Hi fellow travellers,
Do I even need an itinerary? I have been to Venice for two single days from a Cruise and totally loved it. So we are now staying for 5 nights. Does anyone have any special places they can recommend to visit, or not to be missed places? Whether they are restaurants, or things that tourists often miss. Any suggestions would be welcome. We love walking so is there a need to purchase a vaporetta pass (if there is such a thing) or just buy tickets for each journey?
Cheers
Roam thru the alleys and it will be an experience. Visit the gondola makers in theirworkshop.
Venice will just unfold before u. If u would enjoy an island visit try Burano.
Enjoy.
Rent a car and head north on a 2 day trip into the incredibly beautiful Dolomite Mountains. They're about 2 hours away.
Take one day out to visit Padova, only 30 minutes away by train.
Book in advance to see the stunning Giotto frescoes at the Schrovegni Chapel.
Visit the Basilica of St Anthony and the nearby Botanic Gardens.
The Duomo, the markets, the law courts, the university - all worth a look.
Hello Djp, JS and David (who has already assited me with Wengen). Thank you for your suggestions. I have the Rick Steve's dvd collection and saw the Dolomites on there but did not realise I could get to them from Venice. Great idea. Except from Burano I haven't heard anything of the other places so will google them. It is things like this that are so helpful. Cheers
We love Venezia and think 5 nights gives you a great stay with 4 full days to enjoy! I would not do a day trip beyond the islands of the lagoon and Padova. Rick Steves' guide gives great detail on both. Spend a day hopping to Murano, Burano and Torcello, then rest up and walk Venezia by evening light after the cruise ships and daytrippers have left.
Rick also suggests a couple of self-guided walks, but for more inspiration, you might like the book "24 Great Walks in Venice," which offers routes throughout Venice and gets you out of the main tourist tracks.
I would buy a vaporetto pass for a few reasons:
easy to hop on when you are tired even if just for a couple of stops
for the lagoon islands which will cost you dearly per person without a pass
access to the bell tower at San Giorgio Maggiore, across from San Marco, a better and less crowded view than from the one in San Marco
to be able to cruise the Grand Canal just for fun
Here's a fun restaurant list to try. We really liked Ai Artisti.
I agree with Burano (I am less thrilled by Murano).
Last summer we accidentally found http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187870-d2208448-r165746442-Libreria_Acqua_Alta-Venice_Veneto.html and loved it :-) But Venice is full of surprises around each corner. Get lost - and I mean that in the most positive way possible - and find your own treasures :-)
Although I love Padua and it is very well worth a day trip, with your limited time I would stay in the lagoon. Of the islands I loved Torcello most. It's tranquillity comes as a relief after Venice. It's a nice walk to the main church, which has wonderful mozaics. And the long ferry trip is, unless the weather gods don't co-operate, a joy in itself.
Very easy to spend all the time in Venice itself and just go about at a leisurely pace. There is plenty to keep one busy. An interesting trip to Murano and Burano will consume most of a day as will a day trip to Verona or Padua. Vap. passes are (IMO) a real convenience and money saver if you take just several rides. The are an absolute must if you go out to the islands.
Be sure to get away from the tourist areas. Many people complain about the crowds in Venice and the foreign owned tourist shops, but if you focus on areas like Cannaregio and Castello you will discover an entirely different Venice full of interesting sites, local people and shops, and wonderful small restaurants. An interesting resource if you like walking is an e-book ,"Venice Italy Heavenly Guide". http://www.amazon.com/Venice-Italy-Heaven-Emily-Hammond-ebook/dp/B00B901XUG
It lays out a series of self-guide walks through each of Venice's sestiere or neighborhoods.
You will get lost. But that is also when you will make the most interesting discoveries. That is the charm and magic of Venice.
Thank you to everyone who has provided such great replies. I think I have the itinerary covered now, but any ideas on where to eat that are affordable would be greatly appreciated.
You could have a fun and inexpensive food experience with the cicchetti bars (the Venetian take on tapas). There are cicchetti bars in various places around the city - the one I tried was just a bit north of and across the canal from the Squero di San Trovaso (gondola workshop). In the evening, people get their cicchetti and possibly a glass of wine, and eat outside.
Another good reason to have a vaparetto pass is to visit San Giorgio Maggiore, the Palladio-designed church on an island across from the Piazza San Marco. The church has interesting art displays inside and possibly outside. You can take an elevator up the bell tower for fantastic views.
You might also want to look into the Chorus Pass, which lets you economize on visiting churches to see the artwork. 18 churches are included - there are others you can visit for free, or for 3 euros. My favorite Chorus Pass churches were Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (where I got my pass), and Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Just going around finding the churches is a great way to see parts of the city you might otherwise miss.
Great ideas Inbsig, again these are things I didn't know before posting.
You're welcome! I had some additional thoughts:
A glass of wine at a cicchetti bar is called an 'ombra' - apparently that's because wine-sellers used to set up shop in the shadow ('ombra') of the San Marco bell tower and move when the shadow moved, in order to keep the wine cool. Cool, eh? (Please, anyone correct me if I'm off.). Anyway, you can say 'ombra' rather than 'vino' when ordering your wine.
To get to San Giorgio, you take a designated #2 vaparetto from the San Zaccaria 'B' stop on the waterfront to the east of the Piazza San Marco.
The real advantage of the Chorus Pass isn't monetary, so much; without one, you can still visit each of their listed churches for 3 euros each. It's more that you get a history of each church and a list of artworks therein, not to mention a map. If you're wandering around and happen upon a church with it's name in red, it means it's included.
Since you will be in Venice in the heat of August, if you like the beach, Lido has excellent free beach. It is easily accessible by vaporetto.
Great Ideas. Thank you all
I agree with other contributors. Just walking through the neighborhoods and riding the vaporetta. I very much enjoyed Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Also enjoyed walking along the Giudecca canal in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, much less crowded, nice restaurants and gelato. Enjoy your trip.
