Venice

[Omega1]

Nothing much further to the great advice already given but the American travel writer Rick Steves has a podcast giving a brilliant commentary as you sail down the Grand Canal on the Vaparetto from Piazale Roma to St Marks. You pause it at each stop and restart so that it keeps in sync.
The other thing we did was a cheap ride in a gondola - honest. Actually there are seven places on the Grand Canal where you can cross on a gondola called a traghetto for €2 - it's good fun dodging the other water craft and try doing it like the locals, standing up!
europeforvisitors/venice.../traghetto.htm
As others have said the best thing is wandering round off the beaten track and getting lost. We're going back for our fourth visit in October.

[cheekytink]

This website may be helpful -it gives you a list of the ACTV vaporetto routes and stops, and there is a downloadable map.
europeforvisitors/venice...tto_routes.htm

The island tour is Murano, Burano and Torchello, but just as a heads up - it's a WHOLE day by the time you get from one to the other and back again - things don't always happen on time in Venice!

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by DisneyF1rstT1me

No we didn't buy the 3 lido tour in advance, just purchased it on the day. It's definitely worth you looking into your ticket options though, there might be something available that will cover the lidos and your day to day vaporetto needs.

Florida this year too eh? Very nice!

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Thank you, I will look into the different tickets. I see CheekyTink has very kindly posted a link to the vaporettos so I will check that out.

Yes, lots of holiday plans this year. It's just me and DD for Disney this year to celebrate our birthdays, she is 18 so her choice of present was the Disney holiday 😀. Plus we have a week in Tenerife at Easter and a week in Snowdonia in July. We are looking forward to them all, but most excited about the Venice one as it's something entirely new for us.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Omega1

Nothing much further to the great advice already given but the American travel writer Rick Steves has a podcast giving a brilliant commentary as you sail down the Grand Canal on the Vaparetto from Piazale Roma to St Marks. You pause it at each stop and restart so that it keeps in sync.
The other thing we did was a cheap ride in a gondola - honest. Actually there are seven places on the Grand Canal where you can cross on a gondola called a traghetto for €2 - it's good fun dodging the other water craft and try doing it like the locals, standing up!
europeforvisitors/venice.../traghetto.htm
As others have said the best thing is wandering round off the beaten track and getting lost. We're going back for our fourth visit in October.

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Thanks for that, I think we will be definitely going on a traghetto ride, that sounds fun 😀

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by cheekytink

This website may be helpful -it gives you a list of the ACTV vaporetto routes and stops, and there is a downloadable map.
europeforvisitors/venice...tto_routes.htm

The island tour is Murano, Burano and Torchello, but just as a heads up - it's a WHOLE day by the time you get from one to the other and back again - things don't always happen on time in Venice!

See more...

Thanks again, CheekyTink, you have been so helpful 😀. We are in Venice for 6 days luckily, so we may have time to spend the whole day on the tour. It does seem as if there is so much to see and do in Venice, I thought 6 days would be plenty of time but we may need a return trip 😀

[cheekytink]

Happy to help!
Just wanted to give you a direct recommendation for a bar on Lido -
bar Maleti Giorgio which is about 5 min walk down the Gran Viale towards the beach from the boat stop is great - nice tables on the pavement, good service, and really good gelato. As a family this is our daily hang out for "Spritz time" which is a thing in Venice- you will see very quickly that between 5.30 and 7 everyone stops and sits in outside bars with a chilled drink. My husband remembers as a kid having ice cream at Spritz time, and it's what now happens with our kids too.
The Pizzaria Ai do Mati just down from Maleti is also excellent (and cheap in comparison to many places). Make sure you try the "Olivio ascolane" which I affectionately refer to as "scotch olives". They are green olives, wrapped in sausage meat, like a scotch egg, breaded and deep fried. They are hotter than hell when they come to the table so don't eat them immediately! They are also a particular venetian thing.
You may also be lucky to find "Uva fragola" in a market (the Lido market is wednesday and saturday) and they are grapes that taste like strawberries - odd but interesting to try. They are seasonally available from May-July only.

If anyone in the family likes Ferrari, there is a great shop about 4 streets from San Marco too!

Happy to help in any other way - are you getting on the Alilaguna boat from the Airport to the city?

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by cheekytink

Happy to help!
Just wanted to give you a direct recommendation for a bar on Lido -
bar Maleti Giorgio which is about 5 min walk down the Gran Viale towards the beach from the boat stop is great - nice tables on the pavement, good service, and really good gelato. As a family this is our daily hang out for "Spritz time" which is a thing in Venice- you will see very quickly that between 5.30 and 7 everyone stops and sits in outside bars with a chilled drink. My husband remembers as a kid having ice cream at Spritz time, and it's what now happens with our kids too.
The Pizzaria Ai do Mati just down from Maleti is also excellent (and cheap in comparison to many places). Make sure you try the "Olivio ascolane" which I affectionately refer to as "scotch olives". They are green olives, wrapped in sausage meat, like a scotch egg, breaded and deep fried. They are hotter than hell when they come to the table so don't eat them immediately! They are also a particular venetian thing.
You may also be lucky to find "Uva fragola" in a market (the Lido market is wednesday and saturday) and they are grapes that taste like strawberries - odd but interesting to try. They are seasonally available from May-July only.

If anyone in the family likes Ferrari, there is a great shop about 4 streets from San Marco too!

Happy to help in any other way - are you getting on the Alilaguna boat from the Airport to the city?

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Thanks for the recommendations, I love strawberries so hope to try uva fragola 😀. Definitely love the idea of spritz time too. I am sure my husband will be having a look in the Ferrari shop too 😀

We think we are getting the ATVO bus from the airport to piazzale Roma, then the vaporetto to Ca D'Oro stop. Our hotel is apparently just 2 minutes along Strada Nuova from the vaporetto stop in Cannereggio. I haven't looked at the Alilaguna boat transfer in, is this a better idea?

Thanks yet again, your love for Venice is making me really look forward to our trip, you must have such lovely holidays there visiting your husband's family 😊
Sue x

[cheekytink]

Hi Sue - I've just checked with the husband - he says the Bus will definitely take longer and you will then get on a vaporetto.
The Alilaguna is quicker, prettier (you get to see some scenery rather than marshy flat land) but will drop you at San Zaccaria and you will still have to get on a vaporetto to Ca' D'Oro anyway.
It may be negligible in cost, but a MUCH more interesting and romantic way to arrive in Venice.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by cheekytink

Hi Sue - I've just checked with the husband - he says the Bus will definitely take longer and you will then get on a vaporetto.
The Alilaguna is quicker, prettier (you get to see some scenery rather than marshy flat land) but will drop you at San Zaccaria and you will still have to get on a vaporetto to Ca' D'Oro anyway.
It may be negligible in cost, but a MUCH more interesting and romantic way to arrive in Venice.

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Hi, I have been looking at the routes of the Alilaguna, ATVO bus and vaporettos. It would mean catching a vaporetto after the first leg either way but I hadn't known the Alilaguna was an option. It does look a nicer way to get there than bus and the price of the return ticket for both bus and Alilaguna are around the same price. So, again thanks, I think we will be catching the Alilaguna now. You are planning our holiday brilliantly, I owe you a Spritz 😀

I have also just looked at the route of the vaporetto from San Zaccaria to Ca D'Oro and it looks gorgeous as it goes past San Marco. Perfect way to start the holiday

[SimonB]

Currently sat on the water bus going from Murano to Venice. Freezing cold but it’s lovely here. Tonnes of walking to do and google maps is a godsend after wandering aimlessly and you want to find the water bus stop.