Hit-and-Run Visits - Venice for Visitors

The manager of a five-star hotel once told us that, on average, people who book rooms in Venice stay for only 2.8 nights. Below the luxury level, the typical hotel visit may be even shorter: Guests who reserve through Venere, our discount booking partner, average only 2.1 nights in the city.

What's more, those statistics ignore the day-trippers who represent most of the estimated 16.5 million tourists who come to Venice each year (often for just a quick jaunt from a tour bus or cruise ship to the Piazza San Marco, with a stop at the souvenir stands near the Rialto Bridge).

Visitors from far-flung places like the United States, Canada, Australia, or Japan frequently try to cram too many cities and towns into a one- or two-week vacation. That's a big mistake, for several reasons:

It doesn't allow time to get acquainted with each destination;
It means wasting time in airports, on trains, or in buses that could be used for relaxed sightseeing;
It means spending more on intercity transportation, which leaves less money for museums and other attractions, local transport, hotels, meals, entertainment, and shopping.

Our advice: If you're coming to Venice, try to stay for a week or longer.

At the very least, spend three days in the historic center, and allow an extra day if you want to tour the outlying (and interesting) islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello.

Who knows--maybe you'll end up joining the ranks of Venetophiles who can't get enough of Venice and discover new things about the city with every visit.

Next page: Mistake #2: Staying in the wrong location.

Introduction

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Hotel Advice:

Location can be important in a car-free city with 400+ bridges, especially when you're walking with luggage. Before you book, see:

Hotel Recomendations by Area
Find hotels that are handy to the airport, railroad station, cruise port, or Piazza San Marco, and in Mestre.

Aerial Venice Hotels
Read our tips on choosing the right sestiere or district. Then view individual hotels and their surroundings in large satellite photos and aerial close-ups.

MSC cruise ship in Venice

Venice for Cruisers:

Venice canal reflections

From our Venice Travel Blog:

A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
A warning about water taxis
Venice Railroad Station: a vaporetto view
Long lines at Venice Airport
Free boat trips to Murano
Need to pee? Prepare to pay
Crime in Venice
The perils of overpacking
Venetian daily life

Maggie in Venice

From Maggie in Venice:

A dog's life in Venice
A Beagle boards a water bus
Maggie in Venice video clips