I am travelling with my two 20something daughters this July in Italy. They really want to visit Venice, but I am afraid it will be hot, smelly, crowded, and expensive to stay. We would only have a day or two on our way from Florence to Salzburg. Any recommendations on whether to stop in Venice, or is it possible to stay in Verona or Padua and plan a day trip into Venice? I would appreciate any inexpensive hotel recommendations for any of these cities, too. Thanks.

My suggestion would be to stay in Venice. It will be crowded, but in all the times (10 or so) that I have visited Venice, it has never been smelly. And unless you spend the night in Venice, you will see it only in the company of thousands of daytrippers. It becomes a totally different experience after the daytrippers have left.

Try Al Campaniel, inexpensive, next to a vaporetto stop and a traghetto stop, which lets you cross the Grand Canal for 0.40 Euros and puts you within five minutes walking of the Piazza San marco without submerging you in the crowded "main drag" between the Rialto and San Marco.

http://alcampaniel.tripod.com/venezia/

Venice might be all those things you describe, but I think you will regret not actually staying in Venice once you get there. It is crowded--during the daytime when daytrppers arrive, and you will be part of that crowd. Then you would depart with that same crowd, missing the less crowded time. Better to be there and experience early Venice and late Venice. It's also easy to lose the crowds if you want.

I love Verona and Padua, but I would not stay there if my real destnation was Venice, especially for so short a visit.

I agree with regards to staying in Venice. I was there for four days in July 2003 and it was a wonderful experience. Yes, a bit crowded during the day but a whole other scenario once the daytrippers left for the night. It was warm, as well, but not miserable and not the least bit smelly.

By all means, don't miss Venice. I was there in July and do not remember heat, crowds or smells. It was fabulous and you shouldn't miss it!

Crowds concentrate around the most publized sights in Venice when the poor daytripper herds stampede into town around mid-morning to late afternoon. If you stay overnight, you can view these sights before the arrive and after they leave. While the daytrippers are pushing one another around and dropping trash everwhere, you can be off exploring the lesser known gems of the city.

Why spend time traveling to and from Venice when you can stay there? Time is so valuable when you have just two days.

Try to see as much as possible early and late in the day. We arrived at St. Marco's at 8:00 and were the first people in...it was wonderful.

Try Pensione La Calcina in the Dorsodoro area...more reasonable and in a quieter location away from the throngs.

I agree with Rufus. The crowds are the reason why you DO want to stay in Venice and not daytrip there.

Hot? Possibly, but probably less so than Verona or Padua, since it's on the water.

Smelly? Not that I observed.

Expensive? Yes. You got me there. But still well worth it.

Stay in Venice at the Pensione Accademia in the dorsoduro neighborhood, just a 2-minute vaporetto ride or a nice walk from the San Marco area. Ask for a room with a garden view.

Venice isn't smelly. It's magical. Only the San Marco square seems crowded. There are plenty of smaller canals and pleasant little walkways and little bridges to explore. Buy a vaporetto pass so you can have unlimited on and off privileges including to the little islands nearby. Lots of fun and convenient. Try to stay 2 nights.

Venice is magical and it's NOT smelly. Only the San Marco area seemed crowded to me.

Concerning the "smelly" issue. When we were last in Venice, we met a family from Nebraska. They mentioned the "smell." It turned out that they had never been near the ocean before--the "smell" was the normal ocean smell. Perhaps many of the people who notice a "smell" have never before been on an island surrounded by the sea.