Per Favore - Crowd-Beating Tips in Venice

Burano may be nice (I haven't been there), but there's no need to leave Venice proper to get away from the crowds. Just follow Rick's wonderful maxim that "While 80 percent of Venice, is, in fact, not touristy, 80 percent of the tourists never notice" and "A 10-minute walk from the madness puts you in an idyllic Venice that few tourists see."

That was certainly my experience. Away from Piazza San Marco, Rialto, and the direct paths connecting them, I actually had a fair amount of solitude. I found Dorsoduro quite quiet, particularly away from the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim.

Burano would not be the ideal place to get some solitude. It is a very small island and will be quite crowded in June. However, it is definitely worth a visit if you have time. Is this your first visit to Venice? If so, since you are staying only 3.5 days, if you stay in Venice and just follow the advice in the above reply (wander away from crowded areas), you will easily find yourself in some quieter areas. If you get up early and get to San Marco around 7:00 a.m., you will encounter very few people out and about. Have a wonderful trip!

We did Sunday mass at San Marco this past May. They flush the tourists out, and allow mass attenders in through the entrance on the far left of the basilica as you are facing it from Piazza San Marco. After mass you'll have about twenty minutes or so to wander around a limited area before they flush you out and let the tourists back in. There will be quite a few other tourists who are doing the same as you - attending Mass in order to be able to wander around afterwards. It's an interesting experience, especially Communion, which is just a free-for-all instead of the orderly pew-by-pew approach that I'm used to. Very Italian. :-)

If you get the Lonely Planet guidebook (ours was Italy 2010 I think), there is an excellent self-guided walking tour of the Ghetto that takes you into the real Venice that Venetians live in. We even stumbled across a supermarket, which was hard to imagine seeing before we saw it.

Try to get lost in the "calli" (streets). Outside of the main calli or the main "campi" (piazzas) it isn't that crowded. The least crowded "sestieri" (districts) are: Castello, Dorsoduro (away from the Grand Canal and the Accademia), and Cannaregio (the northern side away from the Grand Canal).

The most crowded places are the Sestieri of San Marco, San Polo, Santa Croce (near the station and Piazza Roma) and the main drags near the Grand Canal of all others. As you move away from the Grand Canal, or at Castello as you move away east from Piazza San Marco, it's mostly locals.

Barb, I forgot to add that you don't need to leave Venice proper to get away from the crowds. Here are a bunch of photos I've taken in Venice that prove my point: Uncrowded Venice

The recommendations Roberto gives you for neighborhoods to go to is spot on. That's where these were taken.

There is also a nice park all the way to the east past San Marco, in "the tail of the fish." (If you look at a map of Venice, you'll see that it resembles a left-facing fish.)

I'd suggest arranging your Sunday for the major sung Mass at San Marco. Generally 10.30, but check the website. If you get to the side entrance early and say "messe" they'll let you in as soon as previous Mass ends. Grab a seat and enjoy the church. You'll also have a few minutes after Mass, but can't really explore. A separate visit for that would be good.

If you want to escape crowds for something quiet and different, there's the island of San Lazzarre. You could check on the Internet for info. It's an Armenian Rite Catholic monastery. One vaporetto a day goes out there, and a monk meets you and shows you around. I found it fascinating and enjoyed the quiet.

Torcello is usually quiet, a short vaporetto ride from Burano.

Mass wont be a problem. As someone else said, they bounce the tourists that arent there to worship. For the Doge's palace, go earlier with your tickets pre-purchased any day(or late in the day). I did this and cruised right in. I stayed in a hotel near the S. Angelo stop. Its still considered the San Marco district, but its a short walk away and didnt have hoards of people at all.

Even on the "main" island, Venezia can be relatively quiet if you only veer off a couple hundred meters of the major axis heading towards Piazza San Marco. The island is bigger than it seems, it has hundreds of small streets, corner piazzas and canals you can explore relatively isolated from overcrowded areas.

SALVE Everyone!
Thanks for all the great responses. I will have my husband read this thread. He is a church organist and we always enjoy the music in different locations. It can really add a lot to a trip. Some great travel memories. He also is fascinated with monks/nuns and monasteries. This is our first trip to Venice. A "shout-out" to James from Kentucky. I LOVED your response about beating crowds. Gave me a great laugh for the evening after working all day. A true laugh can be a real stress reliever. I appreciate your humor probably more than you realize. Best laugh in a while for me. Grazie Mille to all! --Barb

Great information! You should seriously consider the Chorus Pass. It gets you into 16 churches and many if not most of them are "off the beaten path". You might end up with the church practically all to yourselves.

More info here: Chorus Pass