Any suggestion for a woman traveling alone in Venice

Michelle -- I spent 4 days in Venice a couple of years ago by myself. No problems at all. Just normal precautions that you would take in any city. Have fun and dont limit yourself just because you are traveling alone. I have traveled alone not on tours to Italy, Germany, England, China, India, Indonesian, Burma, and many more. When I travel alone, I always stay in a 4 star or better hotel just so I feel comfortable, and have preservations. Then I just enjoy meeting adn talking to people.

I was in Venice a bit more than a year ago. I walked the streets of Venice later in the evening, by myself, after 10 or 11 and it was magical. All the tourists leave by 4 or 5 and the population of Venice is quite small, so it is like being in a small town. Have a wonderful time.

Michelle - Hope that you meet a wonderful Italian guy like me that could show you all the wonderful sights in Venezia - Seriously, you will have absolutely no problem walking the streets by yourself. If you're looking for a Hotel, I would suggest - http://www.hotelcasanova.it/
My friends Franco and Stefano will take perfect care of you - A nice breakfast buffett - perfect location directly behind Piazza San Marco. They will also give you free tickets for a water taxi to Murano where you can watch the glass blowing and then on to Burano, a very picturesque Island , famous for lace and embroidery. Be sure to walk over to The Rialto Bridge, with it's Market and also catch the "Battle of the Bands" in Piazza San Marco in the evening as the various Cafes compete for your attention. Watch but don't sit because the cover is very pricy.
And, Michelle, to reiterate - the tickets for water taxis to Murano and Burano are all over Venice and there is NO REQUIREMENT that you do anything - I am Italian - I've lived there and I do no what I'm talking about contrary to a few other "experts" on the site!

Ciao, Greg

As has been mentioned before, those "free" tickets are offered by the glass blowing places. They control the itinerary as to how much time your spend shopping and how much time you spend sightseeing. And, the hotel desk clerks get a kickback.

I suggest also visiting the islands--Burano being my favorite--but take public transport. This way, you decide how much time you spend sightseeing and how much time you spend having to hear a tough sales pitch.

In general, Venice is one of the safer cities. While you still have to be aware of your surroundings, I find it much easier than say Rome or Florence. It's a great place.

Michelle - To correct FrankII - The tickets to Murano and Burano DO NOT require you to do anything- period - apparently Frank has not actually done this 35 times as I have. You can go directly to Burano with a 30 second stop in Murano!!! No one controls any portion of your Itinerary - !!!!!

Greg

I stick by what I wrote.....

This isn't necessarily very helpful to the OP, and I don't want to stir the pot, but I wanted to share my experience with the free ride to Murano.

In 2007 my husband and I stayed at Hotel Ca Formenta (a former RS hotel suggestion), which included a free water taxi ride to Murano (sponsored by the glass blowing company, I believe). Rick mentioned taking this ride in his book.

So we indicated our interest to the hotel manager, who then made a phone call, and minutes later a private water taxi showed up at the hotel's canal-side dock. Another poster (Larry from Elk Grove, CA) has called it a "James Bond" ride and that is exactly what it felt like, zipping through the canals and out to Murano in this speedboat! Once we were dropped off at the glass blower's dock in Murano, we were taken inside the factory for a "tour," which was really more like a walk-through (where we could spend as much or as little time; we spent about 10 minutes). Next, we were ushered into the glass blower's gift shop, where we respectfully browsed for about another 10 minutes. It was VERY clear that their desire was you would buy something, but their prices were outrageously high so we browsed our way toward the door and left, free and clear to do then what we wished (we ended up spending several hours on Murano before taking the public water bus back, which wasn't nearly as exciting).

Again, don't want to stir the pot but our experience was that it truly was free, and the boat ride turned out to be one of the trip highlights. But maybe I'm just easily entertained!

Yes, Rick warns that "free" boat rides to Murano come with the expectation that you buy glass or find your own way back to Venice.

Notwithstanding Greg's claim to have done it "35 times", I'm not aware of any free tours of Murano and Burano that don't involve a tour of a glass factory. I'm not aware of any "free" tours that go to both islands. Greg has told people here that such free tours are offered by every hotel and at the Piazza San Marco, and that's simply not true. Just be advised.

Thank you all for your reply and I will for sure check out the 007 water taxi ride to Murano if I feel like a challenge. How many days is enough to explore Venice? If I were to visit another city, which one would you suggest?

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Michelle, you ask: "How many days is enough to explore Venice?" That's a common question. Obviously the longer you stay in a city, the more you can find out about it. Venice is packed with things to see and do. You'll get some people who'll say you can "do" Venice in half a day (meaning you can see the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco). I would suggest at least two nights, and more than that would be even better.

How much time to spend in Venice is really a personal decision. There are some who think one day is enough. Others feel a few days. I'm one of those people who just likes wandering around the city. No cars, lots of fun getting lost, discovering things the average tourist doesn't see.

My suggestion would be to get a good guidebook and make a list of things you definitely want to see and then add a little time for exploration.

As for where else to go, it's going to depend on how many days you want to add, how much luggage you have, what you are interested in, and how much you want to travel.

Even basing yourself in Venice and taking a day trip to someplace like Verona is very doable via train.

As far as number of days to spend in Venice--everyone has their own opinions. We love Venice despite all the tourists and have been here 4 times, most recently this past July. Our fist visit in June '02 was only 2 nights and we did not go to the islands. In 2005 we spent 4 nights and went to Murano and Burano, Burano being our favorite. Returned again in Aug. 2007 for 3 nights and most recently July 2009 for 6 nights of a 3 week trip. Love walking around Venice and getting lost. Venice in the evenings is so peaceful!

Michelle,

I spent several days alone in Venice a couple of years ago, and had the time of my life. I can't wait to go back, and will definitely try to stay more than just a few days next time. It is a beautiful city, and not once did I ever feel uncomfortable being alone. Go and enjoy yourself!

Michelle, I was alone in Venice for 4 days in October 2008, and I can't wait to get back to explore some of what I missed (and return to my favorites - which, when I started a list, seems to be almost everywhere I went then).

The only thing I would add to the good advice above is take a small compass with you. It is so easy to get so turned around, and while it can be fun to just let it happen, you may just be on a mission to somewhere at some point. Oh, yes, one of the highlights of my visit was going to San Marco Square before dawn to watch the sunrise over the lagoon. . . peaceful, quiet, gentle light. Then back to the hotel for breakfast.

Michelle, you might want to consider going into Venice for a few days at the begining of your trip and maybe staying a day or two at the end. By going in early you can get over the jet lag so that when your cruise makes stops you will be fully rested. Then a day or so at the end will give you time to finish up what you didn't get to. There is always something more in Venice to see or just to re-experience.

I second the suggestion of a small compass. It comes in very handy when (not if) you get turned around.

MIchelle,

Just be careful in St Marks Square alone at night. The guys trying to sell flowers harassed me even when I was with my husband.

We did Venice, Murano, Burano and Lido in 2 full days but we did alot of walking in that time! Lido has a nice beach and main strip area to hang out. Murano and Burano had wonderful shopping. We had a vaperretoo pass, so we just took the public transportation to the islands and that was fine. We also had fun getting lost on venice and there always seemed to be alot of people around, so it seemed safe.

Molly

Michelle, I travelled alone to Venice this past summer and didn't have any problems. It was fine walking around alone, dining alone in restaurants and so on. As with any destination, take the usual safety precautions and stay alert (for pickpockets etc). If you're unlucky enough to get hassled by strange men, be firm, say no and walk on. For solo female travellers, I think the hotel you choose is very important. Best to stay in a place which is safe, has helpful staff, and in a good location. I usually check my potential hotel choices against other travellers' reviews on websites like Tripadvisor. (Check Rick Steves' guidebooks for recomendations too). It's easy to make short trips by train out of Venice to Verona and other nearby cities.