Venice questions: our first stop on our first trip to Italy

Hello and welcome to Venice!

The cheapest, fastest and most convenient way of getting to your flat from the airport is the public Alilaguna shuttle boat. It stops steps away from you destination and runs regularly. They have a website with timetables, just remember your stop is Arsenale, so not every line will get you there. http://www.alilaguna.it/en/lines/line-timetables

As for dinner, you have several options in your area, or if you only want to take a 5-minute walk, head to Via Garibaldi and you will have plenty more. Just stay away from anything along the waterside - too tourist and too pricey. Via Garibaldi will also offer the only supermarket in the area.
There will be so much to do that you probably won't have time to go to Lido for a swim, just walk around and explore the city, the squares and the market, but remember to check your options for the public boat service, as it's very expensive for non-residents, and you should consider grouping your use of the public transit in one day so as to make better use of the 24-hour ticket. You can use it also to visit the lagoon islands. The boat for Murano also stops at Arsenale, so it's just at your doorstep and runs every 20 minutes.
I live 5 minutes from your flat, so feel free to ask anything that you may want to know.
Meanwhile, I'll try to think of anything that might be interesting for a teenager.

Enjoy your stay
Daniela

Oops, forgot to mention that the supermarket (Coop) is open non-stop until 10pm, so you'll have plenty of time to stock up on anything you need right from day one.

Daniela

Certainly can't beat advices from a resident. :-)
And I agree with what Daniela said: just wander and get lost, until your teens might be tired of that. And maybe they won't be. It is the best city to do that. It's beauty and art absolutly everywhere. Get away from Rialto bridge(eventhough you'll want to see) and st-Marc square. It's amazing how few tourists get away from these 2 spots. 500 feet away from there and Venice becomes something else.
murano and Burano are totally worth a visit, depending if uou have enough time.
On you last day, after the visit of the palace, you'll know if you wandered enough and are looking for something else. Then you'll be able to take the vaporetto, which is a super experience by itself. If not, just take the vaporetto once just to understand and see for yourself that life overther is with a boat: taxi, police, delivering, everything. Totally unique. Been there twice, and I'll certainly go back.
Have a great trip.
I'll be in Florence close to that time, between 22nd and 25th, and in Padova, very close to Venice on the 28th.
Love this country. :-)
Claude

Oups, not *Daniela but Danlab.
And the first day will be a slow day, being jetlagged.

"Best way"means different things to different people.

If you have a fat wallet and want to travel in style, you can get a water taxi to take you very close to your lodgings in about 30 to 40 minutes for about 120 EUR.

The previously mentioned Alilaguna "B" boat goes every 30 minutes, It will take 1 hour and 18 minutes according to the schedule, and costs 15 EUR per person.Drops you at the Arsenale dock and walk about 200 yards to your lodgings.

The third way is to take the No 5 bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma and then by vaporetto to Arsenale dock. Now you have to make a few decisions. Do you want to get a 3-day vaporetto pass for everyone? That is nominally 40 EUR per person. You can add on the one-way airport bus fare to that pass for 6 EUR. The pass will come in handy, especially if you want to go to Lido for the day, visit Murano or Burano, or other islands like San Giorgio, and finally to get to the train station when you leave. The normal single ticket to ride the vaporetti is 7.50 EUR per ride.

The No 5 bus goes every 20 minutes from the airport door and takes 23 minutes to Piazzale Roma. at Piazzale Roma you have a choice of 2 boats to get to Arsenale. The fastest is the No 4.1 boat which goes around the main island to the south and then to San Marco and Arsenale. It goes every 20 minutes and takes 31 minutes to get to Arsenale. The slow way is the No 1 vaporetto, but it cruises right down the Grand Canal making all the stops and takes 53 minutes to get to Arsenale and these boats go every 12 minutes. So it will take at least an hour and more likely 1 1/2 to get to where you are going.

Finally, for extra tight skinflints, your kids can get "Rolling Venice" cards. The cost is 6 EUR for an ID card, then they can get the 3-day vaporetto pass with one-way airport bus for 35 EUR. So you save 5 EUR per kid. There are also some discounts coupons, which may or may not be worth anything.

I do not recommend taking the bus from the airport on a first time visit - too complicated and rather uncomfortable with luggage. The new People Mover at the airport will take you straight to the boat stop but not to the bus stop ans when you get to your destination you will get some help with the luggage from the boat crew but none for the bus or 41 boat line. I agree that the whole ticket affair is something that must be carefully examined, though.
The way I understand it, the Rolling Venice card is available only for people under 29.

Another way from the airport, in between private taxi and Alilaguna in price, would be a shared water taxi.

For dinner, not the first night but the second or third, you and the kids might enjoy Rosa Rossa:

http://rosarossavenice.com

It was Johnny Depp's hangout when he was in Venice filming The Tourist. He signed the ceiling in the bar area, and his denim jacket is in a case in one of the dining rooms. Although called a "pizza restaurant", it has a full menu and lovely ambiance. We dined there three times when we were in Venice for a month. Yes, it is "touristy" but so is almost every place in Venice. Their food is very good and their prices are reasonable.

Do make a reservation, either online or by stopping by on your first afternoon of wandering ( it would be on your way to Rialto Bridge if coming from San Marco).

The kids will want gelato. I recommend Nico on the Zattere, and a place just off Campo San Bartolomio ( also on the way to Rialto Bridge). I do not recall the name but will have a look on Google street view and see if I can find it. Worth seeking out if you like dark chocolate gelato---my husband's favorite.

I'll be back after a little Google stroll in Venice. . . .

The gelato place is SuSo, Calle de la Bissa 5453. We discovered it because it was on our way to and from our apartment in Campo San Leo, but now I see they get rave reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp.

To get there from Campo San Bartolomio, head North through the Campo toward the upper right corner. You will see Sotoportego de la Bissa--a passageway under the building. There is a green neon "Rosticceria" sign just above it. Head straight east , passing the Rosticceria on your right. (This is the Rosticceria Rick recommends for budget dining and surly waitstaff). Just a few steps more and you will come to Calle de las Bissa and the gelateria, also on your right.

Thanks, Lola, for returning with the gelateria name, address and directions! Dark chocolate is my favorite flavor, too, and my husband and I will be in Venice this October. We will definitely head to SuSo for the gelato of the day while we are there. (My plan is to have gelato every day we're in Italy.) :-)

Hi
I was just looking at this as we are returning to Venice for the 3rd time in 6 years. The first year, we took the Alilaguna water bus. It was very disappointing as we were with the kids (18 and 20) and they slept all the way. Anyway, the windows are high so you do not see anything, and it is a long ride
The last time we took a taxi from the airport but were going to a cruise ship. It was very nice
this year it will either be the bus or a taxi but definitively, will take the vaporetto #1 to kick of the vacation with real nice tour.
With kids we were taking the rolling Venetia card for them and a 48h pass that included vaporetto and museums for us.
I see they revamped the Hello Venezia card and it is now called Venezia unica .Read carefully you might find a package that suits your needs. I definitively recommend some sort of vaporetto package/tickets

WHERE TO EAT: anywhere but where it is written tourist menu in 8 languages... with kids, stick to pizza and simple stuff, especially on a first night
TO KICK OFF JET LAG: you are flying with kids. I know many experts say not to take a nap when you arrive...well, it does not work for us and we are travelling to Europe every summer. We always take a 1 h nap (set you alarm) and then leave the hotel to only return at night to sleep

And I agree...get lost!!

have fun!

Hit your teens with these, and let them loose:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-for-teenagers.cfm

Thi sone is a bit stale, but some bits might be interesting.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/venice-a-treasure-hunt.cfm

Jeff

I want to tell you to take the water taxi from the airport. Try to get the driver to take you down Canale di Cannaregio or, alternatively Rio Noale (canal) to the Grand Canal and then on to Arsenale (your closest Vap stop to your lodging). You may never get a chance to do that again in your life and your kids will remember it. It is a great way to be introduced to the city. It will cost about $125 for all of you and luggage. Splurge and start the trip on a high note.

There is a little restaurant called Da Mamo's (Calle dei Stagneri) that I really like in San Marco. It will take you about 20 minutes to walk straight there (about 1.5 km). But it will take longer because you have to go through Piazza San Marco to get there, right by the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) and the Basilica San Marco itself. So, you will be nicely introduced to the city, get to see what the main attraction of Venice is like, and enjoy some good food. After dinner walk over to the Rialto (which you will have seen by boat earlier) and enjoy some gelato. I only wished I was with you!!!

Da Mamo has great pizza and I really enjoy their branzino (fish). Small place so you might want to call for a reservation.

Have fun in one of the world's greatest cities.

I agree with the advice to take a water taxi, especially with a family group.

We took a shared water taxi into Venice, and it was one of the true highlights of my husband's experience. He kept saying over and over and over how glad he was we did that!! There is something very magical about arriving in Venice (seeing that city for the first time) with the wonderful view from the small water taxi....the other methods of transportation just do not offer that. Your kids (and you) will remember it for the rest of your lives.

And, re: the dark chocolate gelato.....gosh I'm sorry I missed doing that....might be worth a trip back JUST to have that :) :)

Definitely another day take the vaparetto loop around Venice that is recommended in Rick's guidebook...wait for one that offers seats in front of the wheelhouse (not a long wait) and be ready to board, so your crew can grab those front seats. Taking that trip was another HUGE highlight for us...we only had two days in Venice, so seeing so much on that route was fabulous for us.

Have fun....what lucky kids you have (you can tell them I said that), to be traveling and experiencing Venice at such a young age!! The experience (and memories) of travel is a lovely gift for parents to give their children.

RS has some free downloads for iPads, smartphones, etc. My family and I enjoyed the Frari Church walking tour. You can check it out now to see if your gang is interested in this. I reviewed some of these free download tours beforehand to familiarize myself with various areas. I think just spending 1/2 day of pure wandering about Venice can be fun. Biggie sights are San Marco Church, Doge's Palace Complex. There is also the Mariani Library if I'm spelling it right. Of course - cruising the Grand Canal.

We stayed in the Arsenale area last September and loved it.

For something to do on the
25 th consider one of these free tours.

http://www.venicefreetours.com/venice-free-tour-english/

It gives a good overview, and you'll get some info on some out of the way places plus places to eat.

There's a pizza place right on the water across the Academia Bridge. Easy to get to via vaporetto or a short walk from your apt.

On arrival, purchase your vaporetto pass at the airport.
Note the first time you use it starts the 24 hour clock.
If you don't start a 48 hr pass until say 11:00 on the 25th you have until 11:00 on the 27th.

The 3 day kids pass is still the best deal for them.

Have a wonderful time in Italy.

Bon Voyage.
Alilaguna is 15 euro per person and takes from 75 to ninety minutes to get to St. Marks
4 of you on a water taxi at around 110 euro will take 20 minutes. So the taxi might be worth it.
There are hundreds of tourist food joints around St. Marks if you are not picky.
If you are looking for something better there is Antico Martini, and Raffello's just beyond the square.
Good luck

When people tell you it will take you "x" minutes to walk somewhere, I literally laugh out loud. It takes that amount of time if you know where you're going! In our experience, we got LOST constantly! Yes, it can take an hour to get from point A to B, even when it should have taken only 10 minutes!!!

EXCEPT the LAST time we went (last October). Ahhhhhh... what a relief -- we downloaded a map app that works off-line (CityMaps To Go), and WHAT A PLEASURE. Sure, it's fun to get lost once in awhile but NOT when you really want to be somewhere at a specific time.

So, I would highly recommend that, if you have any smart devices, to download that, or a similar app (although I think Google Maps may now offer the same feature), and put it on ALL phones. Especially when/if the kids are out wandering on their own. Truly, it was such a game-changer for us. I was amazed at how accurate all those pedestrian-only streets were on the map.

You can pin your hotel location, and also the locations of all these great restaurants, etc. Then, when you're there, they will be easy to navigate to.

Vivian

Vivian,

I just had to giggle 😂. My sister gets so POd at me. I'm one of those strange people who looks at a map and it's ebbed. Went to NYC recently to visit her daughter, got off the metro and started walking. Sis said where are you going? Im calling for directions. I Said to Amy's, it's 3 blocks from here.
We met her at the entrance to her apt.

At least my first option was the vaporetto.

My goodness, I just went through all of your responses again. Now that we are only 25 days out it is much more real.

To those of you suggesting taking a water taxi, I think we will do that. I do want to kick off the trip in style.

Thank you for the restaurant tips, I am sure we will be hitting some of them along the way.