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Venice
Travel Guide, climate:
Best: Feb [Carnival], March-June, Sept, Oct;
winter time is chilly but uncrowded, and can be misty and romantic.
Avoid: July and August, in summer time the canals get smelly
& prices rocket.
'Like
eating a box of chocolate liqueurs in one go' T. Capote
Main
Festivals guide:
Feb, Venice Carnival, do it once at least, it's cramped magic! See
Venice
Carnival Pictures.
May, Vogalonga, boat race.
July, Festa del Redentore, a huge flotilla of decorated boats travel
around the canals, regatta, fireworks.
Nov, La Salute [religious] festival at the beautiful Basilica Santa
Maria della Salute.
For
some precise dates or more information see: European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals.
Arts/Culture
guide:
Museums and Galleries: the number one gallery is the Accademia. Then there's
Collezione Peggy Guggenheim; Ca' Peasaro, Ca'd' Oro-Galleria Franchetti;
or possibly Museo Navale & Arsenale, for naval artefacts and kid-friendly ship models. Note that opening times change frequently so check on status when you arrive.
Get a Civic Museum pass to save money, or a Venicecard, see below.
Classical Music: Goldoni, Palazzo Prigione Vecchie, Scuola
Grande di San Giovanni evangelista, Pietà church for Vivaldi.
Dance/Opera: Fenice Opera, Palafenice.
Theatre: Teatro Malibran.
Live Music: Paradiso Perduto, Da Codroma
Check 'Un Ospite di Venezia' for event info/listings.
Venicecard:
Culture
vultures will be happy to buy either the Blu [reduced museum prices] or Orange [free museum entry] Venicecards which also get tourists into
palazzos, churches, toilets and free water bus travel.
www.venicecard.com
Short
Trips:
The Lido's beach and casino.
Murano island to see the fascinating and ancient art of glass blowing and the equally ancient art of selling the stuff.
Venice
Shopping guide:
Classy: Piazza San Marco; the route between San Marco, the Rialto
and the station; Murano glass factories. These are all overpriced
and clichéd. For more interesting, cheaper glass work try
Ivano Soffiato in Dorsoduro and watch him at work.
Accomodation:
For more than a few nights stay why not rent an apartment and live
like the locals - shopping at markets like the one beside the Rialto
Bridge. See links on the right side.
If
you plan to travel to Venice, how about another sensational city on your trip?
Check these Bug guides:
Rome
Guide | Florence
Guide | Siena
Guide
Vienna
Guide | Budapest
Guide | Prague
Travel
Paris
Travel | Walking
Tours - Italy
Venice
Travel Links |
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Why
Travel to Venice?
Because it's unique and timeless and sinking into the mud. A stunning,
decaying city with no wheels, a labyrinth of mysterious streets
and canals, surprise views, sublime buildings and particularly Piazza
San Marco, 'the finest drawing room in Europe' according to Napoleon, and 'pigeon paradise' according to others.
The view from Campanile di San Marco tower offers a superb city overview while taking a vaporetto [water bus] along the Grand Canal and chugging past elaborate 14thC palaces is one of life's do-before-ye-die experiences.
Along with those sights and boat rides are a clutch of riveting museums, elaborate palaces and churches and sensational walks.
Downsides:
- With 70,000 residents but 19 million tourists a year don't expect to mix casually with locals.
- this poorly managed city is infamous for its 'rip-off' attitude to visitors, both official and individual, so beware.
- gondolas and food are
expensive [unless you stick with pizzas and cicheti, see
below].
- Venice goes to bed early.
Main sights:
Venice is a great walking city, especially after a couple of overpriced expressos
with brandy.
The city centre is easy to navigate to and from so Piazza and Basilica San Marco and the
pink and white gothic Doge's Palace, aka Palazzo Ducale [Do take a tour or audio-guide, the place is loaded with fascinating trivia] are perfect starters [coffee at Café Florian?]; the elegant Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal is busy but lovely; Accademia Bridge, the Academy Gallery [one of Europe's best classic galleries and focusing on the glory of Venice since 13thC] and the nearby traditional gondola boatyard Squero di San Trovaso are musts; finally when you're ready for a sit down take a vaporetto along the Grand Canal [main street] or a gondola if you are plush of pocket.
After that it's time to stumble around the back streets and find your own exquisite
little sights.
For example, head north to Cannaregio's untouristy 14thC Jewish Quarter or west to Dorsoduro and its triangular Dogana da Mar customs house, offering excellent views and off the normal package trail.
Venice Tourism now offers a leaflet of great, little-known walks
called 'Venezia Beyond San Marco', available from near the old
San Marco vaporetto stop.
Boat
travel:
Transport here, needless to say, is legs, water bus, or very pricey but evocative gondolas [that can get down the tiny back routes, whereas vaporettos only ply main canals]. See Venicecard left for economy vaporetto rides. Vaporettos also run tourists from Marco Polo airport to St Mark's Square
for a few dollars.
Self-drive boats are available in Cannaregio,
or you could even hire a sleep-aboard cruiser for not a lot from
Rendez-Vous Fantasia in Chioggia. Driving licences not required
for either self-drive! See links page.
Cuisine
guide:
Beware of rip offs. Check prices carefully [preferably written],
don't be dragged in by a maitre d' outside, eat where Italians
[probably tourists too!] are eating and ask for a written bill/check [conto] at the end.
Good value:
Pizzas are the cheapest way to eat fully and two of the most popular
are la Perla and Casa Mia, both in Cannaregio.
Alternatively bars can be an economical way to eat as they often
have delicious cicheti tidbit costing very little, similar
to 'antipasti' you find in restaurants.
Not expensive:
Avogaria in Dorsoduro serves excellent seafood, while La Zucca at
Ponte del Megio specialises in pasta and salads.
Over the Top:
For the best [woah $$$!] dining experiences in Venice try either
Hotel Cipriani's gorgeous terrace restaurant, Da Fiore or Dalla
Marisa in Cannaregio.
For high society cafe scenes go to Italy's oldest cafes, Caffè
Florian or Gran Caffè Quadri, in Piazza San Marco.
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