Don't want to upset anyone who's suffering in the floods, but we're off to Venice for a midweek break tomorrow, back Friday. Has anyone got any tips for what to see, apart from the obvious?
Caroline, do go to the top of the tower in the square you can see for miles lovely views. San Marco the huge church is under water in most parts so do wear good shoes, a lot of it was fenced off when we went because the church is slowly sinking. To be honest i wasn't very impressed with the inside rather dank & dirty, unusual for an Italian church i must say. We walked & walked over so many bridges it was wonderfull, the shops off the beaten track,are lovely but expensive, you cannot get lost all bridges lead you back sooner or later it certainly was worth the walk. Have a great time. If you go on a gondola i would suggest you haggle for the price FIRST, or share with someone else good luck & enjoy wonderfull place. Ohhh!! Caroline, unless you have about £24 for 2 coffees do not sit in San Marco where the orchestra is. Rosebud.
Take your wellie boots? ;D Last time Pete and I were there there was lots of flooding and all the locals had wellie boots which meant they could go just about anywhere. There were raised walkways in the main streets and traffic police directing the pedestrians.
Venice isn't large so we took the waterbus to a different area every day and just wandered round and enjoyed it. We visited all the usual places like the Doge's palace and St Mark's cathedral , went to Murano and the Peggy Guggenheim collection, visited the Jewish quarter and the zattere and lots and lots of art. But mostly we just sat about and drank in the atmosphere. We went to wonderful concerts in - I think - the Basilica Collegio Antoniano near Piazza san Stefano. Local boy Vivaldi's quatro stagione. We drank coffee in Café Florian and bellinis in Harrys Bar ( overrated overpriced but must do).
We even visited the fish market.
Pete and I loved Venice and intended to return this year in October. The one thing that's not so good if you go in August/ summer is that it tends to be a bit smelly and the mosquitos are out in force.
if someone cen remind me how to add things to my gallery I'll put up all our Venice photos.
If you find the gondola ride a bit too expensive ( as we did) buy a day ticket for the water bus instead. That way you will be able to spend a lot longer on the water and see more.
Avoid hometime though, as they were really full then, although you could still get a seat.
The best advice we had was to get lost, as you would see nmore and get a better feel of the place. We got lost twice! It's amazing how big Venice is :o Much more fun than sticking to the main tourist routes though.
We saw the sort of thing usually reserved for Venetians, like the bin men emptying rubbish into the bin barge, and builders getting their equipment on site via the waterways.
Oh and keep an eye out for the gorgeous italian men, dressed impeccably, not a hair out of place and pulling a trolley bag!!
cj :)
Ps, forgot to tell you hang on to your purse & wallet for dear life , having said that the couple of times we have been we have adored it and shall go back yet again hopefully when my knees are done,.
GREAT photos, Anne..
Haven't been there for 50 years! Pensione Walter.
Don't go in a gondola - they're really expensive and only for rich tourists. A good way to cross the grand canal by traghetto. These are gondola ferries that cross at several points (street signs point to a little gondola). They only cost a few cents, you stand on the boat, and get paddled across the canal. Saves walking to the Rialto every time you want to cross.
And don't sit down for a drink at any of the bars in piazza S Marco. It costs more than double.
Try to say please and thank you in Italian, and don't sound like an American.
Oh yes, and at this time of the year it will smell. Mid summer with maximum visitors visiting loos ... ... no thanks. Have a lovely time, it's a beautiful, magical little city. :) :) :)
Another don't I'm afraid! If you get bothered by mosquitoes and you decide to do the gondola thing, don't trail your hand in the water. I did that many years ago when I was there with my mum and dad (1963) and the next day my arm was covered in mosquito bites.
Thanks Tim!
I don't think you can go wrong in Venice. it's magic!! Mind you I have a friend who thinks it's just a very sophisticated theme park. ;)
We kept our Piazza San Marco café visit till our last night when we knew exactly how much of our budget remained. The Café Florian is well worth a visit. We went there for espresso and grappa but if you don't want to pay their prices have a wander in as if you were a customer and have a look around. I certainly wouldn't entertain there or Harrys Bar ( haven for Americans including Henry James) for more than a one-off visit. We decided that we would never ever go back to Harrys Bar but might well consider Café Florian for last night on future visits.
We thought the peach and prosecco cocktail (bellini) at Harrys Bar was overpriced and overrated but in Venice you are close to so many great writers and artists and musicians that chose to live there for at least part of their lives. Think Turner for example or Singer Sargent. Diaghilev, Wagner and Robert Browning all died in Venice.
We also found cheaper places to eat if you wandered into the back streets.
When we went in the summer nearly 30 years ago we were told it would smell and it didn't, so we're hoping it will be the same this time!
No smell when we went,but it was October.
We found a cafe/pizzeria in a back street where we paid 4 euros for a small pizza each. We were amazed when they presented us with a 10 inch pizza each!! I wish, I'd known, as we would only have ordered 1.
cj :)
Well, we're back! It wasn't flooded and it didn't smell! Flooding is at high tides between September and April, apparently. It was very hot (not complaining!)and very busy but we did a lot of wandering around quiet, shady backstreets and enjoyed a trip out to the islands of Murano and Burano. Didn't shell out for a gondola- since OH came down with a streaming cold on Wednesday there wasn't much romance around! Decided the collective term is a "fleece" of gondolas! It is a beautiful city, though.