The Italian film director Federico Fellini is meant to have said that “life is a combination of magic and pasta” and after our recent visit to Venice nothing more sums up this quote than this beautiful, floating city. To be honest, much of our OOO travel is lead by food, connecting a series of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and drinks through a thread of fascinating, beautiful and enchanting places that feed our imaginations as well as our happy stomachs. Our autumnal wedding anniversary therefore provided the perfect opportunity to escape and indulge.
In terms of travel tips and insider knowledge there is probably not much more we can add to the litany of guides, literature and blogs about Venice, but perhaps it will keep you entertained for a few minutes and will give you a bit of a different perspective on how to enjoy this most touristed of cities.
Aperitivo – Getting there
Don’t drive!! Unless you have James Bond’s amphibian gondola that got him along the canals and across the Piazza San Marco, then driving to Venice is quite redundant (and expensive too!). Fly into Venice airport and you can get a water taxi or bus straight downtown – the Alilaguna will get you there for a very reasonable 15 eur.
If Venice airport is a bit on the busy (and pricey) side you can also think about flying into one of the surrounding airports and catching a train into Venice. This was our choice for this trip, a late night flight into Bologna, overnight in the city (which is well worth a longer stay in itself) and then a very nice train journey (very comfortable and well priced) for an hour and a bit straight into the heart of Venice. Get your tickets on TrenItalia and enjoy your Apperol Spritz whilst the beautiful Italian countryside passes by.
Antipasti – Getting around
There are only two modes of transport in Venice…by boat or by foot. If you only stay in the Centro Storico then you can get away with walking everywhere, which is one of the joys of Venice in just wandering around and getting yourself lost amongst all the alleyways, canals and bridges…however if you are carrying luggage, have already spent many hours getting lost or fear fear the risk of Google maps giving you a wrong turn into a canal then boats will also be handy.
Whatever you have in your local city by way of motorised services you will also find in Venice…but in this case they float! The bus is the Vaporetto, an awesome network of lines that connect up all parts of the main island plus the outer islands. At 9 eur, single trips are not so cheap (compared to their terrestrial counterparts) but if you think you will visit other islands such as Murano and Burano then a multi day pass gets interesting at 35 eur for 48 hrs.
But more important than the finances and practicalities of the Vaporetto is just the magic of it, hopping on the waterbus with your luggage and getting delivered to another floating part of the city several minutes later; or having a late dinner / drink and catching your ride home across the Grand Canal, with a huge full moon reflected in the water…nothing can beat the experience!
Whether by foot or by boat you will never go hungry whilst traversing around the city and you will have plenty of opportunity to have a pit-stop and enjoy some delicious Chicchetti that are small snacks served on bread…”pinchos!” the Spanish will cry, but with that Italian twist!
Primi – San Marco
The tourist heart of Venice, San Marco is where you can tick off all the iconic sights and things to do. Expect hordes of tourists no matter the time of year, and in a way that is part of the spectacle itself, just as long as you don’t plan on having it all to yourself.
Having a hotel in this area – as we did at the perfectly located Unahotels Ala Venezia – can be a blessing as it will allow you to dip in and out of the tourist madness and will give you a bit more flexibility to test when the tide of humanity is ebbing and flowing. Plus this wonderful little hotel has a warm welcome, great breakfast, buzzing bar and beautifully appointed roof terrace.
It may have been a series of flukes but we may have found a sweet spot of visiting our key targets for this trip. Starting with that most iconic of journeys around Venice…the gondola! As cheesy as it comes but there really is no other way to experience the magic of Venice, as long as you time it right, both in time and place.
In terms of timing, again it seems we had a bit of luck in just being able to walk up and get onto a gondola at sunset…perhaps the trick was starting ~40 mins before the sun was to set helped us, as well as riding for a little longer than the minimum duration of a ride is 30 mins (we did 45 mins), and at 80 eur per half hour this is what most people go for, so just 10 mins later you can see the queues starting to form.
Where to start also needs a bit of thinking…to be honest we did not put too much effort into this and picked our gondola up at Santa Maria del Giglio as it was just next to our hotel – inadvertently this was a great route, as it gives both a taste of the smaller, more peaceful canals as well as a bit of rocking and rolling on the Grand Canal just by the Rialto Bridge (again min 45 mins needed get here and back).
Picking up a Gondola from closer to San Marco may get you under the Bridge of Sighs and its surrounding canals but keep in mind that you may get stuck in a Venetian traffic jam! And to go under Rialto bridge you’ll have the full force of all other Grand Canal users that may take a bit of shine off that romantic moment!
Our second timing masterstroke was to use the sweetspot of 9.30am – 10.30 am, when monuments are just opening for the day but the guided tours have not yet started to kick-off! This way we managed to get to all of Matt’s target spots for this trip with limited queues and a bit of peace to enjoy – the winding staircase of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, the must see views from the Campanile di San Marco and the sunken crypt of Chiesa di San Zaccaria.
Granted these are not the top sights of San Marco, but for those you have to resign yourselves to sharing them with the masses and perhaps getting yourself on a tour or paying a bit extra to skip the line on those that are controlled entry. Nonetheless the Piazza San Marco, the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the view of the Bridge of Sighs from Paglia bridge are all must sees whilst you are here.
All the queueing and jostling amongst the crowds will build up a healthy appetite, so don’t forget to stop for some lunch. Prices will be high, but finding yourself a spot by a canal to enjoy some fresh pasta and a few glasses of wine is never going to go wrong. Venice is known for its seafood dishes, so some vongole pasta should hit the spot!
Secondi – Centro Storico
San Marco has the big sights, but the main course and real joy of Venice is escaping the tourist hordes and getting yourself lost in the the alleyways and small canals of the surrounding districts. Two and a half days is nowhere near long enough to enjoy all what Venice has to offer, so on this trip we wandered a lot of the Dorsoduro and San Palo districts, where tourists give over to students and every turn brings a new wonder.
Come here for your carnival masks, paint your own at Ca’ Macana or get a true original from the maestro at La Bottega Dei Mascareri, who has supplied many movies and movie stars.
Dorsoduro is also where you can escape to enjoy Michelin recommended dinner at Osteria Da Fiore, autumnal fare, set in a brightly lit arched room that feels as though it is actually underneath a canal with the sounds of boats passing overhead, created by the panoramic window that fronts onto the canal at the back of the restaurant. Their grissini are spectacular and moreish!
To the southern side of Dorsoduro where the floating restaurant of Ristorante Lineadombra gives a unique view across the lagoon and its maritime traffic sailing by. With excellent food, wine and attentive service this is a very special location, but if outside of summer don’t forget to wrap up warm as it can get a bit breezy on a late autumnal eve…take the chill off with an excellent golden grappa!
Cannaregio and Castello also hold plenty of sights to interest and captivate, Cannaregio being the original Jewish Ghetto, filled with shopping and food, particularly the place to go to for that Sicilian favorite Cannoli.
Castello is much more expansive with the Arsenal and curiosities such as the Librairie Acqua Alta where you’ll wind your way through book laden gondola and storybook stairs.
Contorni – Burano
Keep some space in your visit to spend a day visiting some of the other islands. The Venetian lagoon is made up of over a hundred islands, but with just around 11 of them populated you can give yourself about a day to hop on a Vaporetto to visit just a few of them.
Picking up the bus from San Marco or from the northern shore of Cannaregio you can catch the ferry than will take you to a number of the islands that should be visited…San Michele, Murano and Burano. We didn’t get to San Michele on this trip, but visited this Cemetery island on our last trip which is exactly as per its Greek description of ‘sleeping place’ so quiet and peaceful it is here…especially compared to the busyness that is just across the water.
Burano, almost an hours boat ride from the centre provides for a bit of colourful quaintness on the trip – pretty little canals with vivid houses that just shout “picture me!” and turning a corner will find present you with the spectacle of men on their knees proposing to their loved ones.
The main parts of the island can be as busy as Piazza San Marco, but if you head a little to the south east you can still find something a little quieter to have a sunny terrace lunch…Bar Cicchetteria da Gigetto was just perfect to enjoy some Spritz, Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia and some grappa to finish.
Give yourself some time for the return journey as queues can be long to catch the Vaporetto back.
Dulce – Murano
The home of colourful, candied glass, what better stop for desert! Arriving after 4pm will probably give some time for the crowds to dissipate and for you to enjoy some glass browsing in the many shops that line the main canal without it being a melee.
Enjoy a welcome spritz and soak in the last rays of the day whilst surrounded by all the colour of this island. Keep your eyes peeled for some open doors into workshops where you can catch a glimpse of the craftsmen blowing the glass.
Digestivo – Venice by night
The San Marco area is not too crowded with late night places, for that you are better to go to the more student areas around Dorsoduro; fortunately for us though our hotel has a popular little bar that seems to be a magnet for late night locals and those wanting to enjoy an amaretto sour or two.
One of the highlights of staying up late in this part of town is to head out and have a post drinks stroll around San Marco without the crowds; this is truly when you will have the place almost to yourself.
After all this talk of travel and food, our tummies are starting to rumble, so we are off to sate our hunger with our next trip filled with adventure and delights…enjoy!
