Quick Guide to Venice
A magical place like no where else on this earth. Venice is a place to get lost and discover the historic past.
Venice is unique, and for that reason tourists flock there to marvel at the beauty of the city. Unlike other Venice travel guides out there, this quick guide gives you tips about ways to be a responsible traveller when visiting the historic city as well as the all important meals and shops you should visit. Scroll down to read.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Venice has an important role to play in maintaining and preserving the cultural and physical integrity of the city.
The amount of tourists visiting Venice each year has slowly pushed out the residents making it unbearable for them to live in the place they once called home. The City of Venice is taking action and has introduced #EnjoyRespectVenezia awareness campaign designed to encourage visitors to be responsible and respectful towards the environment, landscape and identity of Venice and its residents. The City of Venice has outlined 12 tips for visitors in the attempt to promote "Detourism", the act of slow and sustainable travel.
12 tips for visitors from The City of Venice
- Discover the lesser known areas of Venice. Follow itineraries that take you off the beaten tourist route and into more unknown areas of Venice.
- Discover the islands in the lagoon and Mainland Venice. Participate in the variety of events in the Metropolitan City.
- Try your hand at cooking typical Venetian cuisine.
- Visit the artisans' workshops and learn about the ancient trades that still exist. Support the artisans by purchasing original products. Do not buy any goods from illegal vendors.
- Book tours with qualified tourist guides.
- Walk on the right. Do not stand on bridges.
- Steps of churches, bridges, wells, monuments and banks of streams, canals etc. are not picnic areas. Use the public gardens instead. See this map for public gardens.
- St. Mark's Square is a monumental site and it is against the law to consume food or drink whilst there, unless you are at a bar and restaurant.
- It is forbidden to camp, walk about in swimwear, dive and swim. If you feel like a dip, the beaches at Lido and Pellestrina can be easily reached.
- Respect the environment and artistic wealth: do not litter, do not vandalize with graffiti, or padlocks. Do not give food to the pigeons.
- If staying in an apartment or flat, read up about the garbage recycling collection.
- Plan to travel to Venice when it is less crowded, out of the peak months of July and August.
When in Venice, eat like a local. Here are some must-tries below:
- Spaghetti vongole, is the classic spaghetti dish of clams in their shell with oil and garlic.
- Fegato alla Veneziana is calves liver cut into mouth-sized pieces and shallow-fried with onions, often served on a polenta.
- Squid ink pasta is a side dish or appetiser. The squid is cut up in mouth-sized pieces served in rich, creamy black sauce.
- Sarde in Saor is the typical fisherman's dish of sardines in a sweet and sour sauce, served with onions. A lovely appetiser, refreshing and light.
Al Covino is a tiny 7-table restaurant and a must-visit on my list. The young hosts, Andrea and Dimitri, take the simple approach to their restaurant: a choice of two courses for 27 euros, or three courses for 36 euros. All of their ingredients are local and their menu is short but concise. Reservations are a must. Castello 3829, Calle de Pestrin. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch. Book online here: http://www.covinovenezia.com/en/
Set in a prime location away from the crowds in Campiello Widmann, Boccadoro is an elegant restaurant which attracts mainly locals. Fresh fish is served with vegetables that the host, Luciano, grows himself on the island of Sant'Erasmo, in the north lagoon. For the best experience, ask him what he recommends. Wonderful fresh pasta such as black tagliolini with scallops and artichokes. Ask to eat outside if you are in Venice during summer. Medium to high prices. (Cannnaregio 5405, Campiello Widmann or Dei Biri). Closed Monday. http://www.boccadorovenezia.it/
Torrefazione Cannaregio, located close to the train station, has been roasting coffee in the in the Cannaregio district in Venice since 1930. Today it is the only coffee roasting company in the historic centre of the lagoon city.
My trip to Venice was a short one, we were in and out in one day so because of that, I cannot recommend any places to stay. This article from The Telegraph UK was published in February, 2018 and provides some great suggestions on lovely yet affordable stays in Venice.
I stumbled upon L'Armadio di Coco - Luxury Vintage store on my way out of Venice. A tiny store filled floor to ceiling with amazing vintage finds, from Hermes and Chanel to the well-known Italian designers who have since shut down their companies and whose pieces now are worth a small fortune. The prices are not cheap but the quality you will find here is like no other. L'Armadio di Coco - Luxury Vintage. Campo del Giglio 2516/A, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Down the road is the younger, more affordable and larger L'Armadio di Coco store. Campo Santa Maria Nova, 6029/B, 30121 Cannaregio, Venezia VE, Italy
Venture to the other islands around Venice such as Burano, well-known for its colourful houses each with mismatched colours on their shutters and trim. For lunch on Burano, go to Trattoria da Romano (Via Baldassare Galuppi 223).
You only need to open your Venice guide book and it will tell you all of the main attractions to visit. I won't waste time listing them all here. For more information, scroll down to Further Information and I have listed some great articles on Venice below.
Purchase an all-day pass or a 2-3 day ferry pass depending on how long you're staying in Venice. Ferry is the easiest mode of transport to get around and you can also visit the other islands only a short trip from Venice, including Bari - the famous colourful island.
- Linee Centrocitta (1, 2, N) as the name shows, this is the central line down the Grand Canal through the heart of Venice.
- Linee Giracitta (3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6, N) this ferry line goes all the way around Venice and is used more by residents and commuters.
- Linee Lagunari (12, 14, N) this is the ferry to take to go further afield in the Venetian lagoon to the various outlying islands. Popular ones include Lido, Murano, Burano (as mentioned above) and Torcello. (Lines 3, 4.1 and 4.2 also go to Murano, but not the other islands.)
Line 2 is the most useful vaporetto (a canal boat -- originally a steamboat, now a motor boat -- used for public transport) and is the express line down the Grand Canal. It chugs regularly from Piazzale Roma (car park) to Ferrovia (the train station) then stops five times (including at the Rialto bridge and the Accademia) en route to San Marco-Valloresso near to Piazza San Marco. It takes 25 minutes in total to reach Piazza San Marco from the train station.
Line 1 is the local line down the Grand Canal which follows a similar route as Line 2 but takes 30 minutes from the train station to Piazza San Marco, as it makes more stops. It continues past San Marco making all the Castello stops along the Bacina (Arsenale, Giadini, S. Elena), ending at the Lido.
Gondola Ride - A unique experience only to be had in Venice. It will cost you approximately $125AUD for 40 minutes, which is the pice set by the city. Riding a gondola is a pricey, but great way to support the locals.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON VENICE