Venice

LittleJo

Hi,
I need some help on visiting Venice.
My partner and I are in our sixties and looking to go to there this Autumn.
I have looked on Tripadviser etc. but the information is a bit out of date.
It would be useful if anybody can advise on how tricky it is to get into Venice from Marco Polo airport by pubic transport.
Any advice on hotels, eating out, and getting about.
Cheers
Jo

pogofish

Boat from the Airport straight into Venice - couldn't be simpler.

Show the ticket desk where you are staying and they will point you at the right line.

http://www.alilaguna.com/en/lines/lines-map

johnnyreggae

Venice is primarily a walking city - there's many long threads here about things to do & places to see - I think the last was a couple of months ago - try a 'search'

philbostavros

Hi Jo

We are both 61 and went to Venice last year for 3 days, to celebrate our 60th (our sons treated us).

It is very easy to transfer from the airport by bus, depending on where you are staying. We were in a hotel on the grand canal so the bus took us to the main bust terminus (make sure you validate your ticket before boarding - there's a machine usually by each stop) and then took a river bus to the nearest stop to our hotel.

I would recommend the following website, as it has comprehensive details for everything you'll need (it's geared for the american visitor but good):

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

As already said, getting about involves plenty of walking and boats in one form or another. My wife has back problems but didn't find it too onerous.

My advice would be to take plenty of Euros, as it can be VERY expensive. We stayed at the Ca'Sagredo (5*) which we got a very good deal through Expedia. We were going to choose the CA'Favretto (4*), which is on the other side of the Grand Canal but couldn't get the dates we wanted, and the 5* actually worked out cheaper!

Didn't eat there though, as when we had two glasses of red wine the first afternoon, to celebrate our arrival (was a warm late-March afternoon and seemed rather romantic, overlooking the canal) - got a bit of a shock, as they cost 20 euros!!!!!

We found eating out to be very expensive, even if you ducked down the side streets though a bit more research on tinternet may find more advice on cheaper alternatives.

I will say though, that it was a wonderful place to visit and we did have a really brilliant time.

Good luck and happy travelling.
Phil

sentosa

Hello Jo,
haven't been to Venice, but will be there in October. I have been doing lots of research and you might find these sites useful.

veniceconnected dot com ,
this is the official tourism site for Venice.

reidsitaly dot com
has a great one day tour with lots of ideas.

veniceurbanadventuredot com,
I found a tour on this called Cicchetti of Venice, which is the Venitian version of tapas and wine, you go along with a local guide to several bars and have wine and cicchetti at each one.

Enjoy Venice,
Anne

Sorry, as a newbie, I can not post links

leedspete_2

there is a bus from marco polo to venice which is a five minute walk from venice train station and this costs about 3.50 euros each

Backbiter

The water bus from the airport to San Marco is the best way to get there, but not the cheapest. I think it cost 15 euros single, 25 return. The bus is cheaper and quicker, but the chances are you might need a vaporetto from the bus station to nearer your hotel, so you have to add that cost to the bus fare.

When in Venice, buy the vaporetto passes which are not bad value, but they aren't valid for the airport water bus.

As has been said, Venice is brilliant for walking around. It can be expensive, but you can find decent restaurants and bars that are not extortionate, but avoid eating and drinking in St Mark's square! You can also find good deals at happy hour. My advice is to explore off the beaten track. Dorsoduro is a really nice part to walk around, but really all of the city is fantastic in my view.

sunshinetours

Do have a coffee or a glass of Prosecco at one of the cafes in ST Marks Square if its a one off trip. Special treat and no it isn't cheap!

Also get out to the island Murano but espcially Burano. Lovely coloured houses, very touristy but a nice trip

hxm

Hi Jo

Pre-book your vaporetto tickets and transport to and from the airport on http://www.veniceconnected.com/it/node/1477 as others have said and you get a reasonable discount. There are quite a few different options to choose from so choose the one that will fit your requirements.

I would also highly recommend the Secret Itineraries tour of the Doges Palace, this has to be booked in advance as places are very limited. I booked through http://www.vivaticket.it

Nowhere is cheap to eat, and we found some places refused to serve tap water. One very nice place I wouldn't hesitate to recommend for lovely food is Vino Vino, very near to La Fenice http://www.vinovinowinebar.com/en/

If you like Classical music, there are many concerts you will see advertised around Venice which you can just book on the day.

Venice is FAB! Enjoy your visit

colmil

We found that pizzerias were about a £1 dearer than home, but nothing too expensive, just look at the menus first!

Of course, more fancy food could cost more but we had salads from supermarkets, picnics with lovely bread and cheese, olives etc, bottles of wine from the supermarkets, no complaints!

Go to Murano, the glass making place just off the vaporetta was disappointing, but follow your nose around the corner and there are some superb glass shops, I spent £500,000 in an afternoon! yeah, right!

LittleJo

Many thanks for all to took the trouble to reply.
Jo