Travel Blog
In this space, I inform the reader about my experiences during my trips and I name many interesting attractions for each place or region, so that the reader could go to the best restaurants, hotels and attractions suggested by me and, of course, at the best price.
Travel Blog
In this space, I inform the reader about my experiences during my trips and I name many interesting attractions for each place or region, so that the reader could go to the best restaurants, hotels and attractions suggested by me and, of course, at the best price.
Travel Blog
In this space, I inform the reader about my experiences during my trips and I name many interesting attractions for each place or region, so that the reader could go to the best restaurants, hotels and attractions suggested by me and, of course, at the best price.
Francisco Ferreira
December 26, 2018 • 9 minutes to read
Venice Travel Guide
Venice (Italy) is an extraordinary city, located in Veneto, full of incredible buildings and charming bridges and canals, which all go to Grand Canal, from Santa Lucia Railway Station to Punta della Dogana, in Dorsoduro. The most touristic district is San Marco district, where's located St. Mark's Square, which contains Doges Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, St. Mark's Bell Tower and Correr Museum. In the lagoon, there's located a basilica, known as San Giorgio Maggiore, only accessible by boat. Gondolas float through all the canals, showing the city to the ones who want to know it!
Best places to visit
Saint Mark's Square
Imposing and grand, this square is the largest one in Venice. Here you can contemplate the buildings, such as Saint Mark’s Basilica, Doges Palace, the Bell Tower and Correr Museum, and visit them. You can still sit down and have a coffee at Café Florian, one of the most emblematic there.
Rialto Bridge
In the heart of the Grand Canal, there’s one of the most iconic bridges in Italy: Rialto Bridge or the Ponte di Rialto. While strolling through the city, a stop at the top of the bridge's staircase is a must, so you can admire one of the best and most famous views of the city.
Saint Mark's Basilica
Built in Byzantine style, its five domes dominate the square, only being overtaken by the Saint Mark’s Bell Tower, just in front of it. The interior of the domes is gold-plated, decorated with figures of Christ in colossal mosaics, among other facts present in the Bible.
Santa Maria della Salute Basilica
Located at the end of the Grand Canal, near Punta della Dogana, it is one of the most important cathedrals in the city. Not having an interior as immense as Saint Mark's Basilica, it's possible to divide the time between a visit and a quiet moment, sitting on the quay, by the sound of the lagoon.
Saint Mark's Bell Tower
It’s the highest tower in the whole city and the best place for those who like to observe the immensity of the Venetian roofs and chimneys. From its top, you can see, on clear days, the Adriatic Sea and the Italian Alps, which deserve an excursion of one or more days.
Best canals to visit
Rio de La Vesta
A few minutes away from the Doges Palace, it’s one of the most beautiful canals in Venice and, being part of many gondoliers route, it’s a place where you’ll have the opportunity of finding and photographing many gondolas, perhaps with one of the best backgrounds: the houses of San Marco.
Rio Marin
A five minute walk from Santa Lucia Railway Station, it is a very quiet canal (especially in the morning) because it is not navigated by many gondolas. There, the houses are picturesque: colorful, high, slender, with flowery and narrow balconies ... typically Venetians.
Rio San Zuane Evangelista
Situated in Santa Croce district, near the train station, Rio San Zuane Evangelista is very special. It divides some colorful and typical houses, which, having no sidewalk, make direct contact with the Venice lagoon, which makes this place even more magical and amazing.
Rio Menuo o de La Verona
Located in the heart of San Marco district, this canal should be visited in the morning,
to avoid tourist crowds who "invade" it. Once again, the houses outer wall establish direct contact with the aquatic environment of the lagoon, making this canal a really photogenic place.
Rio San Luca
Near Rio Menuo o de La Verona, it is a very popular canal, both by pedestrians and gondolas, being one of the canals that appear most in the movies and postcards. Just as in the whole city, you should avoid the unrest hours to enjoy the beauty of the place.
Best things to do
1. Walk between bridges and canals
The best way to know Venice is by walking through its canals and bridges. As you walk through the city, you gradually start knowing all its places. So I strongly advise you, if you have little time in the city, to visit few monuments and spend more time outdoors.
2. Realizar um passeio de gôndola
If you have more time to enjoy the city, you can choose to go for a gondola ride. So you don't have to worry about the itinerary; the gondolier guides you through the city. Worry about the price, which is not low, costing, usually, 80€ per ride, whether you transport 1 or 4 people.
3. Apreciar o Canal Grande
After knowing the canals of the city, it is important to know the largest of them all: Grand Canal. You can choose to know it by boat or on foot, thus taking you to some points of interest, such as Accademia Bridge, Rialto Bridge and Scalzi Bridge.
4. Observar o nascer-do-sol junto à Praça de São Marcos
The Venetian sunrise is magical, with both clear and foggy skies. So, if you have the chance, get up early and go out to watch the most beautiful moment of the day. In high season (when I visited the city), there was hardly anyone in the square. However, I caught fog, so I couldn't see the orange tones of the dawn, and I only could contemplate the stillness of the water in the lagoon and listen to the distant noise of a vaporetto motor. I advise you to watching the sunrise facing southeast, next to the Doges Palace gondola dock (overlooking San Giorgio Maggiore Basilica), and after the sunrise, go to the St. Mark's Bell Tower and watch the first light rays, facing south (as in the image below).
5. Apanhar um barco para a Basílica de San Giorgio Maggiore
San Giorgio Maggiore Basilica is a 17th century church, designed by the architect Andrea Palladio. The island in which it is situated is right next to Giudecca district, and there is no connection to the whole of the main islands of the city. As it is only accessible by boat, a visit to its interior and its tower, which offers fantastic views of the whole city, is a good excuse to take a vaporetto trip, and also to get to know the lagoon better.
Where to sleep
I didn't spend much time in Venice (I visited other Italian cities that same week). I went one day and came in the other; so I slept only one night in the city. When I checked the prices on several websites, I realized that the prices were quite high, both in the city of the canals and in Mestre (continental part of the city), and that for one night it was better to stay in a hotel in the center of Venice than abroad, thus not needing to be dependent on a train to the center – I was planning to watch the sunrise. So, after looking at several hotels, I decided to book one, which was extremely cheap for the location (Cannaregio). A few weeks later, when I checked everything about the trip, I noticed a photograph taken by a traveler, which showed that there were bedbugs in that hotel. Luckily I had booked the night with free cancellation (with refund), so I was able to cancel and book another. I was fortunate to pick up some decent hotels with last minute bookings at cheaper prices. And it was in this research that I found the San Lio Tourist House, having booked soon. It was, in total, € 84 per night, € 36 cheaper than reality (€ 120 per night). So please remember this and inquire well about the hotels you book and book them with free cancellation with refund!
Room at San Lio Guesthouse
Where to eat
In Venice, as in all of Italy, it is indispensable to have at least one pizza meal. When we arrived to the city, as we had woken up early and most things were still closed, we stopped at a supermarket (Conad City) at Rio Marin, where we bought several products for a good part of the day, and we only needed to eat again at the end of the day, in St. Mark's Square. Then we were impressed with the price, because some people had told us about very high prices, but we ate an ice cream (about 3€, which for Italy is within normal – I ate an ice cream (cone ball) for 5€ in Florence!) at Americano Snack-Bar, under the Clock Tower. At nightfall, we passed a restaurant and we just wanted a warm pizza to take and eat at the hotel (we had checked-in in the afternoon). That's what we did. At Pizzaria Da Mamo, we ordered a Diavola pizza, which cost 8€, which is an incredibly low price, because the pizza was very large. The next day, we bought some products at Rialto Market, at a good price and great quality, before catching the train to leave Venice.
Pizza (by unknown)
In almost all restaurants and cafés in Italy, there is a charge for those who use the cutlery and sit at the table: the coperto. It is an old tradition to pay for using space and utensils. Generally, in the menu or somewhere in the restaurant it's written "coperto - 2€", for example. The price may increase, but the most normal is that one. So whenever you go to a restaurant, think about how long you want to stay and if you really need to sit at the table.
Useful Informations:
• Medium temperature: 7ºC (Winter) and 25ºC (Summer)
• Medium price per night (Hotel): 100€ (Winter) and 200€ (Summer)
• Medium price per person (Restaurant): 20€
• Nearby localities: Verona, Padova, Treviso, Bologna, Milan, Florence
• Best escapes: Murano, Burano, Torcello, Dolomites, Verona, Florence
• Best website for hotels: Booking.com
• Best website for train and bus tickets: Trainline.com
• Best website for plane tickets: Skyscanner.com
• Best website for weather forecast: Accuweather.com
• Best website for renting a car: Jetcost.com
• Best website for excursions: Getyourguide.com
Take a look on my Venice Photo Album and on my YouTube video about Venice!
Images: Francisco Ferreira (PhotosOfEurope) and Google