[Travel] Venice

[Blue3]

Basilica of st mark if you love history as I do then this place is amazing in 1204 the Venetians under the leadership of Doge Enrico Dondolo who had organised a fleet to transport the combatants for the 4th crusade long story short not as many crusader's arrived as expected yet they owed the Doge for ships unused, so in kind they agreed to settle a few old Venetian scores when the finally arrived in Constantinople the Byzantines were not that keen on this bunch of thugs but owing to a side door being left open the crusaders entered and sacked the city, much of the looted items ended up in Venice.
St Marks Basilica stand looking at the front walk to the front right hand corner where you will see a huge lump of purple marble onto which are three individuals each with one hand upon his sword the other on the shoulder of another each looking over beyond the shoulder of the other’s.
This was suspected to have been looted from Constantinople but was only confirmed in the early 1970s when a new road was being built in Istanbul and a corner piece of purple marble was spotted by an historian noticed on a spoil heap and knowing the above story and having seen the marble statue in Venice where he noticed a corner was missing so he look this corner to Venice and it was a perfect fit which proved it came from Constantinople that allowed for the 3 individuals to be identified and confirm where it had originally been located

 

[Nitram]

I am bringing my family (wife and two teenagers) to Italy in early June. Thanks for the great sites advice above! Any Hotel recommendations? Any restaurants?

I’ve been to Venice loads of times. When the family was younger we stayed on the Venice Lido it’s a great place for a family. Good beach and family facilities. The Italians use the Lido for Summer holidays.
We stayed here, two adjoining rooms

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It’s easy to get to Venice by boat, 10 minutes and you can buy travel passes.

 

[Nitram]

Have been 8 times, our favourite place. Mostly in Summer and have stayed in the Lido and Venice itself.
As soon as you go off St Mark’s square, which is best visited first thing or late, then generally it’s very quiet. You can be completely by yourself even in Summer.
Have a look at the Ghetto area, and enter by the area by the original door which was closed at night to segregate the Jewish population.
Loads of small bars to explore which have snacks/tapas style dishes. Venice can be done inexpensively, or was pre-pandemic, I also recommend the Madonna restaurant, nothing fancy, near the Rialto for the Spider crab.
As said waterboat from the hotel is the best and most expensive way to arrive. You can get a bus for a few euros from the airport too.
It’s a fascinating place designed to wander and get lost in.
You can also get free entrance to St Marks by going to a Mass service, entrance at the side near a marble lion statue, although you can’t wander around after the service.
In the evening head over Rialto towards the fish market, where the original banks were, it’s now an area of small bars and restaurants where people meet at night.

 

[Peteinblack]

Away from the obvious (and noisy/crowded/rip-off) tourist areas, there are loads of reasonably priced bars and un-fancy restaurants in the side/back-streets, and these are fun to explore anyway; full of atmosphere, charm, and a sense of history.

 

[getz]

You won't get fleeced on a Gondola as they are regulated (like taxis here) so what they cost is what they cost. From memory a couple of years back it was €80 for 15-20 mins.

If you want to save some cash on going out to Murano ask your hotel or look out for the reps in the square as they'll take you out there for free as long as you buy something whilst you are there.

As others have said avoid eating/drinking outside in the square. Harry's bar is worth a visit but only for one as it's crazy expensive.

Avoid Harry's Bar. We went several years ago and spied bottled Bellinis out the back near the toilets. We noticed a few obviously regulars getting the barman to make them up from scratch.

 

[ROSM]

Avoid Harry's Bar. We went several years ago and spied bottled Bellinis out the back near the toilets. We noticed a few obviously regulars getting the barman to make them up from scratch.

Have been 3 times and always got freshly made ones. Watched them in front of me. I did order in Italian each time (well anglicised Italian anyway)

 

[ROSM]

I’ve been to Venice loads of times. When the family was younger we stayed on the Venice Lido it’s a great place for a family. Good beach and family facilities. The Italians use the Lido for Summer holidays.
We stayed here, two adjoining rooms

Ausonia Hungaria | 5 Star Luxury Hotel in Venice Lido | Official Site

The renovated 5*L hotel in the heart of Venice Lido is now a reality: book your experience today. Enjoy the best booking rates through our Official Site.

www.ausoniahungaria.com

It’s easy to get to Venice by boat, 10 minutes and you can buy travel passes.

Visited Venice lido, best time was kid September when we got a cabana with waiter service but the beach was largely empty despite being 26degrees still. We used the beach at hotel excelsior

 

[clapham_gull]

Yep, amazing place. Easy to avoid the tourist traps if you do a bit of research.

Murano a good shout to get away from the crowds. You won't get ripped off here

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[clapham_gull]

I am bringing my family (wife and two teenagers) to Italy in early June. Thanks for the great sites advice above! Any Hotel recommendations? Any restaurants?

Corte di Gabriela - 4 star Luxury Boutique Hotel and Loft in Venice

Discover our 4-star Boutique Hotel in the heart of Venice and a few steps from Piazza San Marco. Be enchanted by the modern and traditional design of Venice.

www.cortedigabriela.com

Lovely small hotel. I stayed when it just opened, I imagine it's a bit more expensive now.

 

[Binney on acid]

Some fantastic advice. I knew you wouldn't let me down. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[North Carolina Supporter]

Corte di Gabriela - 4 star Luxury Boutique Hotel and Loft in Venice

Discover our 4-star Boutique Hotel in the heart of Venice and a few steps from Piazza San Marco. Be enchanted by the modern and traditional design of Venice.

www.cortedigabriela.com

Lovely small hotel. I stayed when it just opened, I imagine it's a bit more expensive now.

Thank you for sharing this information. The hotel looks amazing. Compared to other hotels, it’s not too expensive. 300 Euro

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Venice is excellent, but can be fantastically expensive - especially around St Marks. Use the vaporettos and avoid the gondolas. Otherwise just wander. The outlying islands and the Lido are good.

Haven't been for ages. We wandered around the Arsenale and ended up in a bar that turned into the local bookies part way through the afternoon.

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[MattBackHome]

Agree with all of the previous. Great city. Get a fritto misto!

 

[OzMike]

I took my wife there for her 40th.
Wr stayed at a good hotel on the Lido and caught water taxis to Venice.
Breakfast in St Mark's Square is a must and a visit to the oldest cafe the Florian.
Hang the expense.
Wandering around at night can be a big spooky, though quite safe back then.
Why avoid the Gondolas ? Might be the only time in your life that you go there.

 

[Fiskmås]

Very envious as I'm writing this! I think it's a really good time of the year to visit, and five days was really good planning so you have time to explore at your own pace and get lost among the side streets. The few people I know who have been underwhelmed by Venice are those who spend 24 hours there during the summer months, insist on heading straight to the worst tourist traps and have their toes stepped on by slightly overweight Americans. It really is a magic place if you avoid doing that.

I don't have many tips besides those already mentioned here, but do try to figure out the Vaporetto water buses, they make life so easy. We got a 3-day card, for some 45 euro I believe, and zipped around the islands like mad without having to reach for the wallet again. They also reach the other islands, so you can do Murano, Burano and Lido on that same ticket (and they go both directions in a circle towards Murano and Burano, so you can do one island and then continue on to the next as you please). We only did a lovely half day on Murano using the Vaporetto (I thought we were visiting a glass-blowing show for the kids' sake, but in the end I believe I was the one who enjoyed it the most!)

The one tiny place I can recommend, that I haven't seen mentioned yet, is a lovely little bookshop not too far away from where you live. Quite different and might not be everyone's taste, but very cozy and also a great place to pick up some tiny knick-knacks for the ones back home without having to overspend like crazy closer to the biggest tourist attractions.