Trip to Italy...Should I go to Venice!?

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DTott

I went to Italy this year - Venice, Florence & Rome. We absolutely loved Venice. Everyone has their own opinion but for us it was the highlight of the trip. There is no place in the world like it. No cars or motorized vehicles anywhere, just boats. You can cover it all on foot. We liked it better than Rome just because Rome had crazy traffic and wasn't as relaxing for us as Venice.

Venice is beautiful. Public transportation is great - the "vaporetta" water bus is their public transportation. You can buy an all day pass for $15 Euros. They also sell passes that last for 72 hours. That would be good to do on your first day. You can then ride the Vaporetta all day, jumping on and off at whatever stops you want. When you first get there, take the #1 Vaporetta - it goes from one end of the canal to the other. You can see all the sights from the boat and decide what you want to do later on. Wait around at the back where there are a few outside seats on the back deck. When someone leaves, grab a seat quickly, enjoy the great view and take lots of pictures.

See St. Mark's Basilica, St. Mark's Square (just watch out for pigeons) and Doge's Palace. There are a number of different passes and cards you can buy that can save you money depending on what you actually want to see (e.g. there's a chorus pass, a Venice card etc) Do a google search to find out current details of prices and what is covered. There is music in St. Mark's square every night. Free to listen to and dancing in the square in encouraged. You only have to pay if you want to sit in one of the chairs.

There are the Peggy Guggeheim Collection and the Galleria Dell'Accademia (not to be confused with the one in Florence that houses Michalengelo's David") in Venice which are both worth seeing.

Stay away from the water taxis unless you've got a lot of cash as these are very expensive. Bring as little luggage as possible (make sure they have wheels). There are a lot of bridges and in some cases you'll have to carry your luggage up and down steps to get to your hotel. Also get good directions to your hotel before you get there.

If you have extra cash and want to experience something only Venice has to offer, splurge for a gondola ride. It is pricey. You can negotiate but it will cost you about 80 Euros for 30 - 40 minutes. Count on spending about 40 Euros more if you want to go under the moonlight and 40 Euros more if you want a musician to seranade you on the gondalo. For a cheaper version, try the "traghetta". This is "gondola-like" and will take you across the canal from one side to another for only 1.50 Euro. A bargain.

You can find out a lot of info on the internet, but we also found carrying a couple travel books with good maps was a great help. We liked Frommer's, Fodors and Rick Steves. All had good and bad points. Try your library or bookstore. Flip through and see which one(s) work best for you. They helped us out.

We went in March and it was great. I'm not sure if the canal might get a little smelly in the hot summer weather, but when I go back to Italy, I'll be going to Venice and highly recommend it..
Enjoy Venezia! It's beautiful and there is no other place in the world like it.

mountain lady

I've been to Venice several times, a little over a year ago the last time, and I love it, as have all the people I have gone with.

Here is what is "not great" about Venice: (1) It is very touristy, because cruise ships come in all the time and dump day-visitors into the city. (The answer: They only go on the main drag. Get off the beaten path, and it will be you and the locals.) (2) The government spends so much time maintaining Venice as a sort of "living museum" for tourists (translation: money) that it does not always seem like a "real" or "live" city. Again, the answer is to get away from the main tourist paths. We found that just crossing to the other side of the Canale Grande from the main island made all the difference. Taking boats to the minor islands is even better. In the summer, I would visit the Lido (the island that allows swimming in clean water, not the dirty lagoon). And don't forget to see the glass artists on Murano.

If you have never seen Venice, you should do it once!

Ivanhoe Fats

take no notice of what that book says - if you want to go then go - it may be great for you, it may not be great for you but at least it will be from what you experience not from what some jerk wrote in a book

Voyager

Well, before i went to Venice in Feb 2007, i was told all different things about it.

Some said that Venice is unique, some said that they didn't like it for several reasons.

Before my trip, i have seen tones of photos and read huge information about it.

BUT reality was so different, not what i was expecting. Nothing can really describe how beautiful Venice really is. I think from all my travels in Europe, Venice is a place i could spend the rest of my life.

You should definitely visit Venice. Not yet convinced ? Check the following 8 videos:

http://www.ciaovenezia.eu/default.asp?iId=LMFHH

Cycwynner

The previous replies are really complete, so I can only add a few tips.
Rome is your ideal port of entry, itâ€™s unique and has the Vatican, worth seeing even if you are not religious. Then work your way up to Florence, on a Tourist rail ticket, stopping over at Siena. On the way to Venice give Bologna, one of the cuisine capitals of Italy, a look, or "taste", then Ferrara, the Mediaeval jewel of the North, with its Este Castle and Diamante Palace and if you still have time, Padova (with its newly refurbished Art Tour), ending up in Venice, which is really spectacular, even in Summer, although Spring or romantic Autumn, with it's Fogs are more attractive. The writer, barring his being a Moron, probably gauged the wrong time of the year to judge it, although Venice has so much to offer.
Travel light, youâ€™ll want to buy so much once you see the shops and stalls.

Alpha

i loved venice! it was amazing. it is true that the city smells slightly but there is so much culture there that it makes up for it. the canels and the bridges are amazing there is some very good shopping and there is also a lot of glass blowing which is very cool. the water is beautiful and the city overall has a very good atmosphere.

i would highly recommend going there

martox45

Previous Mountain Lady's response gave you already a big part of the answer that was in my mind and obviously I fully agree with her arguments. I'm Italian ,living in Italy and I've been very often there. I must say that I've received very different impressions at any of my trips to Venice (awesome, nice, not that special, huge) either depending on the season of my trip there or on my personal mood.
For instance during the hot summer period Venice is horribly stinking, with the dirty waters of the lagoon smelling really bad.
You'll enjoy it much better if you have the opportunity to go there let's say in spring or autumn (or even in winter, it doesn't freeze or snow so often over there). From yr question is not clear to me if you're travelling alone or not. Venice it's a very romantic city but it could become very sad if you've nobody to share this feeling with. If you're travelling alone (or with other girls, not with your man) I would suggest you to go by elsewhere for this time (let's say Florence or to the south of Italy- Naples, Capri, Pompei, etc.) and perhaps postpone your visit to Venice to yr next trip to Italy, hopefully for yr honeymoon..., but possibly not in the hot summer period.

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