St. Marks Basilica and other Venice Questions

Viv - Venice has to be one of the safest cities in Europe at night. The only place I think is the least sketchy is around the fish market. The city closes up early.

It's not particularly lit up at night but rather like a small town with neighborhood restaurants and bars. Piazza San Marco is really the most active at night with the dueling orchestras.

Doug now you are just making my mouth water.. thank you for all the help.. I know where I will be at night now.. listening to music.. if you tell me I can sit outside and listen to the dueling orchestras with a glass of wine at a cafe.. then I am just selling all now and moving there.. :o)

thank you again for all your help today!

Viv,, that line skipping trip of Ricks, , IT WORKs!! We were on a RS Family tour last year,, and they told us about the trick( the church was not part of the guided tour) ,, so about 5 of us did it,, and it was amazing to just be able to skip long line,, I did feel a bit sneaky,, but we had kids with us, and it was very hot... so I confess,, we skipped the line by this trick.

Viv, another thing we did , which was great, no crowds at all, was took a water taxi to San STae stop and found the Costume museum. I had just seen a blurb in a flyer in hotel lobby, and my 12 yr old and decided to try it.. It was a lovely quiet museum,, was small so didn't take long, but then when we walked "in" ( away from Canal) a few blocks we found a lovely almost deserted square,, with trees, and grass, and a little cafe, a great find in busy and crowded Venice in the height of summer!

Pat
thank you for posting... Since we will have kids with us I plan to check a bag to help with the line. In June, this may help if it is hot. ( I did read it is two people to enter with one bag checked... I might bring both of the kids "back packs" so all four of us can go in. ) and they won't have much in them.

thank you all.. keep the hints and wonderful surprises of Venice coming... I am getting so excited.!
:-)

Get every one up early one morning and go see them set the fish market in the Rialto. Best to get there around 6:30 to 7:00 am or so. The vegetable market will be pretty much set up by then but the fish market will still be hauling stuff in from the boats and barges.

Your kids will love it. All sorts of strange and squiggly creatures that you won't have ever seen before. Then you can order them later that day at a restaurant.

I believe that the market is closed on Sunday and Monday.

Venice a is a very nice place to wander around in very early and late. There are lots of well lit wakways but there are also spots where it's darker and murky. Not dangerous, just there for the atmosphere. ;-)

My suggestion is to plan your tours of St. Marks and the Doge's palace for as soon as they open. This way, you beat most of the cruise crowd. One other place that we enjoyed immensely was the Peggy Guggenheim museum. No big lines there. No lines at the Venice Acadamia either.

For Murano, you can take the DM (Direct Murano) vaporetto which runs between the Piazzale Roma and Murano. Or, you can take the 41 or 42 vaporettos. These take longer because they make a lot more stops. Be cautious about the people advertising a free trip to Murano to see the glass blowing. They will indeed put you in a fast taxi to Murano and you will see some glassblowing (not much). However, their primary objective is to steer you into the sales room. If you don't purchase, you are left there. You don't get the free ride back. No glass blowing on Sundays.

Thank you Larry for your help. We will be in Venice on a Sunday so that was very helpful to add that for us.

Thanks again
viv

Day trippers come from three origins, and since you'll be there on a weekend, you should be aware that Venice is a popular weekend destination for Italians. Then there are the cruise ships. And then there are the commercial tours - all those "14 Days in Italy" tours you see in the Sunday newspaper. Many of those actually base in hotels in Miestre, across the lagoon.

Those tourists are mostly gone by about 5:00. But hardly any venture off the main circuit between the Rialto and San Marco. So you can plant yourself at a cafe in San Polo and see very few other tourists.

Doug that sounds wonderful thank you for the hint on how to get away from the crowds when we need to.. I am certainly the type who likes to venture out and "Get lost" Since I am on an island, It shouldn't be too hard to find my way back to the hotel at some point. :) lol

we will be in Venice over the weekend and will prepare myself for the crowds. I didn't plan it that way (to be over on the weekend).. just sort of happened in our planning of everything. (no way around it) I am happy to see things are open on the Sunday and Monday we will be there as well. as far as the crowds, well that can't be helped since I am traveling during a busy time. I go with the flow quite well and I am sure it will be beautiful.

thanks again.

Viv - Have a great time. Just stroll off the beaten path. You'll be amazed at how quiet Venice can be.

We stayed near the Lista di Spagna two years ago - one of the most congested tourist routes near the train station. Behind our hotel was a spacious park with a playground. Nobody at all there except Venetian families.

Doug, thank you for the hint about the playground. the kids are 10 and 12 but still love to run around and play catch or tag. I am not sure how big the playground is.. but they are just like me. They can make do. (I am quite lucky since they are great travel companions) One last question, at night are things lit up a lot so we can just stroll around and take in the sights, safe to walk around with children? What are the nights like there? thank you again for all your help!

Hi, Viv,

Well, you are going to my favorite place! I, too, am returning for my sixth visit next month and cannot wait! Everyone covered the primary sites; I think I could add that in San Marco Basilica, there is a lighting schedule every day, maybe at 11:30? you might want to check into that. I've been up the tower, which thankfully has an elevator and offers a nice view of the city. The Doges palace is amazing and intense. The riding in a gondola is nice, but expensive, and once was enough for me. Rick mentions a place right off Piazza San Marco where you can see the glass blowing, which is interesting and expensive to buy. As far as the islands go, I've been to Murano (glass) Burano (lace and pastel houses) and Torcello (ancient basilica)....if you haave a beautiful sunny day, that might be a good choice, take the vaporetto to Burano, walk the streets, see the lace being made, have a nice lunch...then head off to Torcello by vaporetto...the basilica is inspirational. (I found the glassblowing demonstration at Murano no more interesting than the one at San Marco.) Head back to Venice around 5 and be treated to a beautiful sunset as you approach the city. I've stayed in five different areas of the city, and they were all great, better yet when near a vaporetto stop and you have a 72 hr pass. Although Venice is totally walkable, the ride down the Grand Canal is delightful! and my knees do get tired. I really feel safe anywhere at night, but sometimes it just feels a little creepy.(I've read too many mysteries) The day trippers start leaving around 3pm, and by 6 the city has a different feel. This trip I plan to see the Frari Church, take in a concert or two, go to the Accademia museum, and perhaps venture out to the Lido (beach) just to see what it is like. Most of all I look forward to just exploring, making new discoveries. All the churches are a joy to visit and the boat traffic on the canals I find endlessly interesting.

Enjoy! It's Venice!

For another beautiful spot frequented almost solely by locals, go to the large park in "the tail of the fish," the SE corner of the island, past the Arsenale. Several playgrounds for the kids, excellent place for a picnic, tons of grass and trees (a rarity in Venice) and awesome views of the boats and ships going by. They're called the Giardini Pubblici and the Parco delle Rimembranze.