A First-Timer's Guide to Visiting Venice
Venice is a truly unique city. It's like nowhere I have ever been before. It's a floating masterpiece where canals replace streets and boats replace cars. But this is often why people find it an overwhelming place to visit, especially if you've never been there before.
We went to Venice only last month, and it's the first time we went, too. So I thought I'd put together a first-timer's guide to visiting Venice. Also, if you're interested, I wrote a first-timer's guide to visiting Rome, just in case you were planning on going to both locations like we did in a single trip. Anyway, let's focus on Venice today!
When is the best time to Venice?
Venice is beautiful at any time of year, but there are some things to think about before booking your holiday with regards to what it's like during different seasons. For instance, April-June will offer mile weather, longer days and fewer crowds, whereas July-August is busy, hot and prices are inflated.
September-October is still warm during the day, but chilly at night, but the place is far quieter after the summer rush and things are less expensive. November-February, however, is a great time to visit if the sun isn't for you or if you want to experience misty canals and festive lights during the winter time.
How to get around Venice
Venice really isn't a big place. So you can easily get around and see most of it on foot. However, the massive downside is that other islands are only accessible by boat. Use the public water buses to save some money, because private water taxis are incredibly expensive (but still a viable mode of transport if you're willing to pay premium prices).
Make sure you have your public water boat ticket validated before travelling, otherwise they'll be void and you'll have to pay a fine. You could also have a ride on a Gondola, but they will often follow set routes and won't take you to other places on the island or on another island. These too are extremely expensive, often coming in at £80-£110 per ride for two people.
What are some of the must-see sights in Venice?
There are loads of things you should see while you're in Venice. I recently wrote a blog post about how to spend three days in Venice, which goes into loads more detail about the sights you should visit while you're there. But let's go through it in summary.
The place most people visit in Venice is St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco). This is considered to be the heart of Venice and is home to Basilica di San Marco, Doge's Palace and the Campanile (bell tower). Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
The next thing you should do is take in the sights and sounds of the Grand Canal. For the best views, take Vaporetto Line 1 just before sunset for the most beautiful views of Venice which makes it look as thought the streets are literally paved with gold.
The Rialto Bridge, the market and the surrounding islands are all worth a visit as well. Murano island is famous for glass blowing, Burano island is famous for brightly-painted houses and lace-making and Torcello island is historic, peaceful and is home to some of Venice's oldest churches.
Things to eat while in Venice
Venice, I must admit, isn't as good as Rome when it comes to pasta. BUT it's great for what they call "Venetian Tapas" and a lot of fresh fish food. The fish is stunning, as is the Venetian Tapas, which is what you can see in the photo below.
But if you're really after the authentic Venice experience, then there are some food choices that you just cannot miss. This includes: Cicchetti (bite-sized snacks served in local bars and paired with wine or spritz), Sarde in Saor (sweet and sour sardines), Risotto al Nero di Seppia (squid ink risotto) and Bigoli in Salsa (pasta with anchovies and onions).
Something you need to do is avoid tourist traps. This means avoiding restaurants with pictures of the food and avoiding establishments where hosts are enticing people inside. Avoid 'tourist set meals' as well. Instead, go where the locals eat and do your research to find the best places.
Some extra tips for first-timers visiting Venice
There are some extra tips that you need to know as a first-timer visiting Venice, and they're as follows:
- Pack and travel light, because Venice is full of narrow streets and lots of small bridges, which isn't ideal with large suitcases in tow
- Validate your water bus tickets before you travel or you could get fined
- Watch for high tide in the autumn and winter
- Respect the locals by refraining from sitting on church steps and keeping the noise to a minimum at night
- Go and explore the streets of Venice, delve as deep as you want for the most authentic experience
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you found it useful. Do you have any tips for first-timers visiting Venice? If so, leave them in the comments below and I'll see you all very soon with some brand new content!
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