Venice

[DisneyDaffodil]

As some of you may have noticed from my previous threads, my family are looking for somewhere different to try for holidays. We usually visit European beach resorts or Florida.

I have been extensively researching Barcelona and so, today I booked Venice 😁. We have never visited Italy but have always wanted to. Totally unexpectedly, just browsed flights and hotels and took a fancy to a boutique B & B in Venice so I booked it within 20 minutes of looking up Venice on Tripadvisor 😊. We are staying for 6 nights at the beginning of July. Family consists of me and DH and 17 year old DD. We all like architecture and art, DD loves photography so we are pleased with our choice. I have read that food is particularly expensive in Venice.

So, can anyone give me hints and tips of what to see and do in Venice? Any tips on eating on a budget? TIA

[Blue nose]

Just get a map and walk. Get lost and keep walking. So much to see just walking and looking at buildings and stopping for coffee.

Main things are the square, think its St Marks. Don't eat/drink here - like most cities it's overpriced. theres the Doges palace, the church next door, I believe there's a tower but that was closed when we were there.

We did secret tour in the palace which was interesting.

Gondola ride is good but expensive.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Thanks Blue Nose, I had heard that eating close to St Marks square is really expensive. I agree it seems to be a city that has beautiful things to see just by walking around and getting lost. I am hoping the tower is open when we are there as that did look interesting, as does the Basilica and Doges Palace.

How did you get to your hotel from the airport? I think we are planning on getting the bus from the airport to the main bus station then walking to our hotel, which Google says is a 15 minute walk. I'm just a little concerned about lugging the cases to the hotel.

[Blue nose]

We got the bus and then a boat. We had about 5 minutes walk which was enough.

The maps show every single entry (think narrow like behind terraced houses) and the is what you walk down. I found it confusing at first.

[TC Devon]

My husband proposed to me in Venice. Beautiful city. Incredibly expensive.
Shop around for a gondola- some were extorniote prices. Eating in main areas was eye watering expensive.
You can spend hours wandering- comfy shoes are essential.
Enjoy

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Blue nose

We got the bus and then a boat. We had about 5 minutes walk which was enough.

The maps show every single entry (think narrow like behind terraced houses) and the is what you walk down. I found it confusing at first.

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I am prepared to get lost 😀. I have no sense of direction at all, which is why I am chief planner and booker of holidays but once we arrive I leave it to DH and DD to navigate.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by TC Devon

My husband proposed to me in Venice. Beautiful city. Incredibly expensive.
Shop around for a gondola- some were extorniote prices. Eating in main areas was eye watering expensive.
You can spend hours wandering- comfy shoes are essential.
Enjoy

See more...

It does look stunning, how romantic to get proposal there 😊.

My GoWalks will be packed definitely (and a pretty pair of flat sandals). This is meant to be our budget holiday this year as we already have a week in Tenerife and Disney booked so I think we will be needing to find the cheaper areas to eat. Any advice on where or what to eat cheaply?

[gtown]

Getting to the hotel from the airport, get the official river taxi, it's signposted from arrivals. Just see what stop is closest to your hotel. Also rather than just pay for the journey to the hotel, go for a 2/3 day pass it's only a few euro more. You then can hop on and hop off for the next few days.

Food wise, get off the main areas down the side streets. Ask on your reception, they are really helpful and pointed out some really good cheap restaurants.

[TC Devon]

It was 8 years ago and just a weekend but we did nt go to any restaurants. We grabbed food as we explored. All I can think now (I have kids and zero opportunity of eating out) is what a waste of eating opportunity!

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by TC Devon

It was 8 years ago and just a weekend but we did nt go to any restaurants. We grabbed food as we explored. All I can think now (I have kids and zero opportunity of eating out) is what a waste of eating opportunity!

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I remember the days of holidays with small children well, lucky to find time to eat at all 😁. Our youngest is still holidaying with us, but at 17 she loves a nice restaurant too. It just works out expensive as we now pay for 3 full adult meals 😊.

I have been reading lots on Tripadvisor and have found there are a lot of small bars that sell small plates called cichetti, like Spanish tapas, very cheaply and these look very nice. Plus many pizza slices from takeaways so we will eat there to save some money. Plus we will have a few nice sit-down table meals too. We have bed and breakfast at our hotel, and complimentary cakes and coffees in the hotel so I'm sure we will enjoy it.

I have spent ages looking at maps and things to see in Venice today, I am beginning to get very excited about it and we have a trip to Tenerife before it to look forward to first 😀