happytotravel

Long story short: We family of 4 (2 kids age 12 and 9) are going on a 12 day cruise after spending a week in Rome. My question is, would it be worth flying into Venice for 3 days prior to our week in Rome, ( to get to Venice we would have to fly into LHR and then transfer to LGW). Is Venice a place that kids enjoy? If Venice is a must see, here are the apartments available for us. Any comments? and what is the most convenient way from Venice to Rome?

#1 http://tinyurl.com/2y8xlp (the least expensive, very nice owner to correspond with)

#2 http://tinyurl.com/apwbs
(the most expensive 220 euros a night but takes credit cards)

#3 http://tinyurl.com/2xd6u6

I don't really have any clue about Venice, please advise. Thanks

ellenem

I think it's a great idea for you to add this to your vacation, since you can add three days. Your kids will love Venice, with its boats and bridges, and fun areas to explore.

Rome is an easy train ride from Venice--4.5 hours in ES (speediest) train. Be sure to get the best fares for your family.

I like choice #1 the best. (My qualifications: 10 trips to Venice.) It is located in an interesting real neighborhood, very central, great for exploring and experiencing Venetian life.

#2 is removed from the center of Venice--you'll always be on boats just to get to tthe main area.

#3 is in the main part of Venice, a little further away, but still a real neighborhood.

annhig

hi, happy,

not sure why I'm posting as ellenem has said it all. I've been planning our trip to Venice with "kids" aged 17 & 20, so I've been grappling with some of the same issues.

we've ended up in an apartment near the rialto, for the same reason that you and ellenem like the first one you've found - its position. it's right in the thick of things - easy to get back to when you and they have had enough. but also in an area where there are plenty of "real" venitians, like the people you are renting from.

the kids can have fun buying your croissants for breakfast, choosing the best cafe for hot chocolate, spotting the ugliest baby in the paintings [a great favourite with mine, even now], and in three days you'll have loads to do.

your kids will probably like venice, but they will love Rome - mine were blown away. Where are you staying in Rome?

regards, ann

jamikins

I think you should definitely add it if you can swing it. Venice is fabulous and I cant imagine any kids not loving it!

happytotravel

Thanks everyone, I was really having my doubts as it adds a lot of costs, but then again, how often will we be going to Italy.

annhig: Heres the link to the Rome apartment I have reserved.

http://tinyurl.com/289rdu

bellini

I beg to differ- what kind of things do most kids enjoy? In my experience it is not walking around admiring architecture, visiting art galleries and churches. They may find Venice unique, like a theme park with the streets full of water but for how long?
And a 12 day cruise??? I'd be bored with that. When our children were that age they wanted to hang out with other children of their own age so we took them camping or caravanning in France and Spain. Now they're older they'd love Venice and Rome but I can imagine their moaning at the age of 9 and 12!!!

happytotravel

Bellini: I am with you, this is like the never ending vacation, but we will already be there, so why not. I fully expect some moaning (DD is 12-so I already get quite a bit daily). I am thinking they can have their fun on the cruise, there are 17 of us going, including their cousins and a school friend.

Thus the problem, should we or shouldn't we.

yk

I think your kids will enjoy Venice, HOWEVER

The LHR-LGW is really quite a pain in the neck. Is there any other routing or airlines you can take to avoid the transer?

tuscanlifeedit

If you decide to go to Venice I think apartment #1 is a good choice. I really like Campo San Polo.

#2 is not a location I would choose.

My qualifications are only half as good as ellenem's (5 trips to Venice) but we just came back from a fantastic week in an apartment in Venice and had such a great time. We went to Campo San Polo in the afternoon to watch families and neighbors gather there.

ellenem

Venice will be at the beginning of the trip. Interest and enthusiasm may be higher. I think many kids that age would enjoy walking around exploring, getting to choose which alley to take or bridge to cross. Be sure to take a traghetto, one of the quick gondola rides straight across the Grand Canal.

scrb

Definitely have to see Venice.

But what part of the year?

Isn't aqua alta an issue this time of the year?

I think they said there were over 200 days of rising waters and that Piazza San Marco was flooded last year?

Travelnut

Take 'em up the Campanile, which has an elevator, so they can look out over Venice and the lagoon. If they're lucky, the bells will start bonging before they come back down.

The vaporettos would be fun,and maybe you could get them to try plotting walking routes by map and then put them into practice (can't get lost <i>too</i> badly)...

I haven't done this but there may be a demonstration in some of the shops, either making masks or blowing glass or the gondola builders?

Make sure they're up early enough to see how the local trash is picked up.

Sassafrass

Yes! Take your kids to Venice. They are a perfect age for it. I've taken kids from 5 to 18 (three different trips) and they loved it. The key is preparation. Rent videos, have them look up things on-line: like how gondolas are built, etc. Also, highly recommend this book: Venice For Kids by Elisabetta Pasqualin. It is a tour guide written expressly for kids from about age 8 or 9 to about 14 or 15. It has all sorts of interesting details about things and pen and ink illustrations. You may enjoy it as much as the kids. They also have Ancient Rome for Kids

ira

Hi H,

&gt;going on a 12 day cruise after spending a week in Rome. My question is, would it be worth flying into Venice for 3 days prior to our week in Rome, ( to get to Venice we would have to fly into LHR and then transfer to LGW). &lt;

As much as I love Venice, if your itinerary is set in stone I recommend against the LHR/LGW transfer.

From whence does your cruise leave, and where does it terminate?

Can you do Venice after the cruise?

annhig

hi again, happy,

I like the look of that Rome apartment - great location. It's such a boon being able to go back to base easily of the kids get teasy [whiney/scratchy in Cornish].

I can't see why your kids wouldn't like a few days in Venice. boats, nice food, interesting smells [the rialto market is a must] - what a wonderful intro to your trip. and why shouldnt' you get to see somewhere you want too?

for reasons given above, I'd definitely pick the san polo apartment. if aqua alta is a problem take them up onto the strada nuova and find a simple locals' shoe shop and buy them some wellingtons.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

AllieNC

I think your kids will love Venice, mine do and they are about the same age as yours. I suggest you stay in a “family room” at ca’Angeli hotel on the Grand Canal, not in an apartment. The family room [really an apartment without a kitchen] at ca’ Angeli has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a sort of sitting area, and it costs about the same as your #1 apartment (the best one). Included at ca’Angeli are a wonderful breakfast, a living room/library overlooking the Grand Canal between the Rialto and Accademia bridges and English speaking desk clerks who will advise and help you with Venice sightseeing. It is an elegant but informal place, and the desk clerks are great about making recommendations and reservations. For us, their advice and help was invaluable. I think that, given it is your first stop in Italy, the hotel would be much better than being on your own in an apartment. You would meet other hotel guests -- everyone tends to congregate in the living room. There is a water taxi dock beside Ca’Angeli so you can take the water taxi directly to/from the airport or train station and not have to schlep your suitcases up and down bridges to/from the vaporetto stops. Ca’ Angeli was wonderful for our family with two pre-teens.

Also, I would strongly recommend you avoid Heathrow and Gatwick, and fly non-stop from the US to Italy. Heathrow &amp; Gatwick are troublesome airports &amp; transferring between them is expensive, time consuming and exhausting. Flying to Italy with a stop in London in June ended up costing us more than a non-stop to Italy would have. Plus, if you fly from the UK to Italy, you are severely restricted in the total weight of luggage you can transport to the continent without paying big bucks. And you can carry only one small carry-on bag, so purses have to be stuffed into the carry-on bag.

Have a wonderful trip!

LAwoman

We stayed in your Rome appt a couple of years ago and loved it. The location is fantastic - just around the corner from the Pantheon.