Going to Italy in October and my husband and I would like to visit Venice for a couple of days, but don't want to stay inside Venice. Are there any recommendations for interesting towns outside Venice and B&B or hotel recommendations? Padova maybe? <BR> <BR>

Dear Teena, I just returned from two weeks in Venice with my granddaughter&lt;age9&gt; <BR> If you don't wnat to stay in Venice try looking in "Karen Brown's' guide for Italy. I have had very good results using her suggestions. <BR> Verona is also a very charming town.There is a Roman colliseum and "Juliet's balcony" &lt;not really, but it makes a good tourist trip&gt; <BR> If you do decide to stay in Padua...do the Brenta Canal river trip to see the Pallidian Villas &lt;it's all day and costs about $57.usd per person &lt;with a guide&gt;. <BR> Have agreat time. Nancy <BR> Any questions...email me.

It doesn't make sense to me to stay as far away as Verona or Padua if you want to visit Venice for a couple of days as you'd have to make multiple day trips into Venice (by train, bus, car?) and lose time, plus add transport expense. In addition, you'll be among the many people descending on the place during the day and miss out on the quieter mornings and evenings when the 'day-trippers' have left. You will also have no place to take a rest mid-day. I know the accomodations are more expensive in Venice proper but I think worth it for the above reasons. Don't know what caliber/budget you normally go for by I would personally trade location for downgraded quality to equalize the budget. <BR> <BR>If you really must stay outside the city, I would personally avoid the ugly industrial "Venice-Mestre" where so many tour companies lodge. You could consider the Venice - Lido area which is about a 20 minute ferry ride, for beach front (though the Beach doesn't have much to offer in Octoer)....Also, on a very helpful website called www.initaly.com they list quite a number of nice sounding places on the outskirts of Venice.

Teena, here's another site you might want to check out - The Baby Boomer's Venice. http://www.writing.org/venice.htm

The obvious question: Why don't you want to stay IN Venice? You miss part of the total Venice experience by not staying there.

Good afternoon, Teena <BR>Stay in Venice as Howard suggests, both <BR>Padua (30 mins by rail) and Verona <BR>(60 mins by rail). On place of interest <BR>is Torcello along with its Cipriani, <BR>excellant for lunch... Richard of LaGrange Park, Il.

Teena, take the above advice. If you want to visit Venice, stay IN Venice. <BR>Strolling the streets in the morning or evening, returning to your hotel after dinner, is part of the charm and the memory. You'll lose too much time (and money) taking the train back and forth. <BR>If you are on a tight budget and are concerned about costs, there are many budget suggestions, but don't wait any longer to book a place to stay because many will already be fully booked for Oct. <BR>Do a search on this forum for Venice hotel, or email me and I'll send you my file.

stay in venice! you will waste precious time and money traipsing around the countryside. venice hotels may be ten or fifteen percent more than other places. there are hotels with en suite bathrooms for under $100 per night. not a budget buster. venice is the most beautiful place in the world. don't miss a minute of it.

Why don't you want to stay in Venice? When the daytrippers leave is the best time to be in the city.Is there a specific reason you don't want to stay there?

If you're dead set on not staying in Venice, try Chioggia. It's about 1/2 hour via ferry or bus to Venice, and looks like a mini-Venice without the tourists. Sottamarina for beaches is a short distance away. <BR>http://www.chioggia-apt.net/

Agree with comments above. I always thought it would be best to stay outside Venice. We were there in mid-May and I was so glad we opted to stay IN Venice. A room with a view of some body of water is great--not necessarily the Grand Canal, but even the lagoon. The Piazza San Marco is the most charming in the evenings after dinner. The day-trippers leave and Venice becomes one of my most favorite cities. If you don't stay in Venice, you'll miss out on this wonderful experience.

I certainly appreciate everyone's advice. I'm still trying to decide on what to do. <BR>I originally chose not to stay in Venice because of the crowds (hate em). So I thought if I stayed right outside of Venice I would at least get a breather from it all. <BR>Lido or Chioggia sounds like a nice compromise. <BR>BUT, nothing is finalized yet.....Venice in the early morning and evening does sound wonderful! Thanks everyone.

Teena: I have done both; I stayed in Mestre once, but I have always stayed in Venice since that one time. If the crowds are the problem, being a day tripper will put you right in the middle of the crowds. Staying outside the city will not alleviate that problem at all! In fact, it will be worse, because you will be arriving and leaving each day right in the rush of other people. The crowds are concentrated in certain areas, and you will be exploring so much of the islands where there are almost no people, sometimes even eerily so even in the middle of the day. If you are only going to be there for a couple of days, you won't have time to explore the area where you will be staying outside of Venice. Don't miss waking up to Venice or evenings in Venice, if the only reason is to miss the crowds.

My only experience was staying 3 nights this past May. But we had a room (Locando Leon Bianco) with a view of the Grand Canal, and ate breakfast watching the crowds descend on Venice each morning, and (from the same window) toasted the equally crowded vaporettos heading toward the train station in the evenings as we got ready to go out for dinner. As a daytripper you would be putting yourself in the biggest crowds, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid! You have to figure there will be crowds at St. Marks, the Doges Palace, the shopping areas closest to St Marks, and over the Rialto Bridge. But otherwise -- it really isn't all that bad, and makes for entertaining people-watching.

Who in the world would say "..don't want to stay inside Venice." For a 2 day trip to Venice, I certainly wouldn't waste my time getting in and out of Venice. You're going in October, so it should be as crowded like Jun-Sep. The crowds lessen as the evening begins, so you would have a wonderful time enjoying Venice!

I agree totally with the "Stay IN Venice" posters! The best part of the visit (we went in July) was strolling in the evenings, when the day trippers had gone home! I also found it surprisingly easy to escape the crowds in Venice by walking away from the main destinations. Even in the middle of the day, you'd be surprised how alone you can be, if you walk away from the crowds. Explore Torcello & Burano during the day, which will be less crowded. And stay in a hotel away from St Marks. My personal preference is La Calcina, which is in Dorsoduro, and faces the Guidecca Canal. I found staying there perfect because you could walk everywhere very easily, but felt like you were away from the crowds. <BR>

We (family of 4) stayed outside of Venice at Quarto D'Altino. We were on a long trip with a tight budget. And the Frequent Flyer hotel benefit was accepted at the Holiday Inn Express there. Obviously, nothing special. The town, itself, was a sleepy little suburb, but it suited our needs. However, we did visit Lido D'Jesolo and found it a lot of fun. Lots of people enjoying the beach life, but not overly crowded or expensive. If we ever go back, I'd look into this town.