Il Vaporetto
by nicolettart
The vaporetto, or waterbus, is how you will get around Venice, besides walking. Try to avoid picking it up at Piazza San Marco, where it's usually packed with tourists. The number 1 is the slow boat, so if you want to take it easy and be able to admire i palazzi along the Grand Canal and take pictures, this is for you. You will need to buy a ticket ( at the tabacchini "T"), and they do check! We were staying for a month, so we bought an extended pass which saved us some money.
Canali piccoli e stretti
by croisbeauty
The network of Venetian canals is amazing, there are great number of small, short and narrow canals and each one looks more beautiful than the previous one you have seen. Those which are very short and narrow can be reached by boats only. I wish I could seat in my own boat and explore them all, it might be great adventure.
Realistic prices (ice, water, coffee)
by Trekki
Now I have read much about all these high prices in Venezia, but already wrote that it is our choice how much to pay for which service or food. If one does not move away from the neuralgic spots and screams about the prices – sorry, then this someone did not get the idea of Venice or mistook it for Eurodisney.
The city has reasonable prices, but just not along the line between Piazza San Marco and Ponte Rialto.
Ice cream: the price for one ice cream ball is 1 Euro, sometimes even 0,90 Euro. It is clearly written at the ice cream shops, and to pay anything more than 1 Euro is… well, your choice.
Water: there is zero need to pay 2 or 3 Euro for a bottle of water (1,5 litre) in the shops along this neuralgic line. Supermarkets sell the bottle for 0,50 Euro.
Coffee: yes, of course, the cafes on Piazza San Marco will be happy to sell you a coffee for 8 or 10 Euro. This even might have a reason. Where on earth do you have such a splendid surrounding and music to sit, relax and have a coffee. But again, moving away from the Piazza will let the prices drop dramatically. And you still find places with wonderful surroundings. My goodness, whole Venezia is a wonderful background for everything. Coffee should cost not more than 1,5 to 2 Euro. Espresso is cheaper than Café Latte. Perfect locations for these are for example along Zattere (the southern quay of Dorsoduro), Via Garibaldi (the big street in eastern Castello) and northern Canaregio. Dinner and lunch: yes, if you want the menu turistico, then you already have to pay higher prices. But again, outside of the neuralgic line are the pricey restaurants. The more you move away from this, the cheaper – and better – it gets. Same as for the coffee: the best and reasonable restaurants are along Zattere, Via Garibaldi and northern Canaregio. Here you will also be greeted with genuine smiles and not with the assessing look how much would be in your wallet.
Whatever you buy: keep the bills, at least until some hundred metres away from wherever you bought or paid something. Italian law does require this. If you come out of a shop or restaurant without a bill and the guardia finanza will check you, you are in bad shape (assumed work on the side).
Why do I always insist on this “move away from the neuralgic spot” ? This is very easy. Us herds and millions of tourists (with our Dollars or Euros in the pocket) has of course increased the interest of shop and restaurant owners to take advantage of. So many of the original, reasonable shops and restaurants have to close and are exchanged for shops that sell the usual tourist stuff and crap (mostly made in China, so not at all genuine). So many of excellent shops have vanished by now. And the more we move along the neuralgic spots to leave our money, the more this is a vicious circle. It kills the originality of Venezia, the local’s home and shop possibilities.
So just think about what you want when being in Venezia: buying tourist crap or experience the real city and buy genuine stuff.
Walk around to drink wine
by garibaldi
This is a tipical Venetian activity!
Try at Cantina Vecia Carbonera.
Here you can find a very nice place where you can drink a glass of wine (white or red as write on the wall) in a no smoking place!
You can also eat (1,30 € per piece) sitting or no (at venetian way).
Leaving Railway station S.Lucia, go left and walk down in "Strada Nova". After crossing "Ponte delle Guglie" go ahead and at S. Antonio Bridge you find this place on your left.
Good Shoes For Walking – Necessity (V)
by Zvrlj
The only way to see the Venice is to walk, walk, walk… all over it. And for that good sport shoes/tennis shoes are needed. Shoes are the first thing that should be packed when travelling to Venice.