Things to Do In Venice?

Darcy,

Vist St. Mark's Cathedral, the Doge's Palace. Then wander through the rambling back streets. I found it very peaceful and discovered lots of little treasures. Enjoy

Last year after several 2 night stays in Venice, we decided to spend 6 nights. It was an amazing time. We walked and walked and discovered that Venice is so much more than St. Mark's Square. If you can, get the Rick Steves Venice Guide and take some of his suggestions. A fun thing to do at the end of the day, when you are exhausted, is hop on the Vaporetto #1 and tour the Grand Canal! There is something around every corner.

We purchased passes for the Vaparetto (the equivelant of the city bus) and took the long slow tour of the grand Canal, the back parts of Venice where the warehouses are and the cruise boats dock, and out into the lagoon. It took about three hours but it was so wonderful!!!

Venice is mystic and magical. Just wander and wander and wander and when you tire sit and observe.

I also think the best way to see Venice is to walk.Dont just walk the St.Marks,Rialto Bridge,Accademia triangle but the rest of the back streets. There are great eating places and a new adventure around every corner.

Thanks! How do you get this Vaparetto pass, and what is it called?

Vaporetto passes are available at any manned vaporetto stop. If you are arriving by train go out the front door and the vaporetto stop is just in front of you. You can buy a single pass but the best value is the 3 or 5 day pass. It's valid from the time the ticket is stamped of the first use. I loved going up and down the Grand canal and especially at night. Just magic. I agree with all the above and also I really enjoyed sitting outside the Florian cafe in St Marks square with a glass of prosecco listening to the quartet. You do pay for the entertainment but for me it was worth. Very special. Do walk the streets it's amazing what is down the little lanes. No matter what you choose to do I'm sure you'll love Venice.

I agree the vaporetto pass is convenient and cheaper than paying for individual rides. What I liked doing in Venice was finding gellato stands and visiting Murano and Burano out in the lagoon.....they are less crowded and have their own unit talents....like glass making and lace making.
Enjoy the backstreets, as other posters mentioned.
Terry

About how much do three and five day passes cost?

Go to this web site for all the info. www.venicewelcome.com/actv/vaporetto

We just got back from Italy, and were in Venice on Sun-Mon. I agree with all the posts here.
After arriving at the train station, you walk through the doors out to the canal. There are two ticket booths there. We bought 36hr passes for 20euro each. They have different types of multi-day passes, as well as Blue and Orange cards. I got the info from this site before we left: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-card.htm

After dropping our bags at our hotel, we just hopped on the first vaporetto from San Marco and just took it wherever it was going. It's great! We found St Marks square SO crowded during the day that it was good to just take one of the boats and cruise around for a while. One tip we learned from a couple we met on the train to Venice: go across the canal (it's the #82 boat) to San Giorgio island, and go up the clock tower there. You get an AMAZING view from the other side. And then just walk thru the maze of streets and have fun getting lost for the day

Before you go out to San Giorgio, check the hours. The church and belltower close at midday. The view from the belltower is great and the line is much shorter than for the Campanile in San Marco.

Darcy:
Tim had the best idea..GET LOST. It was the last night of our two week visit to Italy and we were looking for a recommended restaurant... Just couldn't find it. So after traversing bridges and allies, and winding up in the "backyard" of Venice, we came upon the most unique cafe.. ended up sharing a meal and a few glasses of prosecco with the chef his charming wife and adorable children. We asked him to "surprise us" with his favorite faire and we enjoyed the most incredible roast duck and broiled trout ever!!. It's by far one of our favorite memories

The day we left Venice, we were waiting on our Vaporetta at the Salute Station and a young woman came down with her cello and began to play. She played the most beautiful music. That was on a Satuday morning around 1000. It don't know if she goes there every Saturday, but it was a real treat.

Murano Burano

Just got back from Italy, with 3 days in Venice. By the time we got to Venice, we were museum-ed out! We basically spent 3 days just walking around and exploring. Venice is such a unique place that you won't lack for things to do and see. Just walking around is an adventure!

Do Rick's self-guided walks. Another option is an audio book we purchased on Audible.com called Venice Walks. You can load it onto your iPOD and explore Venice by following the walks.

We also enjoyed spending our evenings on St. Mark's Square listening to the music. You can stand and listen, or pay about 6 euro per person cover charge and sip a wine or coffee at a table (and avoid being bothered by the aggressive rose vendors).

Just got back last night. Venice was our last stop before flying home. Loved sitting at the Florian next to our last night. We sat for hours enjoying the musicians and slowly sipping our wine.
Burano was lovely. You can take the Vaperertto everywhere. Take 82. Also 41/42 does a slow tour out to other places, you can just stay on and see some extra sites. My husband used the traghetto and got a short gondola ride out of it across the grand canal for 1/2 a euro. He wanted me to go try it, but I was too exhausted by then from all the walking. It really got chilly at night our last few days. I wished I had bought a light jacket. Everyone looked like they were dressed for the fall. There is even a Vapertto that will take you down to Chioggo for the same price and you get to see alot another side of the lagoon area. There is a fun restaurant there called the Gato. It is next to the church. It is a real working fishing port. We had a week, so it was a fun side trip depending on the weather.

I agree with others who say that aside from the great museums and "must see" places in Venice, it is an amazing place to wander and explore. I had three nights there in August, and wished it had been more. There is still so much to experience there, I hope to return as soon as I can. Next time, I will be sure to leave some days just to "be", wander as I choose, enjoy the city off the beaten path, sip wine, eat gelato, and linger over coffee, all without feeling pressure to cover the major sites.

Happy Travels!