Will be spending 3 days in Venice in a few weeks. Would love some good tips from those of you who have been. We are planning on San Marco Basilica, Doge's Palace. Should be prebuy tickets to Doge's Palace. Is the San Maro museum card a good idea? Best times to go? Any help would be greatly appreciated?
My favourite tip for Venice is to just-- relax! I love that it is the place where I know I really do not need to plan anything. Other people probably disagree with this approach and love to have everything mega itinerary'd out in detail before departure, but this is just my view of it. I find it much more pleasant to just show up and wander around than to fuss over a schedule.
For your museum and transportation needs, check out the new www.veniceconnected.com website. It's pretty handy and can save you a few euros too.
If you want the guided "Secret Itineraries" tour of the Doges Palace, you'll want to book that in advance. My internet connection is being ridiculous right now so I can't find the link to the official website, but you just book that right through the museum's main site to avoid paying a service charge to a ticket re-seller.
Otherwise, just enjoy the city! :D
Check Rick's book for suggestions on times of day to see the various sights. I recall those hints were very helpful. If the lines are long at San Marco, don't panic as they move pretty quickly. We bought tickets for the Doge's Palace after getting to Venice. Didn't do the Secret Tour though I hear it's great. Generally, things are most crowded the middle of the day when the cruises have docked for the day.
Venice is my favorite place in the world. Absolutely magical. Take a gondola ride around dusk, have a drink or coffee in St. Marks Square in the evening. Go to the top of the Bell Tower (early morning or just before it closes). Walk, walk and walk along the side streets. Explore the less visited areas during midday such as Canareggio or Santa Elena.
Again, I highly suggest Rick's book for tips on Venice.
My first suggestion, if you are arriving by train, is to walk out of the train station and stand at the top of the stairs. I just couldn't believe it. You are looking at the Grand Canal in full motion. For the new traveler there, it's everything and more that you expected and nothing you yet understand. I just had to stand there for several minutes and enjoy it.
Beyond that, we enjoyed the Doge's Palace, the one mile walk between the clock tower in San Marco square to the Rialto bridge (some of the best-named retail stores in the world), the Peggy Guggenheim museum and a relaxing trip out to Murano for a walk around and lunch. We didn't see any glass blowing but the shops were very nice. Murano glass is less expensive elsewhere but my wife did buy a few things.
Relaxing in Venice is definitely a great piece of advice. However, in order to relax you're going to have to devote a few nights to the place. Don't be one of those "see Venice in 16 hours" type of people. Ideally spend at LEAST 3 nights here and don't fill every minute of every day.
I just wanted to pop in and say that the Rick Steve's audio tour of the Grand Canal is fantastic. We took the regular, public transportation, and the audio guide was so finely tuned to it's actual course and speed that we never had to hit pause (except where it tells you to.) It was fantastic!
The secret tour of Doge's does sell out fast, so buying that in advance can't be emphasized enough, if you really want to do it!
The pass does seem like a good deal.
Other advice: Get lost - like Rick says, it's an Island, so it's not like you'll be lost forever. Some of the best experiences are on the little side streets.
Lucky you! Venice is magical. The RS Venice book is worth its weight in gold to answer exactly these sorts of questions.
Thanks to all for your great advice. We have already downloaded the audio tours and are watching some of the RS DVD from our local library. Can anyone remind me of the tip about buying your ticket for the Doge's palace around the corner at another museum? Have come across that tip, but now can't seem to find it again.
I agree about the traghetto ride. We sat in the back, took pictures, enjoyed the evening air and spent so much less. Just didn't like the idea of spending more than a meal on a boat ride.
I would also take RS advice on just getting lost in Venice. My wife and I took our second day and just walked around, forgetting out map. We got to see so much and experience the less traveled Venice which was very rewarding.
My favorites in Venice were:
Visiting Duomo San Marco when the lights were on. It looks like the entire place is made of gold. Lights are on during Mass and at least one other time during the day.
Watching my kids feed the pigeons, but I heard that's not allowed anymore.
Walking aimlessly after dark (when it's quiet). Finding cafes that are well off the beaten path and crowded with locals (our favorite was run by Asian immigrants).
Riding Vaporetti down the Grand Canal.
A small music museum with odd early versions of instruments.
We got back a month ago and loved Venice!!
Get Doge's Secret Itinerary Tickets ASAP. We all loved it.
Check your bag before getting in line for St. Mark's. Go to the head of the line and there's a map showing you where to drop off your bag. Venice was our last stop and we'd seen alot of Duomo's along the way, but St. Mark's still impressed. Pay the money and go upstairs to see the horses, the view, and lots of other stuff - including a bathroom!!!
Take a water taxi to/from the airport. It was so much fun!
Don't buy the 40 euro masks - they're fake and fall apart as aoon as you get home....
Hotel al Piave was awesome. 10 minutes from everything.
Get up early and go feed the pigeons. Save the bread from dinner the night before. So much fun!
San Marco's is under construction/renovation so it was underwhelming. The construction is covered in advertisements for watches or something. Oh,well, someone's got to pay to keep things pretty!
The lines of gondola's kind of had a Disney feel to them. We decided not to spend the money.
We walked - easily - with our three kids - everywhere. No need for the expensive vaporetto ticket.
There is a McDonalds around the corner from the St. Mark's baggage check. An ice cold coke was so delicious!
The clock tower doesn't go off every hour. We were bummed that we paid the money and didn't get the bells.
Have fun!
Follow Rick's advice about checking bag at bag check for the basilica, we checked one backpack (empty), got claim check, showed it to guard at the door and went right to the front of the line. Bag check is around the corner in a small unused church, Rick's book has the exact location.
Gondola ride tip
We sat by the gondolas in Piazza San Marco one glorious evening. We watched a couple walk up to a gondolier, bargain for a few minutes, and then walk away disappointed. The couple walked only a short distance before a second gondolier chased after them, calling to them. They stopped and bargaining began again. Apparently they reached agreement as the second gondolier returned to his gondola, with the couple in tow behind him, all the while exchanging 'smart' comments and sneering looks with the first gondolier. At the end of the couple's gondola ride, after the couple was out of sight, the two gondoliers got together, best buddies, all forgiven, as the second split his fare with the first. We watched this scenario repeat itself many times over during the couple of hours that we were there. I would have liked to have seen a couple walk away from the second gondolier to see if a third one would have chased after them . . . :)
I agree with other posters-Venice is a place to wander around the back streets and get lost, sit in the piazza's and have 'un cafe' or a glass of wine and watch the world go by. The museum to get the ticket for the Doge's Palace is the Correr. The Correr is worth a quick trip through to see it's art, too, and the ticket covers both so why not! My best advice is read Rick's Venice book and then get away from San Marcos and all the other tourists and just enjoy this magical city.
One more tip. If the gondola's seem just too pricey-and they are. Take a traghetto ride across the canal for 50 Euro cents. It is still a thrilling ride on the canal and ALOT less expensive. Rick's maps show where the traghettos are, but I took one near the Rialto bridge.
I agress 100% with the traghetto idea. I took my 19 year old daughter across the canal for the .50 Euro and she was thrilled.
Bobby, if you "sat in the back" you were probably on a vaporetto, not a traghetto. The traghetto is the one that takes about a 2 minute trip from one side of the grand canal to the opposite side. It looks like a gondola, but acts like a floating bridge where there are no bridges across the GC. If you want to act like a local, you step into it, turn around, stay standing and then hop off on the other side. Only tourists sit. :-)
The vaporetto, on the other hand, is a great ride if it's not too crowded. It's like a bus doing its rounds up and down the GC.
Just spent three days in Venice and one of our best aventures was setting out to find the fire department. We had done the usual tourist sites, and got lost (a lot) intentional and unintentional, then decided that we wanted to see how they fight fires when there are no streets. You guessed it, they have fire boats! Not a normal tourist site, and the firemen didn't understand at first what we wanted, but through a very kind fireman who spoke English we had a very interesting tour of the firehouse. I'm not sure how if the want the publicity, but it was fun for us and we were very grateful for there information and accomodation.
Enjoy!
In addition to fireboats there are also ambulance boats and trash boats. We've also seen elemantary aged children riding in long gondola type boats with decorative dragons on the side...kind of like a school boat! Traveling really opens your eyes and challenges your thought process doesn't it?
We used the traghetti but it didn't make the highlights. It's affordable and not touristy, unlike a gondola ride.
Remember, it's normal to stand while riding. You look silly if you sit although no one will laugh or yell at you.