Trip Report Venice (from a first timers point of view)

Thanks for the trip report, Venice is my favorite town in Italy! Hope the rest of your trip is great.

Thanks, Jrandanell.

Glad you enjoyed Venice. We want to go back sometime when we have more time to spend there.

And we love Sorrento! We're looking forward to hearing how you like it.

Thanks jrandanell for sharing your time in Venice. I appreciated your comment about "not knowing what to expect." We felt the same way when we visited Venice. We loved Venice. We too especially enjoyed Burano! Looking forward to your Sorrento report. Fond memories of the Almalfi coast and Lemoncello!
Cin cin!

Glad you turned out to “not be afraid” during your trip. But I’m interested to know why you had fear to begin with. What was it that you you fearful before you arrived?

I too didn’t know quite what to expect when I visited Venice a couple of years ago for a week in January, which was very off season, so no cruise ship hordes. We had no rain and cold, sunny days. I was disappointed with Venice, unfortunately. Yes, it’s interesting to see the architecture and yes, there is some good art inside the churches, albeit I have a limit to how many frescoes I want to see in a week.

I booked the Doges Palace direct rather than through a third party. An example of what was annoying about Venice - we paid for our Doges tickets then went round the corner to buy the audio guide. When we got there, they said we couldn’t rent an audio guide without showing our passports, which we weren’t carrying, so we had to go back to the first desk and get a refund - why wasn’t there a notice at the ticket desk stating this, which would have saved the hassle? We returned with passports the following day. Paid for the audio guide and then found out after we had paid for it that they had moved several exhibits around and about 40% of the audio guide was incorrect!

My favourite day there was to the island of Torcello, as Murano and Burano were very busy.

The food was disappointing and expensive.

I have never been pick pocketed anywhere in Europe - just be sensible and don’t wave mobile phones around and ensure your wallet is in a zipped handbag.

I am glad that I have seen Venice, but I won’t be rushing back there.

I am so happy you enjoyed your time in my favorite Italian city! Amazing ho fears evaporate once one has some first-hand experience.

Our first trip there was so magical it set us on a course for continued travel (hubby was previously reluctant) and even a 5-year period of living in Italy! Hope this is the first of many wonderful journies for you!

I was fearful in a sense I was going out of the country for the first time. My sister in law was just in Paris a few months ago and said she felt no one spoke English and the people were rude so I was a bit nervous. She said she felt out of place. I have not felt that way at all. The people are so friendly. I was also nervous about getting around and moving from once city to another. I was nervous about pickpockets but never once felt like someone was trying to take my stuff. I however was cautious and bought a travel safe bag. Also I haven’t felt like I cannot leave my money belt in the hotel or air bnb. I just lock my suitcase with it inside and just bring what I need for the day. However, when traveling from one city to another, I put my money belt on. I guess I read too many things before I left.

But it’s refreshing when we can finally get to the point where we understand that people are just people no matter where they may reside or language they may speak. My son-in-law is Swiss and was born raised there and now my daughter is there, too. They’re a French speaking family, and I am so very humbled when my new Swiss Family speaks English just to accommodate my inadequacies.

People are just people everywhere.

This is great - glad you are having a wonderful time.

I think Venice is a great first international destination for new travelers, if they are ok with crowds. It’s safe, small, easy to get around, tourists are everywhere so you don’t feel self-conscious, and there’s plenty of English. No motorbikes to dodge. Familiar food, as well as new things to try. It’s a good place to get your feet wet (hopefully not literally!).

I can’t resist picking up on yet another slur against the French. (I know it was your sil, not you, but it affected your expectations.). The notion that no one in Paris speaks English is ludicrous. I have been the recipient of so many kindnesses from French people, as well as simple friendliness, that I can only surmise that your sil behaved a in manner so as to provoke negative responses. Good for you that you didn’t follow suit or let her warp your experience through negative expectations.

Thanks for taking the time to post this report. I enjoyed reading it and am glad you found Venice worthwhile. My travel companion and I missed out on Murano and Burano due to a vaporetto strike back in 2015. We spent the day wandering Venice instead... a very good use of time. We also took a water taxi early one morning to the airport to catch a flight. It was an enjoyable experience. Thanks again for posting. It sounds like we can look forward to trip reports on other destinations in Italy...

Thanks for this. I too unexpectedly fell in love with Venice on a six-day visit (half RS tour, half on my own) last fall. Later I saw videos of the acqua alta and was glad it happened the week after I was there. I doubt if I'll return (too many places to see, too few years left) but I'm so very glad I got there.

Too bad about Jennifer's bad experience there. She's a serious, capable traveler, which makes it sadder that she didn't like the place that much. But Venice has no shortage of admirers -- unfortunately often too many at the same time.

Glad the curling iron worked. This is not an area of concern for me after decades of male-pattern baldness, I get by just fine with a little pocket comb. ;-)

Your trip is off to a great start. Roaming Burano and Murano was my favorite day in the Venice area also.

I can understand the feeling that one could feel out of place when one thinks that no one speaks English. I want to know where that is in Paris. That no English speakers among Parisians are around I've never found that to be the case, lots of people speak English, or enough for you to communicate. But, then I ask myself this: Why should "they" speak English to me? I'm the one who has the language deficiency.

I remember on my grandson's (age 4) first trip in early July 2005 in France we decided to stop for an afternoon drink at a neighborhood brasserie near Metro station Avron, which isn't too far from the bigger station "Nation." We enter, 6 of us, my grandson sees a table in the corner that could fit us all and darts towards it.

Seeing this the waitress says something to him in French, which he obviously did not respond to because he didn't understand it. Having seen that, the Mrs, fluent in the language, tells her, "Il parle anglais."

We all sat at the table, one child and 5 adults, four of whom spoke French from proficient to fluent, ( I was the exception ), ordered our drinks and chatted/bantered with the waitress in French...always very interesting observing the social dynamics en français.