Long weekend in Venice....£££...?

[sythai]

My wife would really love to go to Venice, her birthday soon so just seeing how much!!

Could some one give me a ball park figure of everything from start to finish please ?

3 nights would be good in 3*** or more hotel
flying from SW, bristol would be good Exeter even better
we like to eat out a lot, so couple of really nice restaurants for the evening
Gondola ride and little bit of sightseeing / culture
spending money / taxi / tips etc.... anything else
would like to go sometime around September but can be very flexible (not sure best time to go? Don't want it too busy or boiling hot)

Many Thanks,

Sy

[buildersmate]

Your piece of string could be this long.
On the other hand, it could be that long.

[Buenchico]

There are no direct flights from Exeter to Venice.

The only operator from Bristol is Ryanair. They fly to Venice three times per week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So, for a long weekend, you'd have to fly out at 1845 on Friday (arriving in Venice at 2205). Your return flight would need to be at 2230 on Monday (arriving at 2345). However you need to be aware that Ryanair's flights go to Treviso Airport, not to to Venice Airport.

Current RETURN fares, PER PERSON, including taxes and charges (but not the £5 administration fee, the £5 online check-in fee or checked baggage fees) are as follows:
3rd Sept: £116.53
10th Sept: £46.53
17th Sept: £47.88
24th Sept: £60.13
http://www.ryanair.com/en

The ATVO bus from Treviso into Venice will cost you €9 each for a return ticket.
Inbound timetable:
http://tinyurl.com/3yplesu
Return timetable:
http://tinyurl.com/36mbdgj

Start your hotel search here:
http://www.tripadviso...ce_Veneto-Hotels.html

For a guide to expenses (and much more) see Wikitravel:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Venice

Chris

[ooh-la-la]

chris, your such a sweetie, do you like helping people on here? you always give such good in depth answers

[Buenchico]

PS. In terms of weather, the latter half of September (when the humidity has dropped but it's still quite warm) would seem to be a good time to go:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/...lts.shtml?tt=TT003950

[sara3]

1 cup of coffee in St Marks Square, £10.

[jno]

very hot in high summer, September is better. But most of the year is ok - even in winter you get romantic mists and even snow once in a while (and the occasional flood). It's comparatively expensive year-round, being a tourist trap.

These are as cheap as any - staying on a boat:

http://www.vjv.com/de...from-water/index.html

[Buenchico]

Sara's post might be short but it makes a very valid point. In any tourist city it's hardly ever a good idea to eat or drink right by the main attractions. (For example, if you go to Belgium, you can spend mega-bucks on a meal in the main square in Bruges, whereas you can get a goo, cheap meal just around the corner). The rule is always to look for the places where the locals eat. Not only will the prices of the food and drink be far lower, but you're also likely to find better quality and better service.

Chris

PS: Thank you, Ooh-la-la, for your kind comment.

[askyourgran]

No noobydoo, It's probably picked by a Columbian drugs baron's grandma, and served by a greasey Iti waiter. I'ts just the thrill of sitting somewhere the rich and famous have been.

[Eve]

The ex and I quickly learnt how to work out the rather complicated currency pretty sharpish once we realised how much we had got ripped off in the touristy parts of Prague.

We found a fantastic little local bistro which did great local food for a fraction of the price.

Never been to Venice but sounds lovely, hope you have a fab time!

[spudqueen]

I went to Venice for three days in February of this year. I didn't do a gondola ride, I went with a friend not my husband, but it looked romantic. There were quite dear (I think at least 70 euros). I did go on a Traghetto which is a gondola used as a ferry. It was only 2 euros, but only took about 5 minutes to cross the grand canal!
The thing is though that any trip can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be. If you want to go on a gondola, drink coffee in St Marks Square (which is at least 30 euros for two people when all the extra charges are put on the bill) and eat in nice restaurants, it will cost you. If you do what my friend and I did which was not drink coffee in St Marks Sq, get the water bus not a gondola, and choose our restaurants carefully (and not have the tourist menu at a silly price), then it's going to be a lot cheaper. I probably spend about 250 euros whilst I was there, on the water bus, eating out, entrance fees and quite a lot of gifts (some for myself!). I certainly wouldn't have spent as much as that if I hadn't gone a little mad in some of the shops!

[sythai]

Many thanks for all your replies there.... will let u know how I get on,

Sy