Venice Plan for a Short Visit

It's a shame to shortchange Venice on time because there's absolutely no place else like it. If you arrive into Venice airport midday I think you'll still have time to get to St Marks to ride the elevator to the top of the Campanile (bell tower). I would NOT NOT NOT have dinner near San Marco because your chances of getting a high priced low quality meal are greatly increased. Either research restaurants in Venice and pick one out (away from San Marco) or just wander around your area of Carnereggio and look for restaurants which are full of people - that's the best indicator of high quality establishments.

We have a reservation for June 2017 at a restaurant in your area - Ristorante da Alvise. It gets high marks:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1444431-Reviews-Ristorante_da_Alvise-Venice_Veneto.html

https://www.facebook.com/Da-alvise-338533479497066/

Don't be glued to the San Marco area - do wander around through all of the maze of alleys. Don't be put off if you get lost or run into a dead end - that's the fun and beauty of Venice.

I would not go to St. Marks Square mid-day. Save it for early morning before the hordes descend or late in the evening when the crowds are gone. Wander the back alleys and you can enjoy Venice. When you get lost eat gelato. Ride the vaporetto on your first evening just to see the Grand Canal, a 24 or 48 hour pass is a good bargain and then you can hop off and on again at any stop.

Consider adding time to Venice, possibly removing a day from CT.

Enjoy the trip!

Canareggio has lots of interesting restaurants, you can safely follow your nose.

Frari Church to see where Canova and Titian are buried
San Rocco Church to view Tintoretto's Sistine Chapel
Campo Santo Stefano lined with cafes where bullfights used to be performed
Eat at cichetti bars like Alla Madonna on Calle della Madonna and Ai Promessi Sposi on Calle dell Oca
visit a Venetian bakery - Tonolo on Calle san pantalon
Eat at Cantina do Spade on Sottoportego do Spade where Cassanova ate
Take the vaporetto to San Georgio to watch the sunset
See Santa Maria d. Miracoli church at night with the lights
Visit the Rialto Market in the morning before lunch
Walk the Fondamenta Zattere to the gondola workshop

Go for broke and see Piazza San Marco at night, buy a cappuccino at Florians and sit and listen to the music - you are paying for real estate but the sensation and music are delicious.

What about a day trip to Murano and walk around there which is less crowded?

I wish I had seen the fabulous church with all the glittering mosaics but did not want to line up - do this very early (see when they open) but instead did the Doge's Palace which was okay but large and museum like.

Definitely go to Piazza San Marco at night and have a sit down drink at one of the places with an orchestra and maybe even dance a bit. Yes, it's a bit expensive, but it is a memory you'll never forget. Depending on how early you start, a trip to Murano and / or Burano can take a half to three quarters of a day. Think I'd save that for later and spend all the time in Venice itself.

fabulous church with all the glittering mosaics...that would be the Basilica San Marco.

Add time to Venice.

St. Marks Cathederal, Doge's Palace, Friar Church, Rialto Bridge, Morning Fish Market near the Rialto, a trip up and down the Grand Canal. Gondola Ride in the day, at night, you don't see the beautiful buildings. Get lost! Skip the Gugenheim Museum, it is filled with Modern Art, which is not why I came to Venice.

Try a chichetti crawl by visiting different places. Each chichetti pub has their specialties, fried, sandwiches, etc. My favorite is Osteria al Portego. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1034685-Reviews-Osteria_al_Portego-Venice_Veneto.html Their Tiramisu is amazing!

Drinks in St. Marks Square, you pay per song around 7 euro when i was there.

July 15, If you are able to be in Venice on July 15? If so you can see Festa del Redentore. It is an amazing firework display and a time when all Venetians come out and sets up tables and have a dinner party on the water and then enjoy the fireworks.

Thanks everyone! These responses give me a better idea of how to plan for Venice.

Regarding Cafe Florian, is the live music available every night? We will be in Venice Tuesday through Thursday, but since we leave Thursday, we really just have Tuesday and Wednesday as far as evenings.

We will probably put Cafe Florian on the to-do list. Yes, it costs money, but when we will be in Venice again? We might as well savor the moment. Thanks again!

There is live music in Piazza San Marco every night. The orchestra on the Piazza take turns, so one of them is always playing. The price for anything will be much higher than 7 euros per, but still worth it, I think.

And I agree that the Piazza is best later in the evening or early in the day.

For a nice dinner, look at Anice Stellato, in the part of Venice that will be closer to your hotel.

Definitely go to the museum in San Marco, you will be able to see the mosaics closet up. The view from the balcony there is pretty amazing.

Lauren,

Entrance into San Marco is free but it is advised to pre-book your entrance time online (for a nominal fee). The wait just to get an entrance time can be outrageous. I would shoot for 11:00 to 11:20 so you are there in the normal lighting and then experience them turning on all the lights at 11:30. BTW - large handbags and almost ANY sized backpack were forbidden when I was there. There's a bag check across the Piazza but you'll need to arrive early if you plan to use it.

Consider taking the Alilaguna from Marco Polo to Venice. It's more expensive but where else can you fly in and take a boat from the airport to your destination?

Venice really changes when the sun goes down and the day-tripper tourists leave. It's the best time for wandering around. But, beware of the prices at the Cafe's/Bistros on Piazza San Marco...

If you find the crowds a little overwhelming, try a side trip to Murano.

By the way, I think your time in Venice is way too short. The lagoon and surrounding area have so much to offer. I spent 5 nights in Venice with a day trip to Padua & Vicenza and a day trip into the Dolomites and I still wish to go back someday.

There is live music in Piazza San Marco every night. The orchestra on the Piazza take turns, so one of them is always playing. The price for anything will be much higher than 7 euros per, but still worth it, I think.

And I agree that the Piazza is best later in the evening or early in the day.

For a nice dinner, look at Anice Stellato, in the part of Venice that will be closer to your hotel.

Definitely go to the museum in San Marco, you will be able to see the mosaics closet up. The view from the balcony there is pretty amazing.

Hi everyone, I'm back with another question!

What is the website (or is there even a website) where I can purchase tickets in advance to climb the bell tower?

I keep googling and can't seem to find anything about pre-booking tickets for the bell tower.

Thanks!

Ride down the Grand Canal from the train station to Piazza San Marco. You can visit the Basilica, Doge's Palace, Campanile. Wander up to the Rialto Bridge area. The best part of Venice is just walking around and exploring. With 2 nights and 1.5 days you'll have plenty of time to enjoy and get a real feel for the place.

St. Marks Cathederal, Doge's Palace, Friar Church, Rialto Bridge, Morning Fish Market near the Rialto, a trip up and down the Grand Canal. Gondola Ride in the day, at night, you don't see the beautiful buildings. Get lost! Skip the Gugenheim Museum, it is filled with Modern Art, which is not why I came to Venice.

Try a chichetti crawl by visiting different places. Each chichetti pub has their specialties, fried, sandwiches, etc. My favorite is Osteria al Portego. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1034685-Reviews-Osteria_al_Portego-Venice_Veneto.html Their Tiramisu is amazing!

July 15, If you are able to be in Venice on July 15? If so you can see Festa del Redentore. It is an amazing firework display and a time when all Venetians come out and sets up tables and have a dinner party on the water and then enjoy the fireworks.

Actually I don't think you can CLIMB the Campanile. When we tried three years ago we had to take an elevator which was kind of disappointing but the view was still worth it :-)

And I support the advice to eat far away from St. Marco but go there after dinner for a cup of coffee or a bottle of wine (our choice).

Visit the St. Marco and fish market across Ponte Rialto in the morning. Skip Murano and go directly to Burano - much longer, but IMO Murano in the midday is almost as bad as Venice proper. It might not be so bad in April, but I at least liked Burano much more than Murano. If you don't want to spend hours on the water, wander around the Biennale area and the Arsenale and the north "coast" where the day tourists don't come.

Thanks for the responses! We will be in Italy in April, so we will miss the July 15 fireworks show. I'm really bummed to hear that we have to take an elevator to the top of the bell tower. We really wanted to climb up the building. LOL!