Venice or Vienna

One shot on kill

Hey guys.

Does any body have any experiences in either city it's a toss up for me. I've never been to either.

Are they both expensive or cheap etc.
which would be nice for a couples break for 2-3 nights.
Which city is better for food and drink. Prices an types of food etc.

Cheers guys. And any other info you guys might have would be brilliant. Like things to do or see etc.

Fagashlil

Venice for me, I adore the city, you find random things on random streets if you get lost in the maze of side streets. It's beautiful, yes it's a tad expensive, especially around piazza San Marco, but the furthur you walk from there, the cheaper it gets!

One shot on kill

Cheers for your input.

Is there much to do there. What sort of money is a meal going to cost etc.

schemingbohemia

What time of year are you planning on going? I'd avoid Venice in the summer, but other than that it's a stunning place and as posted above not that expensive once you steer clear of the main touristy spots.
Vienna is great too, obviously much more of a City vibe to it, if you were travelling in December i'd recommend there, the Christmas markets are nice and there's a good vibe to the place.

One shot on kill

Planning on going in September hopefully.
Ye I'd say the Christmas markets would be lovely alright. ThAt kinda thing is a great setting.

ScottSF

In general Vienna is a better bargain and you'll see far fewer tourists if that's important to you. Venice has the risk of flooding as you probably know. Both are truly wonderful cities - among the best in Europe.

Ask yourself which type of food you prefer? Venice is Italian of course but you have to avoid the tourist trap restaurants. Vienna is known for cakes and pastries plus German/Austrian food. Vienna is a much larger city so you'll find more things to do such as museums, palaces, markets, and real neighborhoods. Venice doesn't have a lot of actual residents but the city's architecture is stunning and of course it's romantic to wander the narrow streets and over canals to get lost (you really will). Plus taking a vaporetto ferry boat or gondola which is the more expensive (touristy) option.

From Venice you can take a day trip to Verona as well as the popular islands of Murano and Burano. From Vienna you can take a side trip to Bratislava in Slovakia or even to Hungary.

I suggest you do a Google image search and see which looks better and search for blog posts about long weekend trips and you'll find lots of practical advice to help further.

Fleawuss

See Venice first. It is the most extraordinary city that I have seen. It's pricey and you will be trampled by tourists. But you must go. Vienna is wonderful: the cafes, the music. But Venice first.

One shot on kill

Cheers guys al great advice there thank you.

The usual how longs a piece of string question.

But

How much money would one need for 2-3 nites in either city just doing the usual stuff like lunch dinner few drinks. Maybe presents for the kids. I've no idea what price the boat taxis are either.

Fratton Fred

One shot on kill wrote: »

Cheers guys al great advice there thank you.

The usual how longs a piece of string question.

But

How much money would one need for 2-3 nites in either city just doing the usual stuff like lunch dinner few drinks. Maybe presents for the kids. I've no idea what price the boat taxis are either.

you can eat for €15 a meal, or €150 if you like, but I would budget €100 per person per day. You have a really varied range of restaurants, but generally we found it to be the same price as central Dublin if you avoid the more expensive places.

You may not need a water bus if you don't mind walking, but they aren't too expensive and you can pick up a two day ticket for €30 or €40 for three days. The added bonus is that you can get over to one of the islands if you want. We took an offer of a free trip to the Murano Glass Factory by taxi (with a bus back) which was brilliant. We did get the hard sell at the end of the tour, but everything was so far out of our price range there was no chance of us buying.

Last time I went, we stayed just at the back of the palace of the Doge here http://www.hoteltiepolo.com/en/index.htm which I would highly recommend. it took about 30 minutes on the bus from the station (the best way to enter Venice imho) and I think it cost €7.50. a taxi would have cost over €50.

We walked back to the station and it took us about 40 minutes, but that was walking pretty briskly.