Venice - Tips, hints, ideas etc

[Justme]

Hi all,

Myself and my girlfriend have just booked a week in Venice for two weeks from now.

We have the flights booked and a lovely hotel. The time in Venice is an all rounder. A romantic getaway, and hopefully some great photo ops.

Venice is a bit of a mystery to me though. So, I was hoping people on this forum could give me some ideas such as;

* Must see places (sights, museums, galleries, islands etc)
* Must avoid places (as above)
* Resturant, dining and drinking options (what to look out for, and what to avoid)
* Transport options (I know, avoid the gondalas, although we will no doubt do this once, afterall, it is also a romantic holiday)
* Excursions (Is it worth going to the mainland?)

We have 6 days, so time is not a big worry.

Bring it on ;)

:cheers:

[NothingBetterToDo]

6 days in Venice is a long time, i went around this time last year for a week and the weather is very cold and foggy........its makes venice very atmospheric, but its perhaps not the best time to visit.

Anyway, i'm sure you will enjoy yourself.........but personally i got pretty bored and i would say it is a good idea to go on an excursion to somwhere on the mainland (not just accross the bridge to the built up bit....with is apparently very boring and ugly) but to another historic town.

[El_Greco]

Oh right youre so lucky!I want to visit Venice too.I hope youll have a great time and bring us lot of pics(I miss Venice on this forums).
Check internet for ideas what to visit and of course you can buy some kind of guide book.
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/
Maybe youll find something here (Hint : Read Photographers Notes)

[Bahnsteig4]

6 days is NOT a long time in Venice if you are there for the first time. I've been there 12 times now and I'm still not getting bored each year.
If you want to visit all the "hot spots" like San MArco or Rialto bridge, do so. But you will find that it is terribly terrific to roam the city without a map, just looking where you'll get.

I think a visit to Torcello or Burano, two of the laguna islands are definitely musts. You get there by a public boat (vaporetto) operated by ACTV. The stops are all very conviniently located and you'll find maps all over the place.

On this satellite map I marked some of my favorite locations (squares, promenades, etc.).
Map (hope you can read it) (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1693/2331/1600/venedig1.0.jpg)
Here's a list of all the locations in order to look for them in a proper map or a travel guide:

1. Campo San Polo, a very vivid and vast square dominated by Italians. (Gosh!)
2. One of the nicest walks possible in Venice, following quite broad (by Venetian standards) streets with lots of useful shops and bars (I recommend Bar Maddalena.)
3. Hidden Gardens (don't know the name now)
4. Another short walk linking two of the most beautiful squares (Campo Santa Margarita and Campo San Barnabà. Look for the fish market early in the morning on CSM, don't miss the Pasticceria between the two squares and try to catch a glimpse of the vegetable selling boats in the canal in between.
5. Zattere- great view of the Giudecca island and a great place to sit by the water and catch some sun, even in March, if you're lucky.
6. Giudecca Island. Very rustical, very down to earth.
7. Ponte dell'Accademia. Most of all very rewarding in the evening, very good place for watching the sunset.


As for the quarters (Sestieri) you should see:
San Polo and Santa Croce are the most "typical", San Marco the most "touristical", especially between the Piazza and Rialto, Dorsoduro is still a little rural (thus charming), Cannareggio is historically interesting as it houses the Ghetto (ie the highest buildings, except for the churches) and the jewish community, Castello is very diverse and can't be described by one word. There are some interesting places and if you like the charme it's fine but if it is your first time don't spend too much time there. I've found that it is the quarter you can get lost in most easily.

[Justme]

Thanks for the responses so far! @El_Greco , I've ordered the "Time Out" guide from Play.com, so it should arrive in the next couple of days. I usually find Time Out to be some of the best guides around. Like Lonely Planet, they are honest about their opinions on a place, but unlike Lonely Planet, are not written by hippies (which in a place like Venice is quite important, you know there's going to be more tourists than locals, so why mention it every page)

@davidkunz/VIE, your indepth information is brilliant. I will certainly make use of your tips. I will try both the walks you show on the satellite image (I presume the longer one is No.2), and visit those hidden gardens (it looks like green spot near the railway station?).

Hell, I'll probably try all of your idea's as they seem to fit the bill exactly.

I love to get "lost" in a city, and Venice, from what I can see on maps looks almost too perfect for this.

We may also take a day trip out into the mainland. I was think Padova. Pretty close, and I heard it maybe quite nice. Would this be a good idea, or is there somewhere else you'd recommend?

once again, thanks!

[Bahnsteig4]

Padova is nice, but on a really sunny day (should you experience one) go to Udine, walk up the castle hill and look towards the Alps. Unforgettable.

[DiggerD21]

I have been to Venice only once (and it was only a day excursion). I think Davidkunz mentioned already a lot. I don't know why to avoid the gondolas apart of that they might be a ripoff. But I think taking a gondola at sunset is a must for a romantic holiday.

For day excursions I recommend Padova and Verona (with the Arena di Verona - the 3rd biggest ancient roman arena, and the balcony of Romeo and Juliet)