano and then Torcello (thinking that in the order we may encounter less crowds)
Head back and rest in the apartment before heading out for dinner (location suggestions please) and exploring, possibly visit St. Marks again.

Day 3: (Sunday)
Pre buy tickets to Doge's Palace
Head over to Jewish Ghetto and explore Cannaregio area
Shop and wonder around Dorsoduro
Sunset cruise up the Grand Canal on a vaparetto

Day4: (Monday)
11:30 Skip the line tickets to St. Mark's Basilica and join an English Speaking tour ( which I am struggling to book because the website to do so is in Italian and I can't seem to switch it to English).
Possibly tour the museum and treasury.

Catch a train to Venice (What website should we use to book our 6 tickets and how much time should we allow for the tour (which should be an hour) treasury, museum, lunch, back to our apartment to grab our suit cases and I guess vaparetto to train station.

Thanks everyone!!

Andrew

Catch a train to where? When are you going - next week or next year? (It makes a difference. Train tickets only go on sale online some months before departure. Buying them now for next week probably won't save you much money.) If you are taking a fast train it can save you money to buy train tickets in advance, but for regional trains there is no benefit in buying them early. I haven't tried to buy Trenitalia train tickets online in a long time, but I may be trying again in a couple of weeks...

Dukey1

I assume you will have to go through Immigration upon arrival, In the past we have found that to be an easy "do" bit it might depend on how many, if any, other flights requiring passengers to clear are arriving at the same time.

It is a walk from the terminal to where the water transportation leaves. I am not going to say it is "short" because what seems "short" to you may seem longer to others.

You can reserve private boat services on websites such as Viator under the airport and ground transfers tab.

I'm confused about your "catch a train to Venice" question. But for rail tickets you can use either the Trenitalia.com or Italiarail.com sites, among others.

Estram

To clarify. We are going at the end of June, 2017. And we are catching a train to Florence, from Venice.

PalenQ

From your other threadYes vastly better titled this time!)

PalenQ on Apr 21, 17 at 5:57pm

Anyway for long-distance Italian trains use www.trenitalia.com or easier to use with similar prices www.thetrainline.eu-booking early can save a ton of money but tickets are train-specific and non-changeable I believe. Sometimes first class ain't much more than cheapest available 2nd class ticket and if so go first as it is significantly more roomy and more room for luggage.

italotreno.it/en is a low-cost competitor to Trenitalia on main lines. The Venice main station is Venezia Santa Lucia - Venezia-Mestre is a main station on the mainland. Water taxis or vaporettos takes you right to the steps of Santa Lucia.

For lots about Italian trains check www.seat61.com - great practical advice about discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

ellenem

Can you share the location where you are staying in Castello? Knowing this can help us make more exact suggestions for you.

For arrival at Marco Polo Airport, after exiting baggage claim, there are counters to the left where you can arrange transport via water taxi or vaporetto. With six people, I would definitely hire a water taxi. However, you can also make these purchases at dockside at the new (as of November 2016) water terminal at Marco Polo Airport.

Now you can walk through a long enclosed walkway with moving walkways that connects directly from the airport terminal to the water terminal, protecting you from the weather and making the trip quicker. This walkway connects on the arrivals level, one level up from baggage claim. When I was there last month, it was a bit confusing because some of it is still under construction. I had to go outside the front door of the airport terminal and take the escalator up to the arrivals level to find the walkway. Read the signage carefully. It is definitely faster than the old ground level walk. You can see the walkway and water terminal on the airport website:
http://www.veniceairport.it/en/


After you visit the Rialto Market, cross the Rialto Bridge and walk from there to Fondamenta Nove, where the #12 (goes to Burano and Torcello) vaporetto route begins. You will explore a little of Cannaregio along the way and save an incredible amount of time over taking a boat all the way around the island to connect with #12.

How much time to allow to travel between your apartment and the train station really depends upon where your apartment is specifically located. You can check the timetables at the official website to see travel times from the stop nearest your apartment. On my recent visit, I found the timetables to be very accurate. With six people, I would probably hire a water taxi.
http://muoversi.venezia.it/en/conten...ce-timetable-0