I am planning on being in Venice for 2 weeks In October with my 16 year daughter. Flight and villa are already booked and paid for and cannot be changed. What is there to do in Venice for a teenage and is it convenient to do a day trip to Rome. She says she does not want to visit museums every minute of her vacation. Pluse she really wants a pair of cardinal socks and a pope snowglobe.

Trouble traveling with teens? Best tip is to get them a picture guidebook (books with words alone won't do), let them figure out what they want to see. Do something you want every other day, what they want the other. Life is a compromise.
As far as a day trip to Rome, it's 5-6 hours EACH WAY on the train, so a day trip would be just that: a day on the train, nothing else. Why not change your Venice hotel for beginning and end of trip, and add Rome to the middle? Again, the guidebook works well in any city, so get one for Rome for your teenager.
Ciao!

travelmom--kopp is correct about travel times to Rome (I think ES train is scheduled 4.5 hours, but by the time you add in getting to the station...) As you state, you can't change your Venice booking, but you could stay a night or two in Rome, leaving most of your luggage behind in your Venice rental.

Most of what will charm a teenager in Venice will charm you as well--wandering the maze of streets, crossing the 400 bridges, finding hidden campos, riding from place to place in boats, shopping the little shops. There are many churches with important art and architecture--a vist to one of these is much quicker than a museum and so may please you both. You will have enough time to take longer rides to the out-islands (Murano, Burano, Torcello, the cemetery). Easy train daytrips include Padova and Verona. Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, has a Roman arena that is relatively intact, as well as Juliet's House (not). There are plenty of kitschy souvenirs all over Italy from which she can choose. Venice has light-up gondolas in many sizes and snow globes are all over Italy.

I love Venice and have visited twice. Haven't set foot in a museum yet (and i'm 40-something but just not the museum type). My favorite activity is simply to walk, wander around, get lost, explore.

Rome is too far unless you can stay at least a couple nights. I like the idea of leaving your stuff in Venice and hopping a train (if Rome is in fact a priority, otherwise you might pick a closer destination that is truly a day trip).

p.s. What's a teenager to do? The shopping is fantastic!! Riding the vaporetto is inexpensive and a unique way available to see the city.

Go to Torcello. Great church with a wonderful mosaic. ALso, it is the end of the line of the boat that goes to Morano and other places, so you can check those out also.

Also, they have three very interesting and very unique synagogues. But everything in Venice is interesting in terms of architecture

Thanks to all that responded back in June. Our trip is getting closer a month from today!! I have one more question.. My daughter has read something about a prison that you can tour. I can not find anything about a prison in Venice in all the books I have bought and she can't remember the name. Has anyone heard of one?

Perhaps you are thinking of the Secret Itinerary Tour. Must make reservations - a few days in advance. Cost is E12.50 per person. Cost includes admission. Lasts about 1.25 hours and is offered at 10AM and 11:30AM for English.

It sounds like the prison cells in the Doge's Palace.

haven't left yet? took my 14-yr old son to Venice. he loved the boats (vaparettos), the climb up the tower opposite St. Mark's square (no line), the glass blowers in Murano, the colors of the houses in Burano, all accessible by inexpensive boat rides, and most of all, the many teenage girls... hold on tight. also agree you should spend at least two nights in Rome. pack an overnight bag, take the train (it is great relaxing way to travel) eat in the dining car. See the Coliseum and St Peter's. take the city bus tour from the train station. then enjoy a nice train ride back to Venice. trains are very inexpensive and easy to book in Italy. don't bother getting tickets from here. make sure you reserve seats or you could stand all the way. eat, drink and enjoy. if possible, stop off in Florence and see Michelangelo's David. trains go right thru Florence.

When you tour the Doge's Palace you will get a chance to cross over the Bridge of Sighs and wander around in the prison next door. Many of the cells can be entered and some of them have very interesting carvings around the bars that look as if they were done by prisoners from long ago. A very interesting place, however as it comes at the end of the Doge's Palace you might be a bit tired when you get there...

The prisons in Venice are in the basement of the Doge's Palace-- The only tour we paid for while there. Unfortunately I didn't make it to the Bridge of Sighs because my slight claustrophobia kicked in and I had to run back out the way we entered. Sigh. But Venice was wonderful, walking, shopping, touring, getting lost, wonderful churchs, boat rides, etc. I think Rome is too far but it's 3 hours by train to either Milan (shopping and the amazing cathedral) or Florence if you want another big city. I've heard both Verona and Padua nearby are wonderful and Bologna is between VEnice and Florence and another great place to check out!

Please post a summary when you return!! I want to take my mother and our reluctant 17 year old daughter to Venice and Rome during her March vacation and would be very eager to hear what your daughter enjoyed.

If you're still looking for side trips, look into the Brenta Canal boat tours. (Do a text search for brenta canal AND tours). Not sure if they run this time of year or how cold it may be. Also, here's a website of places in the area that have weekend markets http://www.initaly.com/regions/veneto/markets.htm

I've also read here & elsewhere that Asola, about an hour by train from Venice, is beautiful. Have a wonderful trip.