Venice

Hardly any other city attracts tourists as much as Venice. This is because the city, which stands on stilts, is something unique, characterized by Italian charm. The many canals, bridges and palaces create a magical atmosphere, whether in summer or winter. You can soak up this atmosphere on a walk through the city or on a boat trip...

03/12/2019

dear(travel)diary,

my mom has already seen a lot of Italy. Only Venice was on her travel bucket list for years and she never made it there. So I wanted to make her happy and give her a trip to Venice for her birthday. When I told my brother about my idea, he was immediately on board. The flights were cheap and there was plenty of accommodation. All we needed now was an exact date.

Together we decided to go to Venice in winter. The big advantage: the city is less crowded! Now all we needed was for the weather to cooperate... And that looked bad at first. On November 14, 2019, around two weeks before our departure, Venice was flooded overnight. Venice was hit by the worst flooding in 50 years. Was our trip to Venice also going to fall through?

The all-clear was given shortly before our flight. The flood waters had receded. We were able to visit the city again. However, we weren't sure whether we should visit Venice. Is it right to go on a tourist tour in a city that is struggling with enormous damage and clean-up work? Or should we go there right now and leave our money there to support the city? We opted for Venice. And I don't think it was such a bad decision. We were able to leave a small donation here and there for the restoration work and mainly left our money at local restaurants and cafés.

Nevertheless, the topic kept me busy. Because it's sad but true: one day Venice may no longer exist...

xx Chiara

Overview:

What to see & Discover

St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) with the Basilica di San Marco, the Campanile, the Loggetta, the Torre dell'Orologio, the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs
Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge and Mercato di Rialto
Panoramic terrace of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi
Murano and Burano islands
Libreria Acqua Alta library in Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Galleria dell'Accademia for Italian Renaissance painting
Jewish Ghetto
Gran Teatro La Fenice di Venezia
Opera at Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto

Erfahre mehr!

Where to Eat

I found it difficult to find a good place to eat in Venice. We were never sure whether we might walk into a tourist trap. So on our first evening, we chose to eat in a less touristy area. Unfortunately, that didn't help. The food wasn't really good, but it was expensive.

On our second day, however, we struck it lucky. And in the middle of the tourist hotspot! We were all hungry and didn't feel like looking any further, so we went to La Busara. Lucky for us! Not only the food, but also the service was great! The restaurant is characterized by the fact that the pasta is homemade. We also each got a starter on the house. Overall, we ate more and better than the night before, but paid less. Great food at fair prices!

Tip: You can eat better and cheaper on the mainland (e.g. in Mestre). Here I can recommend the restaurant Al Giardinetto.

Where to sleep

We had a nice Airbnb on the mainland in Mestre. This had the great advantage that we were able to start our trip despite the flooding in Venice. It also made the accommodation much cheaper.

The accommodation itself was very clean and well equipped. Our hosts were also very helpful and gave us some restaurant recommendations and other tips. The restaurant tips in particular were worth their weight in gold. The food in Mestre was better and cheaper than in Venice.

The Airbnb is only a 15-minute walk from Venezia Mestre train station. From there, the train only takes 10 minutes to Venezia Santa Lucia. The ticket prices are also cheap! We only paid 2 EUR per person for a return ticket.

A little tip: The Al Giardinetto restaurant is located near the accommodation. They serve good pizza at reasonable prices!

CostS

Airbnb for 4 people for 3 nights in total: €184.56
Flights (there and back): 55€ p.p.
Food costs: approx. 150€ p.p.
Train tickets (with return): 2€ p.p. per day
Day ticket vaporetti: 30€ p.p.
Admission to the Doge's Palace: 16€ for students, 30€ for adults

Note: Visitors now have to pay an entrance fee for Venice, which costs between €3 and €10 per day, depending on the season.

I have put together a list of all the places on Google Maps.

You can find the list here.

good to know

Tourist-free Venice

If you want to experience Venice without the crowds of tourists, then you should not only visit the city outside the main season, but also get up early. The city is still empty between sunrise and 9 am. It's best to head straight to the most touristy spots. You'll have them (almost) to yourself this early in the morning. Only a few Venetians might walk past you. Afterwards, you can find a café nearby for breakfast and then head to the less crowded spots. Head out to Murano and Burano, for example. You can then come back in the evening. Because the city empties out again from 6 pm.

Save money

Venice is famous for its gondolas, which sail romantically across the canal. Unfortunately, gondola rides are very expensive. And the gondoliers are often not as friendly as you might remember from the movies. So just save your money and buy a ticket for the water bus (vaporetti). This will get you quickly from A to B, allowing you to see more of the city and cover longer distances, e.g. to Murano or Burano.

Other Infos

I have summarized more information on the following topics. Just click on the topic that interests you:

From the community for the community

Tips from the community

"From the balcony of the T. Fondaco dei Tedeschi department store you have a great view!"

riiickmick

Do you have a tip for Venice? Or a suggestion for the blog? Or would you like more information about the city?

Then write me!