Want to go to Venice - any recommendations?

hieveryone

I have always wanted to go to Venice and I am seriously starting to look at booking for April for 3/4 days.

Has anyone got any recommendations of hotels/things to do/etc?

I don't think they fly from Scottish airports in April, so might need to look at Manchester.

We're only really looking to spend max £350 each - is this do-able?

Thanks in advance.

melb

hi there you can get flights for under £50 return from Leeds with Ryanair but they are early - ie setting off at 6.30 in the morning so you'd need to spend the night before in Leeds. Maybe you could incorporate that into your holiday and have a little stay in Leeds beforehand. We've been to Venice twice and stayed in apartments both times - the first one was fantastic and a real bargain but the current price is 250 euros a night - we paid 100 a night in June a couple of years ago. The second is (https://www.) cabadoer-veniceflat (.it) in the Badari apartment. We loved it because we could walk to and from the place where the Ryanair bus drops you off without using Vaporetti and it was in a real part of Venice where locals live (ie overlooking a school) but still very near all the sights. Have a look on tripadviser for more advice but also there are loads of threads on here if you just put Venice in the search box

hieveryone

Wow thanks for the tip on flights! Found flights at £140 - bargain!

Not sure about the apartments to be honest, I think I'd rather be in a hotel.

Thank you!

trailingspouse

We had a lovely weekend there a few years ago. Just wandering the alleyways is fab and doesn't cost a penny. You can't go to Venice without going on a gondola, so factor that into your costings. The cafes and restaurants in the main tourist areas are pricey (espcially St Mark's Square), but you don't have to wander far from the beaten track to find more reasonable prices - and the food is still wonderful.

sarah69696pink

My main recommendation would be go! Venice is amazing.
I'm afraid I can't recommend anywhere reasonable to stay - we stayed at the Hilton - but it was lovely
Venice isn't cheap when you're there but there are lots of set meals etc which are reasonable and you can buy snacks etc in local 'supermaket' type shops which are reasonable. Also lots of the things to see are free - just get out and about and explore - get lost in the streets, get a public boat (as opposed to an expensive gondola) and enjoy!

vegasvisitor

We stayed in Mestre when we went, was much cheaper. The hotel was Centrale Mestre, and it was across the road from a bus stop so we took the bus to Venice each day. I think they returned fairly late (11 ish or so) which was late enough for us. There were a few bars and restaurants in Mestre too (also cheaper) so one night we even had dinner in Mestre then went into Venice.

Might not be what you are after, but thought I'd throw the suggestion in there. We also travelled from Scotland - Glasgow-Stansted-Marco Polo. I think Marco Polo is closer, but Ryanair fly to the other I think. We were with Easyjet - although we would have had problems if we were delayed and missed a connection. Another alternative could be to fly to Bergamo and take the train.

hxm

have a look at this website http://www.veniceconnected.com for lots of information. I've been to Venice twice and both times bought a 3 day ticket for the vaporettos - they are good value as you can hop on and off the boats as much as you like and go to the outlying islands, Murano, Burano and the Lido as well as enjoying the Grand Canal (I recommend you do the whole trip in both directions at least once!) We stayed on Venice Lido actually as the hotels are a bit cheaper there and we loved getting on the boat each morning to get to Venice proper. The tickets are not valid for the boats to and from the airport but you can book those tickets at a reduced price from the same website.

zagubov

hxm wrote: »

have a look at this website http://www.veniceconnected.com for lots of information. I've been to Venice twice and both times bought a 3 day ticket for the vaporettos - they are good value as you can hop on and off the boats as much as you like and go to the outlying islands, Murano, Burano and the Lido as well as enjoying the Grand Canal (I recommend you do the whole trip in both directions at least once!) We stayed on Venice Lido actually as the hotels are a bit cheaper there and we loved getting on the boat each morning to get to Venice proper. The tickets are not valid for the boats to and from the airport but you can book those tickets at a reduced price from the same website.

Went there a couple of weeks ago for a weekend. I'd recommend you get the vaporetto tickets. Will take you the length of the town on the canals. We stayed in the Hotel Pausania in the Dorsoduro. Very near the ferry /waterbus stop. Easy to walk to the Guggenheim.or the bridge at Accademia to walk into Venice proper. Vaporetto can take you to the lido (a sort of real nearby island with roads and shops) where you can buy gorgeous grub and wine at the supermarket (if you're on a budget) the main chain is called Billa. There's pizza places that do deals (e.g.. 10 euros for pizza coffee and glass of wine).

Use the toilets in the cafes or restaurants you visit as you have to pay everywhere else.

You can get the water ferry from the airport into the city, takes about an hour and it's a nice way to travel. You buy a return ticket from a booth at the airport. It's good for several days.

Recommend you book the Secret tour of the Doge's Palace.

The website's a bit frustrating but may be fixed now (we could see lots of things we could pre-book but then found it wouldn't let us pay).

Don't bother with the gondola if money's tight. You can get a gondola as a ferry across the Grand Canal at the Accademia for a small fee if you want to say you've done it.

It's amazingly easy to walk around the city; it all feels safe and you've only got a limited capacity to get "lost". It all looks great!

The discounts on the website only apply if you book a week or more in advance.