Venice Travel Forum

Hi,
We are going to travel in north italy in the begining of june and wanted to combine venice along with garda lake and surroundings.
we are planing to drive from south garda lake to venice in one day.
is there a preferable day to visit in venice?
I guess maybe weekends are crowded.. ?
we thoght maybe monday will be a good day - could be traffic jams on the first day of the week on the way to venice?
Thank you!

I fear Venice is crowded 7 days a week... Furthermore, it is not wise to drive to Venice, because there always are traffic jams at Mestre (10 kms before Venice). It would be better to go there by train if you can.

It matters not one jot which day you choose: it is the time of year which is relevant. Expect Venice to be crowded every day in June.

I too would not advise driving to Venice. Apart from the Mestre jams, parking on the island can (and does)cause massive tailbacks. You (and everyone else) either has to park at the end of the causeway in Piazzale Roma or on the artficial parking island of Tronchetto. It's not cheap.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/tronchetto_parking_garage.htm

http://www.asmvenezia.it/ has info about parking (Parcheggi) on the left-hand menu) but it's in Italian.

Far better, and far less stressful (and reasonably priced) to get the train as advised above. Look at:

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

for train times and fares (click the cart to get these). You can easily get a bus across the causeway to Venice if you have to get off at Venice Mestre (or you can wait for a local train). Bus takes around 15 minutes and costs 1.1 euro.

http://www.actv.it/english/automobilistico.php?pagina=auto_tariffe

I agree with the above posters- It's not a matter of day of the week as for Venice itself (Venice is not a daytrip for locals), but traffic may go crazy friday evening and sat morning for people driving to the nearby sea resorts of Jesolo, Lignano, etc-
Anyway, if you are in southern lake, taking the train from Peschiera del garda or desenzano is very easy. Look here for timetables ( http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/ferrovie/util/inglese.jsp ).

The train goes straight to Venice Santa Lucia and the parking isn't cheap at all.
Ciao
Francesco

I found that although many tourist related shops and museums were open 7 days a week, some museums were closed on Monday and many closed on Tuesday. So, I would prefer the middle of the week, Wednesday.

Hi, I travelled by train from Peschiera to Venice last June and paid 7 euros (one way) Prices are variable depending on type of train and seating etc.
As all the other postings have said, Venice (San Marco area to Rialto) will be busy during the day. If you're wanting to see the main sights be prepared to queue. If you want to get off the beaten track, away from the crowds, there is still a lot to see and do - Please check out mine and other VTers Venice pages for more tips.
Have A Great trip!
Sue

Thank you all.

I don't really plan to go to any specifit sites in venice.
I am planing to arrive somehow(train or car) to venice, then maybe take any water transportation to get to San Marco, and from there just stroll arround and get lost in the streets to the begining of the city - or something like that...
is it that bad to drive to the entrance of the city and leave the car in a parking lot? in what sense ? if i manage to arrive early, say 9:00 am or something like that.

don't have any plans to see any museams or something like that- i am with a baby and a cart.

i know there is many steps arround the bridges - but i can't carry a baby-carriage on my back all day - and the baby will want to sleep.
how bad is it?

maybe i need to stay for the night!?
arrive in the morning, and leave in the afternoon on the other day??

Thank you all for your suggestions!

You will find the bridge steps (and every bridge has steps) a real nuisance with a pushchair, but not impossible (people do live in Venice with babies).

You can see a bit of Venice in a day, of course, but only a tiny taste of it. It's up to you (and your budget)whether you want to pay for parking and/or an overnight stay. If the you decide on the latter, www.locandamarinella.com offers good value, clean accommodation very near to the P.Roma (where you will be parked): see my tip on
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/73696/22643/3/

If you are by yourself with the pushchair it will be more tiring for you (and more bumpy for baby). There really are lots of bridges, because there are lots of canals to cross as you wander.

If you are happy to pay for parking, then there is no real problem. Just accept that you may be stuck in a long queue (or you may not be), and that it won't be cheap. There's a vaporetto (waterbus) stop in Piazzzale Roma (where the parking garages are) so you can easily get tickets.

By car, the best parking is "autorimessa comunale" of Piazzale Roma (avoid Tronchetto). You should arrive a little earlier than the 9, expecially if in working day.
But you can prebook it and enter from the "abbonati" lane. Look here: http://www.asmvenezia.it/index_eng.html
And from tehre "car park bookings"-

From the car park booking (the tall building at nw side of Piazzale Roma, there an easy access to the waterbuses

Ciao
Francesco

I plan to arrive in monday morning - i guess it will help somehing.. i hope.
didn't decide about train or car

as for sleeping:
is it better to sleep in the historic region - the island iteself insted of mestere?
i keep reading reviews saying to sleep in mestre.
i managed to find a 120euro hotel, 20 min by foot from san marco - in the historic region - isn't that better?

Thank you !

Yes, live Venice for a night, don't go to sleep in an anonymous urban suburb to spare a few bucks...!
You won't regret the athmosphere of Venice after dinner, with all the people gone!

Hi, I'd advise staying in Venice itself if only for one night. If you stay in Mestre etc you need to weigh up the cost and time of travel, also, not so easy to return for a rest or if you've forgotten something.
I tend to use Venere.com when looking for accommodation.
Venice is easy to get around on foot (or vaporetto), so You don't need to be in San Marco, 20 mins away will be ok.(Plus You'll get to see more of Venice, walking to San Marco etc) If you check my Venice page, there is a 'guided tour' from San Marco to the Rialto Bridge, which covers the main sights, and some off the beaten track places on the way.
Best Wishes,
Sue x

I ordered a night in tivoli hotel in venice.
suvanki, with venere, i also really like that site.
and definitely will check you tips page ;-)

that thoghts excatly - looking forward to that special athmosphere, Francesco .

thank you !

Another recommendation for Venere from me; I always use them if I can, and their guest reviews are honest.

Hope you enjoy your night in Venice: it is definitely very different when the day visitors have all departed. My page has some 'things you might miss' bits & pieces which you may find useful.