10 Tips for Visiting Venice
10 Tips for Visiting Venice
Venice is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world and also one of the most peculiar. To make the most of your trip, here are some tips that will be useful for you in the city of canals.
I’m not telling you anything new if I tell you that Venice is a unique city in the world. Being built on water, it has a series of characteristics that differentiate it from any other tourist city in the world. These particularities are part of its charm, but they can also hinder our trip if we are not prepared.
To prevent this from happening and to make the most of Venice, here are some tips to help you. How to get around the canals, what to pack in your suitcase and the opening hours of monuments and shops are some of the things I will help you to discover below.
1. Choose the best time to travel to Venice according to the weather and the number of tourists
The first thing to do before travelling is. Choose the date of travel, of course. And for this there are two factors that we must take into account and that will condition our choice: The weather and the influx of tourists. Taking these two factors into account we can choose the best time to travel to Venice.
Regarding the weather, the climate in Venice is purely Mediterranean with cold temperatures in winter and very hot in summer. And always with the humidity factor present. In this sense, the best time to visit Venice is in the spring months, as temperatures are very pleasant and there is less risk of rain as there is in autumn.
The weather also influences the other factor that we must take into account; the influx of tourists. Venice’s high season coincides with the warmer months. In summer, especially in July and August, Venice is packed to the rafters. There are long queues at monuments, more difficulty finding accommodation and restaurants and higher prices due to high demand. In winter, the city empties out and is much quieter, although the temperature is not as warm, especially for the coldest of the cold.
Given these factors , my advice is to visit Venice in the early spring months if you can. Late March or April will provide the best balance between a pleasant temperature and a manageable number of tourists to enjoy the city.
2. Plan and organise your itinerary according to the days you travel to Venice
Once we have decided on the date of our trip, it is time to organise our itinerary according to the number of days we are going to spend in the city. There is a lot to see in Venice, but if you are only staying for a few days you should prioritise the most important monuments and organise your itinerary to make the most of your time.
For example, if we are going for two days, we will prioritise seeing St. Mark’s Square and its monuments first, such as St. Mark’s Basilica or the Doge’s Palace, and leave the second day to see the rest of the monuments or visit the islands of Murano and Burano.
My recommendation is to travel a minimum of three days to see Venice properly. If you only have a day or two, don’t worry. Here are two itineraries designed to optimise your trip to Venice in one day and Venice in two days.
3. What to bring to Venice
We’ve already chosen the date and the days we’re going to Venice, now it’s time to pack our luggage. Here’s a list of the essentials you should pack for your trip to the city of canals:
- In winter, take plenty of coats and cotton clothes as well as hats, scarves and gloves. Also, waterproof clothes for rainy days and an umbrella.
- In summer, avoid dark clothes and don’t forget sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. Don’t leave out some warmer clothing either, as the temperature can drop considerably at night with the humidity and wind.
- Comfortable shoes are a must for getting around Venice’s cobbled streets. And if it’s waterproof, it’s best in case you get caught in the high water.
- Bring a suitcase without wheels or with rubber wheels, as these are the best for getting around Venice. Also, there is a rule against dragging and making noise with suitcases.
and you can be fined if you do. No kidding. - There are churches such as St Mark’s Basilica that don’t allow you to wear braces or mini-skirts. Keep this in mind when choosing the clothes you are going to take with you.
4. First thing to do on arrival: Get a map of Venice and its canals
Tourists usually arrive in Venice at the Santa Lucia train station and this is likely to be the case for you. When you arrive, the first thing you should do first of all is go to the tourist office in the station and ask for a map of the city. The office will be happy to give you any extra information you may need.
I know that Google Maps exists, but these maps show the Vaporetto lines in great detail and are very useful for getting around Venice. In addition, in many streets and due to their narrowness, the GPS does not always work properly. I don’t recommend leaving everything in the hands of Google.
5. Learn how to get around by Vaporetto
Venice is unique even in its transport. There is no metro, buses or taxis. They are replaced by the Vaporetto and the gondolas. The latter are designed more for walking, but the Venetian transport par excellence is the Vaporetto. These boats are the equivalent of buses or the metro but on water. Knowing how they work is vital for getting around Venice, and for that you have this complete guide.
It is also advisable to know which lines are of most interest from a tourist point of view. In this sense, the most important ones are:
- Line 1: It runs along the Grand Canal from Piazzale Roma bus station to Lido Island, making stops at some places of interest such as St. Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge.
- Line 7: Connects St. Mark’s Square with Murano Island.
- Line 10: The fastest line to get from St. Mark’s Square to Lido Island.
- Line 18: It runs between Lido Island and Murano Island.
The price of a Vaporetto ticket is 7.50 euros and is valid for one hour. If you want to make a short trip just to cross the Grand Canal, for example, there are the traghettos. These are small boats that only cross from one bank to the other for about 50 cents each way.
6. Find your accommodation always close to a Vaporetto stop
Wherever you travel to, it is always advisable to choose accommodation close to a station or method of transport. But in Venice this is vitally important. Getting around the city with luggage can be a pain. The streets are mostly cobbled, there are many bridges to cross with ups and downs, and there are regulations against dragging noisy luggage.
It is therefore highly recommended that your hotel or accommodation is always close to a Vaporetto stop to save you the hassle of lugging your luggage through the streets of Venice.
7. Hotels, monuments, events. Book everything in advance.
Venice is one of the most touristy places in the world and, also because of its small size, it tends to be a crowded city. If we go on an adventure without a reservation we find that there is no accommodation, it is mission impossible to find a table in a restaurant or that we have to queue endlessly to get into a monument.
If you want to avoid this, you should always book in advance. Especially in the summer months coinciding with the high tourist season. This applies to everything, but especially to accommodation, as prices are inflated by high demand. This also applies to tickets for monuments such as the Doge’s Palace or St. Mark’s Basilica if you want to save queues.
8. For lunch or dinner: Best far from St. Mark’s Square
Venice is generally an expensive city. So is the restaurant scene. However, there are always good value for money options. To find them you just have to get away from the most touristy spots, especially St. Mark’s Square.
This square is the nerve centre of tourism and the restaurants and cafés in and around it are perfect if you want to empty your wallet in one go. The further you get away from this point, the cheaper you can eat without giving up good food. Here is a guide to the best restaurants in Venice for cheap eats.
9. Beware of acqua alta
You may have heard of the acqua alta in Venice. This phenomenon occurs when the tide rises slightly and partially floods the streets of Venice. Don’t worry, it’s generally more annoying than dangerous. It happens most often in the autumn months, as it is a rainy season.
When the acqua alta appears, walkways are installed in some parts of the city, such as St Mark’s Square, to prevent pedestrians from getting their feet wet. However, it’s always a good idea to pack waterproof footwear in your suitcase just in case.
10. Know the opening hours of monuments, shops and restaurants.
Venice’s business hours are more similar to those in Europe than what we are used to in Spain. Shops open early, at 8:00, and close at 12:30. And in the afternoon, from 15:30 to 19:30. Restaurants start their lunch shifts at 12:00 and their dinner shifts at 19:30. The restaurants closer to the tourist attractions have more flexible opening hours.
Monuments also open early, around 8:00 or 8:30, and can be visited until 17:30 in winter and from April to October until 19:00. This is a general rule, as each museum, church or monument has its own visiting hours, but they are always in a similar range.
11. There are special rules for tourists that you should be aware of.
Due to the overcrowding and the immense number of tourists visiting Venice, some 30 million a year, the city was forced to impose a series of tourism-related regulations:
- In Venice it is forbidden to carry wheeled suitcases dragging along its streets. To safeguard its heritage and to avoid noise, only hand luggage or suitcases with rubber wheels are allowed.
- Tourists have to pay a tourist tax of 10 euros which will be applied when booking their accommodation.
- It is forbidden to swim in the canals, eat in public spaces, throw rubbish into the canals, ride a bike, go sightseeing in swimming trunks or stop on a bridge if you obstruct traffic. Any of these offences can result in heavy fines.
Fines for breaking these rules can be up to 500 euros or even triple the amount if it is not the first offence.