Elaine

I'm taking my first trip to Venice and I will only <BR>have 3 full days. Would you recommend my going <BR>to the above islands, either independently or in <BR>a half-day tour? I've always had some interest in <BR>seeing Torcello, and I am also curious about seeing <BR>the glass blowing on Murano, but I could be <BR>persuaded otherwise. <BR> <BR>Also, I'd like one splurge dinner. What do you <BR>think about either the Cipriani or Harry's Bar?

j.e. berno

Elaine, I have been to Venice many,many times. <BR>I would definately recommend the island of Burano, Murano and Torcello, you con iether do it independately or on a tour. My recommendation would be on a tour, as you learn so much about each island. The tour take approx 3 hours, leaves from St. Marks Square. Just walking around the back streets and discovering the city for your self is really interesting. There is also a walking tour of approx 2.5 hours duration which is very good for first timers. I personally love just travelling on the <BR>local ferry down the Grande Canal. <BR>Another tour out to the countryside visiting the old Palladian Villas of yester year is great as well as <BR>a full day tour up towards the mountains to Bassano and Asolo, this is through rich diverse farming country. Depending on when you propose to visit this area, the crops change with the seasons, from cherries in the spring, and vines just starting to bud, through to the autumn when the corn is being harvested and the the grapes are in abundance. Some of the little villages are full of history. <BR>Further to the dinner in Venice, I donot splurge, <BR>but enjoy going into one of the hotels on the Grande Canal and taking my evening meal on their outdoor balcony overlooking the activity of the canal. Venice is not Venice without having a gondola ride!! <BR>

Monica

The vaporettos are very easy to use, so I suggest going on your own. We went to Murano and saw a few glass making demonstrations. Didn't buy anything from those stores as they were expensive. We walked around Murano and shopped around until we found what we wanted. We wanted to go to Burano, but didn't have the time. There is a lot to see in Venice and I really loved it. <BR> <BR>Didn't go to the 2 restaurants you mentioned, so I can't make any recommendations on them. I do recommend that you find a bar in the Piazza San Marco and enjoy the live bands at night. For 4 drinks my husband and I payed L50,000 (about $28) which included a fee for the music. Well worth the time.

Joe Lomax

I agree that a trip to Murano, Burano and Torcello <BR>are worth it. If you want to take a vaporetto out <BR>to them, go to the embarcation on the Fondementa <BR>Nuovo (sp?) just north of SS. Giovanni e Paolo <BR>(also a good place to visit). Burano is my favorite, <BR>with its pastel painted houses and lace shops, <BR>but the more romantic (Shelley and Keats-like) will <BR>like Torcello more, and those interested in glass will <BR>obviously be most interested in Murano. Perhaps, you <BR>are all three. Venice is a place to get lost. It is <BR>the safest city in a safe land. If you want a method <BR>of not worrying about getting lost, I humbly suggest <BR>you try my page, Orienteering: Venetian Style at: <BR>http://www.initaly.com/regions/veneto/ovensty.htm <BR>Initaly has other good pages, too, but the best pages <BR>on Venice anywhere are by Juli at: <BR>http://www.iuav.unive.it/~juli/

Richard Vicek

Good afternoon, Elaine <BR>Harry's Bar is an excellant one time experience, we go there at least once on each trip to Venice. Make your reservations the afternoon of the day before, make them early and insist on the front room upstairs, The have just introduced a tourist menu in the past couple of years for those that do not want to spend a large amount for full coarse dinners. <BR>One dish which is particulary excellant is the linquini and sarde, their desserts are perfect. <BR>The closest thing you can get to it is as Harry Cipranis' on 5th Ave in NYC..Try Harry's Bar. <BR>Richard of Hickory Hills, IL. ....PS You can have an excellant lunch at the Locanda Cipriani's on Torcello..

Sharon

Elaine-We were in Venice in May and found it very relaxing and truly a place to just wander! It is worth a visit to Murano, Burano etc. The glass blowing place in Murano has a fee boat ride at the dock near San Marco Sa. -your hotel can call and arrange to be picked up. Then you take the public vaporetto to the other island or back to Venice proper. I thought the glass blowing was amazing and did't buy a thing there-too expensive. THere are other places around that sell the same thing cheaper. The vaporetto rides were fun, and personally I wouldn't spend $60-100 to ride a gondola, depending on the time of day (nite is most expensive). It is worth the extra expense to have coffe or whatever on San Marco Sq at nite when the "orchestra's" are playing. We really liked exploring the various neighborhoods, each which their own charm. I really liked the Peggy Guggenheim Museum and visiting the ghetto, among many other things. There are so many restaurants!!! We ate incredibly delicious meals and we prefer to eat where the locals do, rather than the tourists. We went to Harry's Bar, but didn't go in as it was crowded. I think you can hardly go wrong wherever you eat! We felt very safe both day and nite and found people to be very nice & helpful. THough some have a strong dislike for Venice, I loved every minute there (except when we arrived and got off at the wrong stop for our hotel and had to walk a long way with our luggage). Make sure you KNOW where to get off the water taxi. Have a great trip!! Sharon

kam

Torcello is my favorite of all the 3 islands with its Byzantine inlaid church altar! Murano is much more touristy as is Burano. If you want to devote the time, do all three. If so, I would suggest you eat at Harry's Bar---it's much more centrally located than the H. Cipriani which is across the Grand Canal on its own island, but exquisite. Any of the plans is super. Reserve ahead at Harry's--as posted above in the upstairs front room. See if they are still making Bellinis with the fresh white peaches(seasonal) ---if so, indulge! The food is super at either of the restaurants. I'm not a great fan of Venice, but those are a couple of my favorite things along with a day on the Lido, but if you've only got 3 days, that's not a good suggestion. Enjoy!! Try to have a wonderful "fritto misto" (mixed fry of seafood) while you're there or real Scampi, not what we get here in the States!!! Yum! P.S. Don't feed the pigeons---all the other Americans complain about them and we are the only ones who encourage them!!!----just a joke, feed them if you want to be covered in pigeons in a very short time--for me it's kind of scary!! Have fun! <BR>