Venice, advice and info please
Discussion
After many years of talking about it we are finally going to Venice on the 9th October for five days. I've already booked BA flights out of Gatwick and the New Reiter Hotel on the Lido as it's supposed to be nicer and quieter there. What I'm really looking for is some advice and suggestions for all the other stuff.
We're not trying to do this trip on a super tight budget but everything I've read about Venice tells me that it's absolutely beautiful but ruinously expensive, there's such a lot of knowledge on here though that I'm sure the right advice can help me to make it a memorable but affordable trip.
One decision that's already made is taking a Water Taxi to and from the airport as that's apparently the only way to enter and leave. I just need to know whether it's better to pre-book on one of the many online booking sites at what looks to be around 140 euros each way or to just rock up at the terminal and expect there to be boats waiting to go at possibly a better rate.
My wife is supposed to be doing research and giving me a list of places she wants to see but isn't getting very far with that at the moment so she really needs some help in deciding what must be done, what would be good to do and what is missable. Suggestions for good/affordable places to eat and drink would also be very helpful.
Over to you chaps!!
We're not trying to do this trip on a super tight budget but everything I've read about Venice tells me that it's absolutely beautiful but ruinously expensive, there's such a lot of knowledge on here though that I'm sure the right advice can help me to make it a memorable but affordable trip.
One decision that's already made is taking a Water Taxi to and from the airport as that's apparently the only way to enter and leave. I just need to know whether it's better to pre-book on one of the many online booking sites at what looks to be around 140 euros each way or to just rock up at the terminal and expect there to be boats waiting to go at possibly a better rate.
My wife is supposed to be doing research and giving me a list of places she wants to see but isn't getting very far with that at the moment so she really needs some help in deciding what must be done, what would be good to do and what is missable. Suggestions for good/affordable places to eat and drink would also be very helpful.
Over to you chaps!!
Taking a water taxi from/to airport/hotel is a truly magical way to do that journey, well worth the exorbitant cost.
Yes, Venice is expensive. I well remember on our 25the anniversary having a coffee each and me a grappa in the Florian Cafe in St. Mark's Square, and it cost the equivalent of about £30 then......and that was 1989. Has to be done though. If you fancy a trip in a gondola you could try sharing with another couple and split the price.
Seek out the San Pantalon church....you'll know why I recommend it once you get inside!
Also, take the waterbus to Burano for lunch. It's quite a long trip and makes a nice change from the busy city centre.
It is a shame that Venice is now so over run with tourists, but still worth a long visit in my opinion.
R.
Yes, Venice is expensive. I well remember on our 25the anniversary having a coffee each and me a grappa in the Florian Cafe in St. Mark's Square, and it cost the equivalent of about £30 then......and that was 1989. Has to be done though. If you fancy a trip in a gondola you could try sharing with another couple and split the price.
Seek out the San Pantalon church....you'll know why I recommend it once you get inside!
Also, take the waterbus to Burano for lunch. It's quite a long trip and makes a nice change from the busy city centre.
It is a shame that Venice is now so over run with tourists, but still worth a long visit in my opinion.
R.
Never needed to book a water taxi in my experience. There are usually plenty ready and waiting.
Venice is so busy these days though. I really didn't enjoy our last visit, but having two young children in tow might have played a part here.
If you want to experience the authentic 'Venice gouge', I can highly recommend a coffee and ice cream at Cafè Lavena in Piazza San Marco.
Venice is so busy these days though. I really didn't enjoy our last visit, but having two young children in tow might have played a part here.
If you want to experience the authentic 'Venice gouge', I can highly recommend a coffee and ice cream at Cafè Lavena in Piazza San Marco.
Venice...is wonderful. My favourite city.
We like to wander & get lost - very easy to do!
Las time we stayed I found some details of the "Titian trail" (sorry, haven't still got the exact details of what it was called). This is a trail around Venice visiting the various churches, etc with Titian's. As might be expected, not all were open on all days, so didn't actually see more than about half listed. But it did give us a route through some of the lesser visited parts of the city (including a Gondola repairshop).
The cafes do espressos that you are expected to drink standing up. This is actually very useful - the coffee is usually good (sugar probably needed) and gives you access to a toilet, Venice being notably short on such public facilities.
We don't find it ruinously expensive, but you will find it so if you simply must eat / drink in St Marks Square. Punt de Rialto is also a hotspot.
We like to wander & get lost - very easy to do!
Las time we stayed I found some details of the "Titian trail" (sorry, haven't still got the exact details of what it was called). This is a trail around Venice visiting the various churches, etc with Titian's. As might be expected, not all were open on all days, so didn't actually see more than about half listed. But it did give us a route through some of the lesser visited parts of the city (including a Gondola repairshop).
The cafes do espressos that you are expected to drink standing up. This is actually very useful - the coffee is usually good (sugar probably needed) and gives you access to a toilet, Venice being notably short on such public facilities.
We don't find it ruinously expensive, but you will find it so if you simply must eat / drink in St Marks Square. Punt de Rialto is also a hotspot.
We sat and ate and drank in a cafe right next to the Rialto bridge. The total cost was eur90 and we were there for about 2 hours. The food wasn't gourmet, but it was perfectly acceptable. We also had lunch in a place called Ostaria a la campana - right in the heart of Venice. It was full of local workers having their lunch, and they are prioritised over tourists when it comes to gettimg a table - but the food was excellent and it was very reasonable. I was expectimg to be ripped off at every turn, but wasn't.
A Gondola ride is a must. The cost is regulated - eur80. Well worth the money
A Gondola ride is a must. The cost is regulated - eur80. Well worth the money
TeeRev said:
After many years of talking about it we are finally going to Venice on the 9th October for five days. I've already booked BA flights out of Gatwick and the New Reiter Hotel on the Lido as it's supposed to be nicer and quieter there. What I'm really looking for is some advice and suggestions for all the other stuff.
We're not trying to do this trip on a super tight budget but everything I've read about Venice tells me that it's absolutely beautiful but ruinously expensive, there's such a lot of knowledge on here though that I'm sure the right advice can help me to make it a memorable but affordable trip.
One decision that's already made is taking a Water Taxi to and from the airport as that's apparently the only way to enter and leave. I just need to know whether it's better to pre-book on one of the many online booking sites at what looks to be around 140 euros each way or to just rock up at the terminal and expect there to be boats waiting to go at possibly a better rate.
My wife is supposed to be doing research and giving me a list of places she wants to see but isn't getting very far with that at the moment so she really needs some help in deciding what must be done, what would be good to do and what is missable. Suggestions for good/affordable places to eat and drink would also be very helpful.
Over to you chaps!!
Yes, limo and water taxi. We booked a Merc S-Class and Water taxi via an outfit called something like "Low Cost Taxi" which was about five times cheaper than the top quote. It was a nearly new Merc and a tidy wooden water taxi. We're not trying to do this trip on a super tight budget but everything I've read about Venice tells me that it's absolutely beautiful but ruinously expensive, there's such a lot of knowledge on here though that I'm sure the right advice can help me to make it a memorable but affordable trip.
One decision that's already made is taking a Water Taxi to and from the airport as that's apparently the only way to enter and leave. I just need to know whether it's better to pre-book on one of the many online booking sites at what looks to be around 140 euros each way or to just rock up at the terminal and expect there to be boats waiting to go at possibly a better rate.
My wife is supposed to be doing research and giving me a list of places she wants to see but isn't getting very far with that at the moment so she really needs some help in deciding what must be done, what would be good to do and what is missable. Suggestions for good/affordable places to eat and drink would also be very helpful.
Over to you chaps!!
It's expensive if you do the touristy stuff. Drinks in Piazza San Marco? It will be pricy, not necessarily fantastic, and you have to pay for the music on top as well. But the back streets and more basic places are no worse than anywhere in Italy,
The best ice cream I have ever had was from Suso - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1...
The Cannoli Siciliani are great.
Watch out for mosquitoes. They will probably still be active in October and they are hungry little blighters.
You've got to hire a Gondola, but whilst they all seem to price fix the "going rate" seems to change depending on a number of obscure factors.
Visit Murano for the glass. Even if it is your taste, don't buy anything unless you're happy with the fact that what you've bought almost certainly wasn't made on Murano. Or even in Italy.
The touristy places are overcrowded, over priced and best avoided!
Walk - away from the hotspots.
Intimate Opera - - brilliant. https://www.musicapalazzo.com/en/
Walking tour with a university student - free (tip well!). A great few hours, usually away from the sights.
Explore the back streets - cheapish lunch with a few spritz - heaven
Venice closes early so very little late night entertainment - solution is to find a nice spot late afternoon, people watching over a bottle of wine.
Burano/Murano - worth a visit.
When you arrive there are two waterbus routes - one goes direct to Marks Square the other (longer) goes in the back via the Grand Canal - great way to arrive.
Walk - away from the hotspots.
Intimate Opera - - brilliant. https://www.musicapalazzo.com/en/
Walking tour with a university student - free (tip well!). A great few hours, usually away from the sights.
Explore the back streets - cheapish lunch with a few spritz - heaven
Venice closes early so very little late night entertainment - solution is to find a nice spot late afternoon, people watching over a bottle of wine.
Burano/Murano - worth a visit.
When you arrive there are two waterbus routes - one goes direct to Marks Square the other (longer) goes in the back via the Grand Canal - great way to arrive.
In Venice at the moment.
Alilunga airport/lido tickets - €15 https://www.alilaguna.it/en/product-type/one-way-t...
There's a ticket machine in the terminal
Once at the lido I'd recommend getting a multiday water bus ticket that allows you to swipe in as often as you want
Bus 1 is the traditional slow boat from Lido up the grand canal to piazza Roma terminal, a very good way of orientating yourself.
Bus 2 from Zaccaria stop B is worth it so as to get over to San Giorgio, where for €8 you can take a lift to the top of the bell tower with no queues. This gives a great panorama of Venice.
Also on this island are two interesting and free exhibitions: photography, and Czech glass art.
The #2 bus is also good for getting around the south back parts of Venice.
If you want to circumnavigate the islands, then 5.1 and 5.2 will take you around north and south, CW and CCW.
13 is great for heading over Murano, Vignole, and St Erasmo.
The biennale at the arsenale/giardini this year is architecture, some of the pavilions are ok. €25 a single ticket tho, so you have to like the subject..
We've had some good meals, and indifferent fayre, it's a lottery. A sandwich or platter of small bites and a beer at a locals cafe are often better than a tourist trap osteria.. and there's so much that's just around a corner in the alleyways that you will never go hungry.
Alilunga airport/lido tickets - €15 https://www.alilaguna.it/en/product-type/one-way-t...
There's a ticket machine in the terminal
Once at the lido I'd recommend getting a multiday water bus ticket that allows you to swipe in as often as you want
Bus 1 is the traditional slow boat from Lido up the grand canal to piazza Roma terminal, a very good way of orientating yourself.
Bus 2 from Zaccaria stop B is worth it so as to get over to San Giorgio, where for €8 you can take a lift to the top of the bell tower with no queues. This gives a great panorama of Venice.
Also on this island are two interesting and free exhibitions: photography, and Czech glass art.
The #2 bus is also good for getting around the south back parts of Venice.
If you want to circumnavigate the islands, then 5.1 and 5.2 will take you around north and south, CW and CCW.
13 is great for heading over Murano, Vignole, and St Erasmo.
The biennale at the arsenale/giardini this year is architecture, some of the pavilions are ok. €25 a single ticket tho, so you have to like the subject..
We've had some good meals, and indifferent fayre, it's a lottery. A sandwich or platter of small bites and a beer at a locals cafe are often better than a tourist trap osteria.. and there's so much that's just around a corner in the alleyways that you will never go hungry.
We did Venice for the first time in August.
In order:
Take plenty of fly spray - the stronger the better. We were eaten alive on day one. You can't see, hear or feel them, but they are there and they are mean!!
The water bus from the airport is fine - in fact we enjoyed the simplicity of it. 15 euro, sorted.
I felt everyone was very friendly, excellent English spoken everywhere.
Gondola ride was ok - I was non plussed, but my wife loved it, and to be fair was a relaxing half hour or so.
Cost - I expected mega bucks, but it really wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be - Aperol is THE drink, refreshing, cheap and MILES better than the Aperol Spritz you pay top dollar for in UK.
Yes it was touristy, but clean, very little litter, and some truly gorgeous sites.
We didn't bother drinking in St Marks square, I couldn't deal with 50euros for two cocktails plus the 6euro each for the music!
I'm not cheap, but like value lol
In order:
Take plenty of fly spray - the stronger the better. We were eaten alive on day one. You can't see, hear or feel them, but they are there and they are mean!!
The water bus from the airport is fine - in fact we enjoyed the simplicity of it. 15 euro, sorted.
I felt everyone was very friendly, excellent English spoken everywhere.
Gondola ride was ok - I was non plussed, but my wife loved it, and to be fair was a relaxing half hour or so.
Cost - I expected mega bucks, but it really wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be - Aperol is THE drink, refreshing, cheap and MILES better than the Aperol Spritz you pay top dollar for in UK.
Yes it was touristy, but clean, very little litter, and some truly gorgeous sites.
We didn't bother drinking in St Marks square, I couldn't deal with 50euros for two cocktails plus the 6euro each for the music!
I'm not cheap, but like value lol
Venice is an amazing city. Splash out on a gondola ride and water taxi from the airport and use the water buses everywhere, you may only ever do it once in a lifetime.
Murano is well worth a visit and whilst you can spend a lot, a good glass paperweight is relatively cheap will last a lifetime and remind you forever.
I've stayed in the Danielli and Cipriani hotels for recent visits, but also did it in my 20s on the cheap. Like any city you choose what to spend and look accordingly. The golden rule in Venice is the further away from the main tourist bits the cheaper it gets. Avoid sitting in St Marks square cafes unless you feel like paying a big premium for the same view you just had whilst standing.
Murano is well worth a visit and whilst you can spend a lot, a good glass paperweight is relatively cheap will last a lifetime and remind you forever.
I've stayed in the Danielli and Cipriani hotels for recent visits, but also did it in my 20s on the cheap. Like any city you choose what to spend and look accordingly. The golden rule in Venice is the further away from the main tourist bits the cheaper it gets. Avoid sitting in St Marks square cafes unless you feel like paying a big premium for the same view you just had whilst standing.
If you fancy a bit of art 'n culture OP, I would suggest visiting the Peggy Guggenhiem collection, https://www.guggenheim-venice.it/ the Ca Pesaro, near the San Stae bus stop, https://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ and also the Fortuny museum, https://fortuny.visitmuve.it/
Similar to what others have posted above -
Avoid the main tourist drag between the bus/train depot, the Rialto and St Mark's during daylight hours as the crowds can take away the pleasure. However in the evenings it is much more enjoyable. I remember sitting in one of the cafes in St Mark's square having a lovely glass of Lagavulin malt whisky and crisps! (I'm not sure the waiter understood a measure of whisky so I ended up with pretty much half a tumbler which made it very cost effective).
Explore the back alleys and go off the beaten track. There are many small churches, quiet cafes, artists studios to see.
Both Murano and Burano are worth the trip. I did get carried away and bought a vase from Orovetro studio but it is a lovely thing to have (should clarify this was NOT after consuming whisky!!).
Food is variable, some places very nice others less impressive.
Avoid the main tourist drag between the bus/train depot, the Rialto and St Mark's during daylight hours as the crowds can take away the pleasure. However in the evenings it is much more enjoyable. I remember sitting in one of the cafes in St Mark's square having a lovely glass of Lagavulin malt whisky and crisps! (I'm not sure the waiter understood a measure of whisky so I ended up with pretty much half a tumbler which made it very cost effective).
Explore the back alleys and go off the beaten track. There are many small churches, quiet cafes, artists studios to see.
Both Murano and Burano are worth the trip. I did get carried away and bought a vase from Orovetro studio but it is a lovely thing to have (should clarify this was NOT after consuming whisky!!).
Food is variable, some places very nice others less impressive.
water taxi from the airport to the marriot [similar distance to lido] was 130eur, just walked from arrivals to the taxi quay, asked for a price and got on.
we didn't find venice as expensive as its made out to be. usual rules apply with tourist traps, but away from those its reasonable. worst part about staying off the main island[s] is that there will be times when you just cba'd with the water bus and that's an instant 100eur journey back to the hotel.
book a table at osteria la zucca for dinner one evening, food is excellent and its very wallet friendly.
we didn't find venice as expensive as its made out to be. usual rules apply with tourist traps, but away from those its reasonable. worst part about staying off the main island[s] is that there will be times when you just cba'd with the water bus and that's an instant 100eur journey back to the hotel.
book a table at osteria la zucca for dinner one evening, food is excellent and its very wallet friendly.
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