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[kitbag]

Hello lovely omletteers! It's been a while since I've been on here but I thought I would ask if any of you have been to Venice? It was my 21st birthday last Saturday and my lovely boyfriend is taking me to Venice in October!

 

I've never been but I've always wanted to go!! Any tips from anyone would be very much appreciated!

 

Meg x

[soapdragon]

Hi Meg

 

I spent 6 months in Venice when I was 17 - many, many years ago now - we went back for our honeymoon 25 years ago ...I can only suggest that you get a good map and walk, walk, walk. Or even don't bother with the map and just walk, walk, walk. There are so many little alleys, bridges, squares and its hard to get really lost! You also come across so many wonderful little pizzerias, churches etc this way!

 

St Marks Square is fab as is the Doges Place and the Campinile - got to do those but do get off the beaten track and wander.....its SOOOOOO worth it!

 

There are vaporetti (waterbuses) doing trips to the three islands, Murano, Burano and Torchello and these make a great day out together. Murano is the glass blowing island and fascinating tho, again, touristy! Torchello is peaceful and calm and Burano a great place for lunch! You should be able to book a trip through the tourist office or your hotel but compare prices as it can be expensive.

 

Go to the market at the end of the Rialto bridge....fresh fish and veg and, even if you don't buy anything, the atmosphere is evocative. Walk St Marks Square at sundown, don't sit down in the cafes near the tourist spots as they charge far more than if you stand at the bar with your expresso etc!

 

If the budget allows, get a private launch from the airport (assuming Marco Polo) to the city.....a truly magical way to arrive.

 

You will have an amazing time and I can't tell you how envious I am Photos, please!!!!!!!

 

PS Take comfy shoes!

[Olly]

Fabulous - it's one of the places I've been that was almost exactly as I'd imagined it. Lots and LOTS of walking, and be prepared to get lost.

 

Buy a one or two day pass and you can use the vaporetti and also get the boat out to Murano, Burano etc all on the same ticket. The only place I didn't like much was St Marks, very very crowded but some of the other churches have great art in them and are much emptier.

 

Don't bother with Harry's Bar, and don't even think of buying a drink in St Mark's Square, go just a few streets away and it will all be much quieter and cheaper. Get a cafe corretto in one of the bars when you start to flag - it's coffee 'corrected' with a dash of spirits and it will get you going again! Pre holiday reading - if you like detective stories then read some of Donna Leon's books which are all set in Venice and describe it from the point of view of those who actually live there. Or you could watch 'Don't Look Back' before you go! lucky, lucky you. I'd go there again tomorrow if I could afford it.

[gavclojak]

My lovely 3 kids put together and paid for three nights in Venice for me and OH for Christmas a few years ago....I am the least romantic person in the world but you can't help but get carried away with the romance of the city...it is unlike anywhere else and absolute stunning.

 

Enjoy, your very lucky

[bluekarin]

I went many years ago when I was 16 with my best friend and her family and absolutely lived it. I can't remember much and we only went for a day trip as we were actually staying in what was Yugoslavia, so that can tell you how long ago it was as the country separated a year or so after we stayed

 

Anyway, Venice. Recommend St Marks Square and the church. Make sure shoulders are covered if going inside. Don't have a drink when the music is playing in St Marks square as the price is even more astronomical. We ate fabulous pizza in a tiny restaurant down a back street so worth looking around for somewhere to eat rather than stick to the main streets. I wasn't into glass then like I am now so didn't appreciate the Murano glass We did watch glass being blown. I do wonder if that was at a Murano glass factory? but I was rather taken with the masks and still have a tiny one I bought and which got broken but I fixed. Make sure you take a gondola ride as it is such fun. We shared with a young couple, which for a couple of teens was a bit giggle inducing

 

Apart from that, which might not still be relevant nowadays, I would just say soak up the atmosphere end enjoy

[cloud]

Loved Venice when I was there. Loved getting 'lost' in the narrow and the contrast with St Marks square with all the pigeons and people. It was February and it snowed. It was also in the 1970's so things may have change a little since then!

[Olly]

It's a few years since I went, but I remember a lovely meal in this restaurant - La Zucca.

 

Also, I don't know what the temperature is like in October, but when it's cold Venice is very cold indeed, I think it's the damp that makes it seep into your bones so take some warm clothes.

[sadietoo]

Love love love Venice and the backstreets. Completely agree with the advice to walk walk and walk. I read and loved Miss Garnett's Angel before I went back after visiting as a tourist in 1976 and and made it a point to track down the camel and the Gaudi paintings mentioned in the book. The camel took me to parts of the city I would not have seen otherwise! You can take the Allilaguna from the airport if you don't want to fork out for a water taxi. I really think it's best to arrive by the water if possible. Have a great time. I am very

[gavclojak]

I agree olly, we went in January and it was amazing as it was so quiet but I have never been so cold on my entire life....even standing on a glacier in Iceland couldn't compare with the temperature!

[Daphne]

I took OH to Venice for his 40th

 

Of all the places my 86 year old MIL has been in the world, she rates Venice at the top

 

I think its because its so different to everywhere else that its so magical - all the water and the old, peeling buildings which are still stunning in their state of decay. If you just wander the streets you won't go far wrong St Marks Square is beautiful, and the whole city is especially lovely at night.

 

If you like ice-cream you must have one - all Italian ice cream is excellent, but its particularly good in Venice. We found the food and drink to be expensive, but we did eat some excellent pizza (wood fired and all that) OH overhead lots of Italian people ordering a drink called a Spritz in bars, so he had one. Turned out to be Aperol (like Campari) and something fizzy (seemed to be a mix of fizzy wine and fizzy water or soda) Well he fitted in (he is of Italian descent) but what a revolting drink (unless you happen to like the taste of Campari)

[Lewis]

Happy 21st Birthday!

 

I went with my 2 brothers last summer and had a really good time, though we thought a week was a bit too long so maybe book some trips/excursions towards the end of the week.

 

We stayed at the Generator Hostel, on Guidecca Island, just across the water from San Marco so great views and we loved it. It opened the week we stayed there so was all brand new and really clean, more of a hotel than a hostel - would recommend.

 

I was going to mention Aperol too! There's two types, one is more bitter but neither particularly nice... We still drank them all the time

I found the food to be cheaper than I expected, ice cream and pizza are in abundance and we'd get a huuge pizza for €6-8

[sadietoo]

Ah yes. The ice cream. My favourite was Gelateria Nico on the Zattere which has a nice platform built out over the water if you want to eat in. Also there was a good Pizzeria just up from the Ice Cream shop. The Zattere is good for sunshine as it's quite a wide open expanse so if it's a bit chilly elsewhere you can still sit outside there. We visited in March and there was snow on the ground but we still ate outside on the Zattere (but kept our gloves on!)

[Lavenders_Blue]

I went with my mum a few years ago (dead romantic ) and can't add anything to the excellent suggestions above except to say that if you want to go on a gondola but are too much of a cheapskate to do so (we were) then there are zillions of gondolas that zip back and forth across the Grand Canal (there are only 3 bridges so it's a really useful service!). I seem to remember that it was €0.50 per crossing, tourists have to sit down, the locals stand up on the gondola It's like a real-life game of Frogger as you dodge all the other river traffic that is going up and down as you go across, and you get to say 'I went on a gondola'.

We also managed to sneak into one of the glass factories in Murano with an organised party We had to put up with a commentary in German, but as we weren't actually supposed to be there and hadn't paid, who were we to complain?