Hi I’m Abi with Holiday Extras Travel Guides, and this time we’re in Venice!
We’ll be giving you all the essential information to help you travel better.
Covering tips on money, language, transport, and a few of the things we’ve learned along
the way… but first here’s a bit about this unique city.
Rising up from the sea, and running on a series of canals and waterways, Venice is a special
place.
There’s no cars, no roads, just grand buildings, old palaces, tiny streets, and gondolas.
Venice is 697 miles from London, with flights from the UK taking on average two hours, to
get into Venice most people travel from Marco Polo airport, and it’s here where our guide
starts!
The bus and taxi both take you to Piazzale Roma, which is as far as the road goes in
Venice.
Of course, the only real way to get into Venice from Marco Polo airport is by boat.
And you can do this by either catching a private water taxi, or the Vaporetto.
The Vaporetto is Venice’s water bus, taking you to one of the many stops across the city.
However you’ll need to complete the last leg of your journey on foot, definitely something
to think about when packing your bags!
Ryanair flys into Venice’s second airport at Treviso, and from here the best way to
get into the city is to take the bus!
To get around quickly you want to use the Vaporetto, Venice’s water bus works like
any normal bus.
With regular routes all around the city, but before you get on there are a few things you
should know!
The free app Venice in time is super useful for route and timetable information.
An unlimited number of journeys for 75 minuets will cost you €7.50, 1, 2, 3, and 7 day
unlimited travel passes are available.
Those of you aged between 6 and 29 can buy a rolling Venice card for €6!
This entitles you to a €22, 72 hour unlimited travel ticket.
Tickets are available from machines at Vaporetto stops, or from ticket offices spread around
the city.
Validate your ticket before you board the Vaporetto or you could be fined.
Let people disembark before boarding.
It can get really busy, so be prepared to stand.
It’s no secret that Venice is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
We’ve learned a lot from our time here, so here’s ten tips to help you Travel better.
During the height of summer Venice will be extremely busy, for the best experience we
recommend booking for the end of Spring or early Autumn.
What trip to Venice would be complete without seeing the city in the most authentic way
possible, by getting a Gondola!
And you can even learn to row!
I had a great lesson with the lovely women from Row Venice.
Where I got to steer the boat, and try not to fall in!
A coffee on Piazza San Marco will set you back about €5, if cash is more important
than the view - food and drink gets cheaper away from the tourist centres.
During peak season many of the popular tourist sites will have huge quest, you can avoid
this and book your tickets online.
As the larger quest when you’re there are actually to buy them!
we’ve put the links for the most popular places in the description below!
At St. Mark’s Basilica, make sure you drop off your bag at the luggage stand before joining
the main due, you’re not allowed inside with a bag, so if you do this you’ll avoid
queuing twice!
Free wifi is available at most hotels, and some restaurants.
There are also paid wifi spots around the city, it’s €5 for 24 hours, €15 for
72 hours, and €20 for 7 days.
Expect to get lost in the Venice side streets.
You’ll often find yourself being cut off by a canal or even just walking into dead
ends.
But go with it, give yourself plenty of time, because it’s actually apart of Venice’s
charm!
Use hotel and restaurant loo’s when you get a chance, there aren’t many public toilets
in venice, and to use them you must pay €1.50.
Book a walking tour with Luisella from Seevenice,It, she’ll show you the parts of Venice that
aren’t in the guide books!
And in particular I really loved looking around Rialto market!
Somewhat unsurprisingly traditional venetian cuisine, is based heavily around seafood,
one of the best places to try, and see the food is Rialto Market.
A short walk from the famous Rialto Bridge, open from 7am until 12.30pm it’s a wonderful
place to see the real Venice, meet the locals, and if you’re feeling brave try some of
the local specialities.
The currency here in Italy is the Euro, and Venice is a bit more expensive than most places
but this is due to it being tourist hotspot.
The golden rule here to remember is the closer you are to tourist attractions the more you
can expect to pay.
So here’s a breakdown of our costs during our time here:
Our flights with Easyjet where £64 return with hand luggage only, our 3 bedroom apartment
was £420 for two nights.
A Gondola ride is €80 for half an hour.
Entry to St Mark’s Basilica is free.
Entry to the Doge’s Palace is €20 for an adult, and for children ages 6 -14, and
students ages between 15 -25, it’s €13.
Tipping isn’t something that’s generally done it Italy.
However most places will add a 12% service charge that does go straight to management,
so if you feel the service has been exceptional, then do leave a small cash tip for the staff!
I’m here with Luisella from SeeVenice, and she’s kindly agreed to help teach me some
Italian!
I’ll try my best!
Let’s go!
So first off how do I say, Hello?
Ok, so hello is very easy because you just say Ciao!
If it’s informal though, if you want to be a bit more polite then you say Buongiorno!
And, Yes!
Si!
No?
No.
Please?
Per Favore.
Do you speak English?
Parla Inglese?
May I have the bill please?
Il conto, per favore.
How much is it?
Quant’e.
Thank you!
Grazie!
Err and Goodbye?
Ok, so you can say Ciao, again, or Arrivederci!
Do people tend to say Ciao both at the end and start?
Exactly, Ciao means both when you meet, and when you say goodbye.
Oh I like that!
Easy, easy, easy!
Well thank you so much Luisella, Luisella?
So big thanks Luisella for helming me with my Italian, and showing me the market.
If you want to book a walking tour with her it’s Seevenice.it.
So that’s it from our time in this most unique of cities!
Venice you’ve been amazing!
And for more on Italy go check out our guides on Florence, Rome, and Pisa!
And later this year we’ve got even more exciting content coming, that’s it from
me - Ciao!