Venice and Rome - help needed please

[MrsMattSantos]

we’re heading to Venice and Rome at the start of July for a week - and yes, I know it will be hot and crazy busy
But have never been to Italy before and look g for some suggestions…
We’ll have 2 full days in Venice and would like to head out to Murano and Burano one day, but do we need to book an organised trip for this?
I’d also planned to book the observation deck on the department store roof, but from the website this seems to be closed so wondered if any other suggestions.
In Rome we will have three full days, and wanted to go to the Colloseum but not sure how to book this?
And would like to do some kind of tour perhaps, maybe an open top bus tour, as Rome looks much bigger than Venice
but looking for any tips, recommendations or other suggestions from the wise women of Mumsnet

@CountryQueen I did say if staying longer go to Padua. For 2 days, obviously not!

Yes, staying in Venice is a joy. The suggestion of not staying in Venice is cost cutting but you really miss out. Enjoy planning but as a first timer, do see the famous sights!

Yes I know. Completely agree with you, especially about not trying to see both Rome and Venice in less than a week 😅

Oh yes yes great tip. Number 1 vaporetto starting from Piazzale Roma. Two types of vaporetto on that route, the older style has an open front. Wait for that one if you can and sit at the front. I did this at sunset and honestly it nearly moved me to tears it was such a beautiful experience (and I'm really not the type to cry at stuff lol)

Enjoy!!

@FrodoBiggins It’s a lovely way to see the beautiful buildings along the Grand Canal at a slow pace. It’s always fun to take a Gondola Traghetto across the Grand Canal too. Stand up if you dare! Both inexpensive experiences.

Just stumbled across this thread by chance, and we're off to Ostia in a few weeks, and so are planning some days in Rome. I've been wondering which tour of the Colosseum would be best for us - arena, but then attic or underground areas? The official site doesn't seem to have a tour covering all three bits. DCs are 15,13 and 11, if that makes any difference? Thanks in advance for any tips.

I would do arena and underground. Nothing like seeing where the gladiators and animals were.

We've just got back from a trip that included 3 nights in Rome and 3 in Venice.

In Venice if you like museums then I recommend the museum pass. It was €40 and included entry into Doge's Palace, we were able to fast track the queue as we already had the pass.

It also included Fortuny Museum which I really enjoyed. Not a massive place, but gives an example of how a slightly more modest family would have lived in Venice. It was also very close to a big supermarket which would be very useful for self catering/ lunchtime snacks.

Not included in the pass was the Gallaria del Academia. Amazing works of art.

We stayed a few mins walk from the San Antonio vaporetto stop. This was my third trip to Venice and definitely the best location so far (others were Mestre and the other by Santa Lucia train station). It was so easy to walk from there to the main areas and wasn't particularly noisy at night.

Murano and Burano will take up a big chunk of time. I wasn't keen on Murano as it felt like endless glass shops, but I did enjoy the charm of Burano.

If Venice gets too hot, head to Giardini, a couple of stops from St Mark's. Lovely gardens with shade, space and a sea breeze .

You need to book the coliseum now, it gets full - book directly with the Italian archeological service (can’t remember the name) for best prices and it includes the other excavations next door too. Best bet is an early morning visit as temperatures are cooler and the cruise ship passengers won’t have arrived

I went to Rome and can’t wait to go back, I think I could spend the rest of my life exploring as it is just so wonderful simply walking around!

My top tip is if you go to St Peter’s arrive when it opens at 7am because you won’t have to queue and it is amazing being among the first to go in and experience it functioning and slowly filling up.

Also get a tour of the Vatican museum if you can remotely afford it - seeing the Sistine Chapel with just a handful of other people was incredible.

I really enjoyed the Museo e Cripta dei Cappuccini. DH liked the museo, not so much the cripta! But if you are interested in that sort of thing it is a great place to visit. I found it very reflective.

The Castel Sant’Angelo is also fascinating.

I missed out on the Villa Borghese and will go next time. Book in advance! Doria Pamphilj was fabulous with Velazquez’s Pope Innocent X which I’ve always wanted to see and lived up to my expectations.

The shops are fun too and obviously all the gelaterie are good, but Lucciano’s was especially fun, with novelty lollies shaped like the Coliseum and so on.

Oh and watch for service/table charges in restaurants, nominally cover the ubiquitous bread sticks and water whether you want them or not. Most restaurants will have a set menu however that is a good price. Walk into the back streets obviously unless you want to pay over the odds. Nobody bats an eyelid if you share food like pizza so don’t feel obligated to buy one each

I've been to Venice about 6 times but only on day trips.
Last year we went for a week and still didn't manage to do all we planned. We stayed by a little canal near the Madonna del Orto ferry stop. Our friend was with us and it was her first visit so we did as much as we could.
Things we did:
Organized tours St Marks Basilica, The Doges Palace secret itinerary tour.
Things we did ourselves. The Tedeschi rooftop terrace, Gondola down The Grand Canal, Murano, Burano. Wandered round the little streets and enjoyed the calm in the gardens near The Lagoon. Took a walk to Santa Croce and the Jewish quarter. As well as sampling the beautiful food and Aperol Spritz.

We were in Rome too. The only thing we did there was the open bus tour which I thought was well worth it as we did do a lot of walking and it gave us the opportunity to visit a lot of the sights in a more relaxed way.