Venice, Verona, Garda, Itinerary Help Please
Mar 27th, 2018 | 08:49 AM
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Venice, Verona, Garda, Itinerary Help Please
Hi
I have booked return flights to Verona as a surprise for my wife. It is during school half term holidays (we are teachers in our early 30s and cannot go any other time) Our last holiday was 4 years ago to Budapest. We loved the very relaxed vibe, pleasant locals, some greenery, the history and the views overlooking the Danube river/bridges. A few years before that we went to Rome, which we also liked as we could happily stroll around and take in the sights. We were happy to ''tick off' busy places like the Vatican and the Colosseum very early in the morning/evening in order to avoid the crowds AND the strong lunchtime sun. We stayed in the 'happening' area of Trastevere and really liked it - the 20m walk into the centre every morning was fantastic too. We are not art lovers and we like seeing Basilicas, but usually stick to a maximum of 1 a day. The other places we have been to is Bruges and Ghent, but we found Bruges too crowded and after seeing one canal we felt like we had seen them all! Ghent was a bit better but again it was very small. Plus, the dull, grey colours of both medieval towns just left us feeling a bit sad (it was a winter trip, which didn’t help matters)I am really excited about this upcoming holiday, but I have been scratching my head over an itinerary. This is what I came up with after some research/help from some very nice folks. We are early risers and would like to fill up as much of our time as possible with things to see/experience whilst trying not to over-do it.
Sun 27th arrival at Verona airport at 13:20. Take the train to Venice. Evening in Venice.
Mon 28th – Day and night in Venice concentrating on a few things rather than trying to cram everything in.
Tues 29th – Early start in Venice. Train later to Verona. Relaxed afternoon/evening in Verona
Wed 30th – Visit to Lake Garda. Return to Verona in the evening
Thurs 31st – Second visit to Lake Garda. Return to Verona in the evening.
I will research some more but a quick look brings up Sirmione, Malcesine/Baldo, Lazise and Salo as the picturesque places to visit...
Fri 1st – A relaxed day trip to either Padova, Mantova or Brescia
Wed-Fri itinerary can be easily swapped/changed depending on weather.
Sat 1st - Last day spent in Verona. Catch 1845 Flight from Verona airport.
1. What do you think? One other alternative is to base ourselves in Verona for all 7 days and do a day trip to Venice by train. However, despite everything off-putting I’ve read and heard about Venice, I still have this urge to stay a night there!
2. For the day trips to Garda and other towns (Wed-Fri), would a hire car give us a lot more flexibility? I am happy to drive and an Italian friend here in the UK says prices are very reasonable if booked in advance.
3. Which town would you recommend as a day trip for Friday 1st? Bear in mind we see the joys of urban life in London: skyscrapers, lots of brick houses, plenty of traffic and grey skies all the time
Very much appreciate your help.
4. Do you recommend booking our train tickets (VER-VEN and the return a few days later) NOW?
I assume an 'open return' ticket is possible to purchase as we know the days of travel, but not exact times.
5. Apart from researching our destinations, booking accommodation, getting currency, possibly booking a hire car, is there anything else you recommend doing NOW before it's too late/more expensive?
Many thanks
Sonny
I have booked return flights to Verona as a surprise for my wife. It is during school half term holidays (we are teachers in our early 30s and cannot go any other time) Our last holiday was 4 years ago to Budapest. We loved the very relaxed vibe, pleasant locals, some greenery, the history and the views overlooking the Danube river/bridges. A few years before that we went to Rome, which we also liked as we could happily stroll around and take in the sights. We were happy to ''tick off' busy places like the Vatican and the Colosseum very early in the morning/evening in order to avoid the crowds AND the strong lunchtime sun. We stayed in the 'happening' area of Trastevere and really liked it - the 20m walk into the centre every morning was fantastic too. We are not art lovers and we like seeing Basilicas, but usually stick to a maximum of 1 a day. The other places we have been to is Bruges and Ghent, but we found Bruges too crowded and after seeing one canal we felt like we had seen them all! Ghent was a bit better but again it was very small. Plus, the dull, grey colours of both medieval towns just left us feeling a bit sad (it was a winter trip, which didn’t help matters)I am really excited about this upcoming holiday, but I have been scratching my head over an itinerary. This is what I came up with after some research/help from some very nice folks. We are early risers and would like to fill up as much of our time as possible with things to see/experience whilst trying not to over-do it.
Sun 27th arrival at Verona airport at 13:20. Take the train to Venice. Evening in Venice.
Mon 28th – Day and night in Venice concentrating on a few things rather than trying to cram everything in.
Tues 29th – Early start in Venice. Train later to Verona. Relaxed afternoon/evening in Verona
Wed 30th – Visit to Lake Garda. Return to Verona in the evening
Thurs 31st – Second visit to Lake Garda. Return to Verona in the evening.
I will research some more but a quick look brings up Sirmione, Malcesine/Baldo, Lazise and Salo as the picturesque places to visit...
Fri 1st – A relaxed day trip to either Padova, Mantova or Brescia
Wed-Fri itinerary can be easily swapped/changed depending on weather.
Sat 1st - Last day spent in Verona. Catch 1845 Flight from Verona airport.
1. What do you think? One other alternative is to base ourselves in Verona for all 7 days and do a day trip to Venice by train. However, despite everything off-putting I’ve read and heard about Venice, I still have this urge to stay a night there!
2. For the day trips to Garda and other towns (Wed-Fri), would a hire car give us a lot more flexibility? I am happy to drive and an Italian friend here in the UK says prices are very reasonable if booked in advance.
3. Which town would you recommend as a day trip for Friday 1st? Bear in mind we see the joys of urban life in London: skyscrapers, lots of brick houses, plenty of traffic and grey skies all the time
Very much appreciate your help.
4. Do you recommend booking our train tickets (VER-VEN and the return a few days later) NOW?
I assume an 'open return' ticket is possible to purchase as we know the days of travel, but not exact times.
5. Apart from researching our destinations, booking accommodation, getting currency, possibly booking a hire car, is there anything else you recommend doing NOW before it's too late/more expensive?
Many thanks
Sonny
Last edited by sj184explorer; Mar 27th, 2018 at 09:00 AM.
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