WendyPGreene

I'd love some insider tips on things to do in Venice. I will be there in August with my 13 year old over a few days and so far all I have planned is a day trip to Burano. Any suggestions or must-see spots?
Thanks!

dwdvagamundo

Since you're going to the Lagoon, I'd include Torcello which is IMO the most picturesque and least crowded of the islands.

Other than that, my suggestion is to get a good guidebook and jointly figure out what you want to do and what's where. Venice is relatively compact and easy to get around. We like the DK Eyewitness travel guides as it gives you a drawing of each spot you might be interested in seeing.

One of my favorite things to do in Venice is just walk around without a plan and look into the churches, each of which offers something out of the ordinary, usually paintings. Get a good map, as it's easy to get lost--there are good maps in the back of the Eyewitness guides so you could carry that with you.

Without knowing what each of you likes to do, can't really advise more.

PalenQ

#1 thing for me is to take a public boat ride up and down the Grand Canale at night - the ancient fading facades of palazzos silently slip by - sublimely illuminated. Lord Byron mad a famous swim up the canal but I'd stick to the boats.

The Arsenale area is not on the main tourist trek - Venice's monumental old shipyards, some still working - public boats used to go thru there but not sure now - but can walk by it.

And yes listening to the string quartets on St Mark's Square at night - totally surrelalistic!

bilboburgler

go kayaking, take the water bus about the place,

NewbE

Venice is a place where I would just walk, walk, walk--which is actually easy to do because, a) there are no cars or roads, and, b) it's so easy to get misdirected that you end up wandering whether you meant to or not. Stop for gelato, go into churches, peek into shops. The atmosphere is unique in the world.

I also recommend the Blue Guide for Venice, which is a very old fashioned guidebook. Maybe it won't be to your taste. But to me, it suits that city perfectly.

WendyPGreene

Thanks everyone. I kind of figured that walking around and exploring the city would be the best bet, but wanted to see if I was missing anything.

PalenQ

I'll second Torcello - the farthest and most quiet of the island lagoons - and like Venice in general notorius for its colony of feral cats that lurk EVERYWHERE!

joannyc

Just my opinion but if you just walk around the city without a plan, you will miss a lot!

* Piazza San Marco
* Campanielle Bell Tower
* Clock Tower
* Doge's Palace and Secret Itinerary Tour
* St. Mark's Basilica
* Bridge of Sighs and Prisons
* Grand Canal Cruise - Take #1 boat from Piazzale Roma and download Rick Steve's free audio tour
* Rialto Bridge
* Academia
* La Salute Church
* San Giorgo Maggiore Church - Best view from it's tower
* Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
* Scuola Grande di San Rocco
* Church of San Zaccaria
* Jewish ghetto
* Ca' d'Oro
* Le Fenice Opera House
* Diocesan Museum
* Ca' Rezzonico (Museo de Venice)
* Wander thru Dorsoduro sestiere
* Santa Maria dei Miracoli
* Santi Giovanni & Paolo
* Original Venice Walking Tour
* Scuola de San Giorgio degli Schiavoni
* Scula dei Carmini
* Torcello Island
* Burano

WendyPGreene

Thanks Joan, that's what happened when I visited NYC! No plan, and leaving with the feeling I had missed out. I will look through your list... thanks!

cybertraveler

We visited Venice with our two sons ages 16 and 14 a few years ago. They enjoyed the ferry to Burano; we also got off at San Giorgio Maggiore across from Piazza San Marco and we all loved the view.

We spent a lot of time walking, and hired a private guide which I'd highly recommend doing. Even though we'd been to Venice a few times before, we learned so much more with our guide. She brought us to the market (the boys were appropriately grossed out by the fish), a tour of the basilica and the Doge's Palace (the cells were also quite interesting to my boys), which included a walk over the Bridge of Sighs.

We started our days with quick breakfasts at local cafes, and really loved seeing Piazza San Marco when it was virtually empty. I'd highly recommend at least one early morning spent there.

They also loved the gondola ride. We went at sunset, which was a perfect time. Rialto Bridge would be best done in the morning before the crowds appear.

Gelato makes everything better, so be sure to include that in your daily itinerary!

Venice is wonderful! Have a great trip!

jscarbary

San Giorgio Maggiore - go up the campanile, but make sure you won't be there at the top of the hour, we were. The bells began ringing in San Marco but not San Giorgio so I thought that we were safe. About a minute later they began to ring! Thankfully we were right by the elevator and had already looked out every side of the tower! Make no mistake the bells are REALLY loud when you are right there with them.

We took a walking tour of Dorsoduro that ended with a gondola ride. As it turned out our gondola had two other friendly couples so the ride was fun and just soooo different from the vaporetti, the canals were so calm and quiet in the evening. I can't wait to go back for another ride.

We were in the city for four days, we mostly wandered from site to site that was on our list. We stopped in a bakery and sat at a fountain while the pigeons walked through our legs to pick up our cookie crumbs. You have to find an open table in the sun, preferrably along a canal, have a drink and just watch Venice walk by you. We were on the Guidecca canal and watched a cruise ship go by, that was interesting.

Venice was wonderful, have fun!!!!

vincenzo32951

>>Just my opinion but if you just walk around the city without a plan, you will miss a lot!<<

I agree. The "oh, just wander around" advice, especially with a 13-year-old, is a bad recipe.

Some here have given you good ideas. JMHO:

I didn't "get" Torcello and the recommendations as a must-do. But I guess you'll decide for yourself.

A glass-blowing demo on Murano should be of some interest, but get out of the factory fast to resist the high-pressure sales. Then on to Burano.

The Secret Itineraries tour of the Doges Palace is kind of fun.

Stop by the gondola-repair shop.

San Marco at night -- yes. Grab a table and spring for some snacks and a drink while you listen to the music.

The Jewish Ghetto and its museum can be interesting and instructive for a 13-year-old.

photoman_6

you might look into the biennale celebration which will run late into the year.

Pepper_von_snoot

I recommend lunch at Gato Nero in Burano.

Venice will be mobbed in August. Imagine a tsunami of tourists.


Thin, stops at Pantagruelica

NewbE

Who said wander around without a plan? The need to polish one's own star is one of the saddest things about this place, really.

Don't wander around without a plan.
Don't look up when it's raining.
Don't take any wooden nickels.

I'm going to go have a Venezianoi now.

PetrosB3

My advise is to keep it simple. Don't be a touristy tourist, don't try to see absolutely everything and visit any place next to Venice that you believe is worth visiting. A day-trip to Burano is enough. Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, spend most of your time exploring and you won't regret it, this is the biggest highlight of Venice, the city itself. Ofcourse, visit some of the most important attractions like: Palazzo Ducale, Basilica di San Marco, Gallerie dell'Accademia. Also you -have- to take a gondola ride in the Grande Canal, it sounds quite touristy and it's overpriced but believe me it worths every penny.

PalenQ

I didn't "get" Torcello and the recommendations as a must-do>

I never would recommend it as a must see - I was thinking OP was looking for 'insider' things that are not hyped in most guidebooks and to which people don't make a beaten path.

I loved the Via Garibaldi - a fairly typical main commercial stsreet like in any Italian town except - no cars or obnoxious scooters - kids playing, dogs running around and ordinary shops - kind of nice seeing a street like that sans a hoard of tourists.

and yes for me I like wandering at times without a destination - and the huge crowds in Venice pretty much stick to a few main gauntlets like from the Pza Roma and train station area to San Marcos - many parts see nearly no tourists and these are the most picturesque often and quintessentially Venetian.

Peter_S_Aus

Think about venicekayak.com. Great fun

HappyTrvlr

You can buy the Chorus Pass which admits you to many of Venice's art filled churches. It will take you all over Venice, a good way to see a lot of different, less touristed areas and neighborhoods.. Many of the paintings you'll see were created for the exact space where they still are hung.

annhig

for me Torcello is a "must see" - where else can you see luminous mosaics in a 1000 year old Basilica in the shadow of the Dolomites? and with any luck far less mobbed with people than much of the rest of Venice.

Wendy - you don't say how long you've got in Venice which of course affects what you can see. it will probably be a good idea to keep out of the main San Marco area around the Basilica during the day; you can pre-book your visit to the Basilica for free. here's a link to the Basilica website which will take you to the booking site:

http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/eng/v...cat=6&subcat=5

I've linked to this website as you can also book guided tours of the Basilica, see opening times, etc. I would advise booking an entrance as early or as late in the day as possible - there are likely to be fewer people and it won't eat into your day so much.

The Secret itineraries tour of the Doge's palace is also well worth it [you have the opportunity to tour the rest of the palace by yourself after the tour] but again I would go early - one of the many complaints of the Doges was that in summer, their rooms were unbearably hot.

otherwise pacing yourselves and keeping out of the way of the crowds will be the key to having a good time. Good luck!