We spent two days and three nights in beautiful, mysterious Venice. Like Rome, I had heard differing accounts of the city and was curious to find out on which ‘side of the fence’ I’d land. After visiting, I’m definitely on the ‘pro’ side – but we learned a few things along the way that might help families planning to go and I thought I’d write them down. You’ll also hear a few in the video at the bottom of the post.

Arriving by plane

We chose to catch a water bus (the Alilaguna company – that link shows you the different routes) from the Marco Polo International Airport to the closest stop to our hotel, only a couple of minutes walk. It’s a bit of a walk with suitcases down to the water (somewhere along the way we lost one of our neck pillows – our only casualty during the trip, so I think that’s doing okay), and it can get a bit squishy inside with people and bags if it’s busy. A tip is to sit up front if you can – we got some fresh air and a good view! As you can see.

If you have the budget, by all means splurge on a private taxi if you prefer – the waiting isn’t as long and they have freer reign to go faster. But I enjoyed ticking along at a more regular pace and really absorb the buildings and atmosphere as you first discover the city!

Tourist attractions and transportation

I don’t think there’s any denying that getting around Venice by any other means than walking can be expensive. We did walk places, but if you want to travel the Grand Canal (and I suggest you do), it could end up being better in the long run if you buy a day rate ticket. We started off by paying one-off fares per destination and when we added it up in the end discovered we would’ve done better to do it the other way. Especially if you go to the outer islands of Murano and Burano. Don’t assume the ticket offices will all be manned as well – when we got to Murano it was empty and we had to buy tickets from a nearby stallholder. All normal practice, but if you have questions, it can be a little disorienting and you go on trust.

Lines for water buses can get pushy and often it’s standing room only. We literally jumped on at the last moment at one place, but it was actually good because we were at the rail and got a great view – and fresh air!

Also, for the romantics – a gondola ride will set you back 80 Euros for approximately 40 minutes. So we passed on that.

We were happy to just wander the streets, but there were a few places we wanted to try and visit. Most places, in person, like you see here, or online sell packaged entries to certain museums and churches. Check first if the places they include are the sites you really want to see. The Doge’s Palace is an ‘A-lister’ of attractions, but St Marks Basilica is usually bundled up in specific tours of its own, due to its popularity. We didn’t go inside St Marks – because, in all honesty, I was tiring of churches by then – but a wander around the square was enough for me. As we were lining up for the Doge’s Palace, there was a second, ‘express’ line for Secret Itineraries ticket holders, so if you hate lines as much as I do, that could be an option. Although we only waited in the Doge’s Palace regular line for about 20 minutes.

Looking after Yourselves

Washing is one of those regular, boring chores that takes on a greater significance – sometimes urgency! – while travelling. While we didn’t do any during our stay, because I assumed I was getting a washing machine in our Airbnb in Rome (fool me, because we didn’t… but more on that later), if you Google, you’ll find there are coin laundrys.

We discovered some places literally in the final hours of our being there, such as the case of this shop, Ca’Macana, suppliers of the masks from the film Eyes Wide Shut (yes, you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen it). This sign was in the window – how cool to make your own, right there! Gah! Next time.

Public toilets here, like many in some parts of Europe, are pay-per-use. Something to note if you have toddlers! Although it’s easier to duck back to your hotel here, or grab a coffee at a cafe and use theirs, than it was in Istanbul. And some only operate within certain hours.

Some restaurants charge a small excess if you eat in after a certain hour. I didn’t come across this before Paris, but it also popped up in Rome. I think it depends on how busy a place is before they enforce the rule, because we sat down a few minutes after 11am here and didn’t get charged. I would’ve paid it though, because they had the BEST Italian hot chocolate.

A word about street performers: they can be aggressive in Italy and I quickly put them in the same category as hawkers – DO NOT ENGAGE. I got in trouble with these two because I actually gave money to Keira to give to them, which she did. They then invited both kids for a photo which, as you can see, I took. They then insisted I pay them again. I literally gave them my last coin – I know it’s usually an excuse, but here it was the truth! – but they didn’t believe me and gave me filthy looks. Fine, lesson learned. Coming from England, this was a bit of a shock. They were much more relaxed there.

Food

Venice is known for disappointing food – and it (mostly) lived up to the reputation! I’ll write more about food specifically in a later post, but note if you have picky eaters like I do and they usually only eat tomato and cheese pizza, then they’ll be fine. Margarita pizzas are treated with respect.

DON’T eat around the tourist zones. An espresso should only cost 1-2 Euros. NOT 6. This place gets away with it because it is one of the oldest establishments in Venice – serving coffee since the 1700s. So I guess they can do what they want!

If you want to go looking for the church that Steven Spielberg used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the one where Indiana busts a tile in the floor to go looking for the tomb of the Knight), that’s San Barnaba in the Dorsoduro district (where I’d stay if I go again, because it’s lovely).

Murano and Burano – a nice day out

We were told that the Murano/Burano visits would take a good half day. Looking at the islands on the map, I did wonder, how on earth could it take that long? Well, a few reasons. First, they’re both fun to explore, each with their own claims to fame, like watching glass blowers and workers in studios in Murano, or walking by the bright houses of Burano. We sat down and watched everything go by, very relaxing. Another thing to note is that the water buses do take a little while, and like regular buses you need to stop and let people on and off. But it’s worth it.

Last few points

• The mosquitos are bad – no one told us that!
• Pharmacies are in excellent number for insect repellent or other medicinal supplies. Look out for the green crosses – they’re very common.
• If you’re buying glass souvenirs, make sure they’re genuine Venetian and not cheap Chinese imports.
• The clothes shopping is EXCELLENT. I had no money to do so, but I looked. Oh, how I looked.

Here’s a video!