R
red stripe
Guest
Purchase guides for some of the things that you want to see BEFORE you go, and read them.
some of this may have changed over the years, so feel free to correct me or add to it
Arriving at Marco Polo
Travelling from it to town.
Water Taxi. Expensive. About 75 Euros. You will have to walk carrying your bags to get to the water, you can take a shuttle bus, but it has no luggage storage, so it can be a pain.
On the other hand once you are on it, it is fast.
Best option? To get a land taxi (about 35 Euros) or a bus that takes you to Piazzale Roma. This gives you the chance to purchase that abbonamento pass. This will allow you unlimited rides on the Vaporette. I think it is about 20 Euro PP.
From there you can take the #82 vaporetto and cruise up the Grand Canal to your hotel. The Vaporette takes about 30 min.
But remember. You have to pay for your luggage. So remember that when you initially buy your pass.
You can pay on the vaporetto, but it costs more
I hope that your hotel is near a waterway. humping those suitcases over the bridges can be murder
I don’t know about Feb, but there are mosquitoes, and sometimes no screens on windows.
Also, remember to take slippers, those floors can be a tad cool on those feet.
Sightseeing
Get to the Piazza San Marco early in the morning and walk into the Campanile and ride the elevator to the top. It will give you an idea of just how much water there is, and is a great view.
San Marco square.
Tons of pigeons, and tons of tourists. Wear a hat! They love to dive-bomb you from only a couple of feet up.
Maw, this place makes the pigeons in San Juan look sparse.
You can buy corn and feed them for a great photo op, and the manure is free.
Look for the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
This small church is beautiful! It is all polished stone and marble, with only one painting that is behind the alter. I think this church is known as the "Wedding Chapel of Venice".
Look for the church San Zaccaria; it is in a small square right near here. They charge a small fee, but it is worth the price. They have some beautiful works there. Some by Giovanni Bellini.
Sometimes at night there are dueling orchestras playing in San Marco Square.
Doge's Palace
Take the tour of the Doge’s Palace early
It is a palace as well as a museum. It is filled with works by the greatest artists that ever lived, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and many others. And it will take your breath away.
In the main hall of the palace there is the painting "Paradise" by Tintoretto, It is the largest painting in the museum, it is 80 feet wide.
From there you can walk over the Bridge of Sighs to the old prison
Basilica.
Allow hours to see this.
It is free, but you pay extra to see the Pala D'Oro, Treasury and Museum etc.
Fork out the extra euro and see the Golden Altar at the front of the church-it's breathtaking.
An entrance next to the far right entrance portal can access the Museum on the second floor.
Get online reservations to the Basilica.
and save yourself a very long wait to get in. You can just walk straight in. Sure beats standing in a very long line and wasting valuable time.
In fact I would look for online reservations to anything you are interested in doing.
You can buy a guidebook by Rick Steve, there are some good walking tours in it. are pretty good. The San Marco to Rialto walk will take you by La Fenice, and also some interesting shops honey
Rialto Bridge
Try to do The Rialto Bridge early, or it will be packed.
The church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is 15th century Gothic building. Titian's The Assumption of the Virgin is breathtaking.
All of the choir stalls are carved to show a Saint or a city scene. It is a masterpiece, and well worth looking at.
St. Mark's square,
Visit “Harry's Bar†and try a Bellini,
Le Salute church
It is a nice place to sit on the steps and watch all the activity on the Grand Canal.
The Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo
Is in the Castello district and you can get to it by taking a nice walk through the less tourist prone area of town. Look for the ceiling painting of Glory of Saint Dominic by Piazzetta.
At Campo Santa Margherita you can sit around and eat pizzas etc. and just watch the world go by. One great place to eat there (and you can sit outside) is called Due Torre. If you like fish, then this is the place to eat. You can watch the chefs walking across the campo to the fish market to buy the fish. There are no frills here, the fish is done in a simple way, and are delicious!
Go across the Accademia Bridge in the Dorsoduro section. It is another non-touristy area.
Burano.
Be prepared for crowds you catch a boat over there (surprise) and I think it is about 1 hour. The colours of the homes there will remind you of the Caribbean, all pinks and purples and reds.
You can buy Murano glass there also it is well worth the trip.
Go see a Market.
The produce and fish markets are side by side near the Rialto Bridge
The vaporetto
The 82 will give you a great look at the sights, it goes past Piazzale, Roma and Tronch, and I think it also goes past the cruise ship area and into the Giudecca Canal and stops at Palanca, Redentore, Zitelle and San Giorgio before ending its run at San Zaccaria or is that Valleresso.
The #1 vaporetto will give you a slow trip through the Grand Canal
EATING
They have stores in Venice that sell wine in bulk for two euro a litter. You bring the liter bottle.
Even if you do not have a bottle, they can usually supply you with one. Usually it is a bottled water bottle. You can chose from quite a few types of wine. They allow you to taste them before making your selection.
Just amazing! With this and a pizza, or some wonderful bread, you can have a picnic.
Ciak's.
The place to get your espresso and fresh kiefers.
Ristorante Agli Alboretti, Accademia 884
A tiny restaurant close to the Accademia Bridge very nice food and friendly people, and you can sometimes watch the cruise ships leave from near there.
Vino Vino
In San Marco It has great wine, pretty good bar food and a wonderful atmosphere. And the prices are good.
Cip’s Club at the Cipriani Hotel
Very good food, outstanding service, and a view to kill for.
Casin di Nobile
It is right off Campo San Barnaba,
Good place to eat, it was a brothel for the wealthy in the 1700’s,
Also you can get a great dinner at the very tiny Osteria di 4 Freri. It is right off Campo San Barnaba. But you HAVE to make reservations.
So stop by there the night before you want to eat and make them. People are turned away all the time because the food is wonderful, but it is a small place, and a husband and wife run it, so service is slow. But very well worth the wait.
Remember while in Venice to eat your way through Gelato.
And try Cicchetti.
You can find the places that serve this near the Rialto Bridge. They are a bit harder to find elsewhere.
It is a bit like the Spanish tapas, as you select little portions from the offerings.
The cost per portion is about 1 euro. And you usually eat this while leaning against a bar. It costs more if you sit down.
You can usually eat and drink a couple of glasses of vino for around 8 euros each.
Pretty good price for some tasty food.
Warning.
Unfortunately you can expect the guys selling waterbus tickets will shortchange you. They will either try to shortchange you, and by quite a few euros, or they will try to under-ticket you. (Charge you but did not give the ducat.) So watch out.
Shopping...
I would not presume to give Honey any tips on shopping..
but..Look for
Murano glass pendants
Lovely handmade soaps at LUSH on Strada Nuova.
Minerva's wooden matches. Yes, matches. They are little works of art, and make great gifts even for people who do not smoke.
some of this may have changed over the years, so feel free to correct me or add to it
Arriving at Marco Polo
Travelling from it to town.
Water Taxi. Expensive. About 75 Euros. You will have to walk carrying your bags to get to the water, you can take a shuttle bus, but it has no luggage storage, so it can be a pain.
On the other hand once you are on it, it is fast.
Best option? To get a land taxi (about 35 Euros) or a bus that takes you to Piazzale Roma. This gives you the chance to purchase that abbonamento pass. This will allow you unlimited rides on the Vaporette. I think it is about 20 Euro PP.
From there you can take the #82 vaporetto and cruise up the Grand Canal to your hotel. The Vaporette takes about 30 min.
But remember. You have to pay for your luggage. So remember that when you initially buy your pass.
You can pay on the vaporetto, but it costs more
I hope that your hotel is near a waterway. humping those suitcases over the bridges can be murder
I don’t know about Feb, but there are mosquitoes, and sometimes no screens on windows.
Also, remember to take slippers, those floors can be a tad cool on those feet.
Sightseeing
Get to the Piazza San Marco early in the morning and walk into the Campanile and ride the elevator to the top. It will give you an idea of just how much water there is, and is a great view.
San Marco square.
Tons of pigeons, and tons of tourists. Wear a hat! They love to dive-bomb you from only a couple of feet up.
Maw, this place makes the pigeons in San Juan look sparse.
You can buy corn and feed them for a great photo op, and the manure is free.
Look for the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
This small church is beautiful! It is all polished stone and marble, with only one painting that is behind the alter. I think this church is known as the "Wedding Chapel of Venice".
Look for the church San Zaccaria; it is in a small square right near here. They charge a small fee, but it is worth the price. They have some beautiful works there. Some by Giovanni Bellini.
Sometimes at night there are dueling orchestras playing in San Marco Square.
Doge's Palace
Take the tour of the Doge’s Palace early
It is a palace as well as a museum. It is filled with works by the greatest artists that ever lived, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and many others. And it will take your breath away.
In the main hall of the palace there is the painting "Paradise" by Tintoretto, It is the largest painting in the museum, it is 80 feet wide.
From there you can walk over the Bridge of Sighs to the old prison
Basilica.
Allow hours to see this.
It is free, but you pay extra to see the Pala D'Oro, Treasury and Museum etc.
Fork out the extra euro and see the Golden Altar at the front of the church-it's breathtaking.
An entrance next to the far right entrance portal can access the Museum on the second floor.
Get online reservations to the Basilica.
and save yourself a very long wait to get in. You can just walk straight in. Sure beats standing in a very long line and wasting valuable time.
In fact I would look for online reservations to anything you are interested in doing.
You can buy a guidebook by Rick Steve, there are some good walking tours in it. are pretty good. The San Marco to Rialto walk will take you by La Fenice, and also some interesting shops honey
Rialto Bridge
Try to do The Rialto Bridge early, or it will be packed.
The church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is 15th century Gothic building. Titian's The Assumption of the Virgin is breathtaking.
All of the choir stalls are carved to show a Saint or a city scene. It is a masterpiece, and well worth looking at.
St. Mark's square,
Visit “Harry's Bar†and try a Bellini,
Le Salute church
It is a nice place to sit on the steps and watch all the activity on the Grand Canal.
The Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo
Is in the Castello district and you can get to it by taking a nice walk through the less tourist prone area of town. Look for the ceiling painting of Glory of Saint Dominic by Piazzetta.
At Campo Santa Margherita you can sit around and eat pizzas etc. and just watch the world go by. One great place to eat there (and you can sit outside) is called Due Torre. If you like fish, then this is the place to eat. You can watch the chefs walking across the campo to the fish market to buy the fish. There are no frills here, the fish is done in a simple way, and are delicious!
Go across the Accademia Bridge in the Dorsoduro section. It is another non-touristy area.
Burano.
Be prepared for crowds you catch a boat over there (surprise) and I think it is about 1 hour. The colours of the homes there will remind you of the Caribbean, all pinks and purples and reds.
You can buy Murano glass there also it is well worth the trip.
Go see a Market.
The produce and fish markets are side by side near the Rialto Bridge
The vaporetto
The 82 will give you a great look at the sights, it goes past Piazzale, Roma and Tronch, and I think it also goes past the cruise ship area and into the Giudecca Canal and stops at Palanca, Redentore, Zitelle and San Giorgio before ending its run at San Zaccaria or is that Valleresso.
The #1 vaporetto will give you a slow trip through the Grand Canal
EATING
They have stores in Venice that sell wine in bulk for two euro a litter. You bring the liter bottle.
Even if you do not have a bottle, they can usually supply you with one. Usually it is a bottled water bottle. You can chose from quite a few types of wine. They allow you to taste them before making your selection.
Just amazing! With this and a pizza, or some wonderful bread, you can have a picnic.
Ciak's.
The place to get your espresso and fresh kiefers.
Ristorante Agli Alboretti, Accademia 884
A tiny restaurant close to the Accademia Bridge very nice food and friendly people, and you can sometimes watch the cruise ships leave from near there.
Vino Vino
In San Marco It has great wine, pretty good bar food and a wonderful atmosphere. And the prices are good.
Cip’s Club at the Cipriani Hotel
Very good food, outstanding service, and a view to kill for.
Casin di Nobile
It is right off Campo San Barnaba,
Good place to eat, it was a brothel for the wealthy in the 1700’s,
Also you can get a great dinner at the very tiny Osteria di 4 Freri. It is right off Campo San Barnaba. But you HAVE to make reservations.
So stop by there the night before you want to eat and make them. People are turned away all the time because the food is wonderful, but it is a small place, and a husband and wife run it, so service is slow. But very well worth the wait.
Remember while in Venice to eat your way through Gelato.
And try Cicchetti.
You can find the places that serve this near the Rialto Bridge. They are a bit harder to find elsewhere.
It is a bit like the Spanish tapas, as you select little portions from the offerings.
The cost per portion is about 1 euro. And you usually eat this while leaning against a bar. It costs more if you sit down.
You can usually eat and drink a couple of glasses of vino for around 8 euros each.
Pretty good price for some tasty food.
Warning.
Unfortunately you can expect the guys selling waterbus tickets will shortchange you. They will either try to shortchange you, and by quite a few euros, or they will try to under-ticket you. (Charge you but did not give the ducat.) So watch out.
Shopping...
I would not presume to give Honey any tips on shopping..
but..Look for
Murano glass pendants
Lovely handmade soaps at LUSH on Strada Nuova.
Minerva's wooden matches. Yes, matches. They are little works of art, and make great gifts even for people who do not smoke.