Venice for sure is one of the most unique cities in the world. Nowhere else you will find the charm of traditional old Italian houses meeting the canals of the city, with its small boats, bridges and amazing food and aperitivos. Yes, the city can be quite packed with tourists, regardless, you will find emptier streets if you know where to go and contemporary but also historical art fans will love the city even more. I will summarize all tips and tricks right here! So find everything I know in a compact Venice travel guide here:
My experience on Venice is based on several visits with my family – who is very interested in contemporary art. Therefore, this guide will not only include the best restaurants but also best places for exhibitions and possibly some churches.
Further; there are no cars on the island, only boats, but the city is pretty walkable so do not worry about it.
Venice is famous for the Biennale – every two years there is the architecture and also in the respective other year the art biennale. More about that later though.
How long do I recommend to go to Venice?
I feel like 1-2 days should be enough for a first glimpse of the city and if you love it, you can always come back!
Where do I stay?
You basically have 2 options: stay in the city itself or outside the city, near a train station or around treviso, it’s not too far to go in the city.
Further below I explain my recommendations on how to best get to the city.
We always use booking.com or agriturismo.it
Examples:
Near Treviso:
Agriturismo Porcaloca: simple italian agriturismo, about 85€ per double room in the high season. Close to go to Venice from there by either train or car, the agriturismo has all sorts of animals, even donkeys.
In Venice:
Hotel Sant Antonin: a very central cute hotel with big rooms and very good breakfast – also a perfect location if you want to go to the Giardini or Arsenale to see the current biennale exhibition.
How do I enter Venice center?
The center of Venice is an island – or better to say – several islands. There is a main bridge between the mainland of Italy and the island, which has a road and railway. Therefore, you can easily enter by train or car (or bus).
By car:
If you come by car, be aware that parking in Venice can get quite expensive. We always use the City Parking Garage – it is at a fixed daily rate, hourly is not possible so be aware about that. One day (24 hours) is currently priced at 35€ so make the most out of the time you have.
Also consider that during the high season there is the possibility of it booking out – it’s also possible to do an online reservation if you want to make sure to get a spot.
By train:
Train is fairly simple as well. Depending where you’re leaving from, get your ticket on trenitalia.it. The main station in central Venice is called Venice Santa Lucia and will drop you off right in the middle of the city.
Activities:
The best in Venice is to simply walk around. The city is an attraction itself and you will be fascinated in any case; I can promise that.
Piazza San Marco and the “Ponte dei Sospiri” are a must to see yes, even though they will be the most touristy places.
I can also recommend to take the ferry at least once, either to Lido, another island of Venice or other areas; like to the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.
Many places sadly require high entry fees so check your budget in advance and/or see if you can book tickets online if you want to avoid queues in the more popular places.
I can also recommend to go in several churches:
Museums/Exhbitions:
Always check the websites linked below for current exhibitions:
- Fondazione Prada
- Palacio Grassi
- Punta della Dogana (from this museum you have great views over Venice too!)
Biennale:
So, as aforementioned there are two kinds of the Biennale: the architecture and the art biennale. Both happen, respectively, every two years and usually go from April until almost end of the year (end of November).
The biennales always have themes and consist of two main exhbitions: the arsenale and the country pavilions. The Arsenale is a big area in the middle of Venice in which artists from all over show their new designs or artworks fitting the current topic. Then there are the country pavilions, which means that basically every country has its own place/house/room/building to design every year. Most of the pavilions of the countries are placed in the Biennale Giardini, which can be compared to a huge garden close to Lido in Venice. In the Giardini, the biggest pavillion is always the house of Italy, who is the host. However, also countries like Germany, Uruguay, brasil or Japan have their buildings there and curate and design them new every year.
Restaurants:
To be fair, we mostly go to the same restaurants as we love our standard restaurants soo much.
Here they come:
Cafe:
•Pasticceria Rio Marin
Lunch snack:
•Bacarao Risorto: also a great place for aperitivo, the place offers cute little typical breads with all kinds of toppings – very typical for Venezia
Aperitivo:
- Al Merca: no sitting option, however cheap drinks and best atmosphere (and best olives!!!)
- Osteria Bancogiro: also good aperitivo next to Al Merca
Restaurants for dinner:
- Il paradiso perduto: further away from the main tourist attractions, this place is one of the most authentic. Take the big seafood platter and share – or the pasta. I swear it’s amaziiiiing.
- Trattoria alla Madonna: no reservation possible but usually always possible to get a seat within a 30 min wait. Amazing fresh sea food and vegetables.
- Zanze XVI
- Ai Mercanti
- Antica Osteria da Gino: Great pasta and close to the biennale giardini
So, I hope you enjoyed the itinerary inspiration, I would be happy to read your comments and get feedback!
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemarafee/?hl=de
Read more about the why and value of the blog: https://travelmarafee.com/value-of-travel-and-backpacking/
Find more travel itineraries here: https://travelmarafee.com/category/travel-itineraries/