Reply With QuoteTake plenty of money !
Hello all
The wife's birthday is looming and i would like to take her to venice for a long weekend
and as there are some well traveled members on the forum i was hoping to get some pointers!!
I would like the hotel to be on the grand canal and would love to make it special by
taking a river taxi from the airport to the hotel!!
any advise would be a great help!!
Take plenty of money !
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
I enjoyed Venice but then I was prepared for the crowds and the price of restaurant food in places near St. Mark's Sq.
Think of a number and double it in both cases.
Certainly don't let it put you off though.
Take plenty of mosquito repellant!!! Seriously, it can be a real problem.
Went to Venice a few years back around Easter time. Weather was fine and food lovely but can be expensive. Found some little local cafes off the beaten track that were a bit more reasonable but would never be able to find them again. Rialto Bridge is a bit of a tourist trap. Loads of tatt on sale as expected. Be prepared to walk. Lots of walking! Not sure what it's like this time of year. Heard that the canals can get a bit whiffy in the heat?
Don't let the knockers put you off. Do a search for Venice, lot's of good advice, some of it mine!! :-)
I took Mrs P there on a surprise trip for her 50th at the end of August last year and was recommended....... http://www.alponteantico.com by the folk on here.
This is the view from the terrace.
Absolutely fantastic place and everything and more than it purports to be.
You can book a river taxi from the airport to Venice here http://www.alilaguna.com/ , its the only way to arrive.
I have a couple of grub recommendations if you require and make sure you fly her out BA Business.
Get off the main drags and it is very reasonable to eat and drink
Paul
Been there a lot in last few years it's an absolutely fantastic place where you don't have to pay big. Just don't go to the expensive restaurants. Recommend the Alla Madonna ( Spider Crab) and http://veciofritolin.it/en/ both near the Rialto. Crowds are only around St Mark's Square wander away from that and it's pretty quiet. Go to the Lido some very good restaurants there. Jewish quarter is a great visit. It's a small place and is actually quicker to walk from St Mark's sq to the Rialto than getting the Vaporettos. I have stayed in many hotels but would recommend the Bauer, British Airways sometimes do very good inclusive deals. Water taxi is definitely the best way to visit. Go back by bus it will only cost you a few euros. My favourite place to go on holiday.
Evening drinks in the wine bars that were the first Banks over the Rialto bridge and just before the markets are really buzzy places in the evening.
Last edited by Martin123; 27th July 2015 at 20:37. Reason: Evening drinking recommendations and a few photos to get you in the mood
I forgot to add that in my travels there are plenty of places which have been to which are great and would like to return to.
There are only two that I MUST/WILL return to and that's Vietnam and of course Venice.
Getting a water taxi is fun (and not *prohibitively* expensive) - probably only need to do it one way though!
Water taxi.jpg by Noodlefish, on Flickr
We stayed at the Ca Sagredo near the Rialto. Loved it.
Rialto.jpg by Noodlefish, on Flickr
Fresco.jpg by Noodlefish, on Flickr
Loved Torcello.
Really enjoyed walking around the Ghetto (you can easily find a route online).
Last edited by Broussard; 27th July 2015 at 21:40.
If you have time and want to go somewhere a bit different from the usual tourist honey pots, I recommend taking a ferry out to Burano across the lagoon. Have an amble around the pretty technicolored island and then have supper here http://www.gattonero.com/en/index.html#.VbaSK0qkqrU
+1 to that!Originally Posted by seikopath
We found a local Spar shop so made buns up in the hotel room.
Once we landed back in blighty we were so hungry we found the nearest BK and ordered the biggest burger thay do, didn't touch the sides!
Nice place though, you can walk forever. Vaporettos are handy, Harrys bar was great.
Enjoy
Jon
I think the Gritti Palace and the Cavalieri are some of the best hotels in Europe, both on the Canal.
Thank you to all for the advise- may PM some of you for more advise!
It's her 40th so got to get it right or i'm dead!!!
We went last year for three days. Highly recommend the Hotel Giorgione - great hotel in a great location about 100 metres from the a Grand a Canal. Venice is expensive in the touristy areas but reasonable everywhere else. Lots of fantastic restaurants with good varieties of menus.
Venice is great to just stroll around, get lost in the narrow streets and then be surprised when you turn a corner and you are in another pretty square, bridge, ice cream parlour, etc.
Breakfast at Florian in St Mark's Square?
I can recommend a good guide if you want to make the best of your time?
Fantastic place. As others have said, the restaurants and bars around St Marks Square are very pricey, but there are lots of good value places just off the beaten track. I had dinner on my 30th birthday at Antico Martini beside the Opera House and it was a very memorable meal.
It's also worth taking a boat to some of the other islands for a day if you have the time. We visited Murano and Burano - very different to the hustle and bustle of the main island.
I was in venice 2 weeks ago.
bring money and dont go during summer months. We had 35° degees.
Would recommend Harry ' s Bar for the atmosphere . Bellinis are great and the service is excellent but it's not cheap ..when I went a plate of pasta was 50€!!. Still as it's a special occasion it's worth pushing the boat out ( you'll still have great memories long after the price is forgotten!) I had the added bonus of chatting to David Lynch on the next table as it was during the film festival.. A delightfully charming man
+1 Also for Murano where they make the glass. A lot less frenetic and less crowded than central Venice.
Absolutely beautiful, do go to the Rialto on a market day and spend the money on a gondola ride. Yes its ridiculously overpriced, right up until you do it, afterward it'll seem worthwhile. Ask for a ride in the back canals, you can see the Grand Canal on a taxi boat.
Don't carry anything valuable in your back pocket, mine was sliced open and I didn't notice until we were back from dinner.
Visit Murano, but you'll want to book your own trip there and not take one of the boats marked "special trips to Murano". Those include a "free" visit to a showroom that sponsors the boat, and include a bit of high pressure sales reminiscent of a Turkish rug bazaar.
Grab a cheap map and put it in your pocket, the chances of getting lost are very high; but its a small place you won't be lost for long.
My favorite time in Venice was spent lounging on a sunny campo, glass of Prosecco in hand. They pour the stuff like water down there.
I have just returned from a three weeks family holiday, including one week near and in Venice.
Most has been mentioned already, but just to add a few thoughts: Venice is really, really crowded. You don't want to go there with a suitcase looking for your hotel! I have seen them... Make sure that you arrange decent transport from the airport to your hotel's front door!
We visited the Burano and Murano as well; on Murano, we spotted a nice looking hotel: The LaGare Hotel. Google it; it has some nice reviews, including free transport from the airport to the hotel's front door.
Venice with kids is do-able. But mine are 12 and 14 and used to walking. I have seen parents with a toddler in a McLaren buggy etc. Not a good idea... My boys noticed that Venice is a very clean town. At least cleaner than Pisa and Florence that we vistited a week before! There's hardly no litter and there are lots or people cleaning the streets.
We stayed a camp site NE from Venice, in Caorle. Caorle is on a 25mile long peninsula. We'd never been near Venice before and I must say that the small towns on the peninsula are really nice. The landscape is as flat as a pancake - quite familiar when you're from Holland. However, when you look to the north on a clear day, you can see the Dolomite mountains, 2 hrs drive for a sky trip!
@ robcuk, we did take the plunge and had coffee at Julian's... 2 coffee, 2 lemonades and scones for 4 persons set us back a whopping 84 euros! But hey, we did have the privilage(...) to listen to the orchestra playing Japanse songs for guests at the next table!
Menno
Took my wife for her 40th as a surprise in 2010.
Beautiful place, really enjoyed it. It was the carnival whilst we were there so VERY busy but it didn't cause any problems. We stayed over the less touristy spot (the name escapes me) only a few mins from the bridge. Go over the rialto into central venice and the prices shoot up. We found it excellent value as I say only a few mins further out.
Another nod for Murano - was a great relaxing visit for a few hours
Last edited by senwar; 30th July 2015 at 22:29.
Thanks again all for the great advise!!
Has anyone taken a private water taxi from the airport direct to the hotel?
should you book in advance, what would you expect to pay?
Cheers Adrian
We just bought a ticket at the Consorzio Motoscafi desk at the arrivals terminal at Marco Polo airport after we landed. Its a fair old walk to the dock. 90 to 100 euros was the going rate a few years back. We also got the Hotel we stayed in to book us one on the way back a couple of times, make sure you know the cost in advance if booking through a hotel. As we were a family of five it was not much more expensive than using the public water bus.
No tipping needed.
Last edited by Martin123; 30th July 2015 at 22:34. Reason: Tipping advice
This is a great website for some of the lesser known places to check out too
http://www.italianways.com/regions/veneto/
Menno, that was our Christmas Breakfast, and was about €80 too, steep, but we were full til mid-afternoon :-)
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta on the island of Torcello is quite simply incredible.
A range of interesting places to stay, if you wanted something a bit out of the ordinary and wanted to save some cash to spend on pricey food!
http://www.sawdays.co.uk/find?Search...#!display=list
See VeniceLink.com for private transfers. There are also shared transfers...
That's another added to my list of places to visit! Thanks...
OP, I'd say you need to make a list of places you want to see as there's so much and limited time. Until you go back next time, that is!
Many Italian marvels are inside quite plain looking buildings, so knowing what you're after (art, churches, museums, gardens etc) and where they are will help. Plus, learn what you can about the transport system and print yourself off a map in readiness for your trip (they are available online), or stick it on a tablet.
It helps to have some idea which boat you want at the bus stop:
Any more/more recent, pointers most welcome!
Last edited by cman; 31st May 2019 at 17:37.
Most Vaporetto have dedicated stops (except for the shared stops along the Grand Canal). Check which one is which as there is nothing that marks you out as a tourist more than pushing through the crowd at the last minute to try to catch the ‘right’ Vaporetto from the ‘other’ cabin 50 mtrs away!!
It helps to have some idea which boat you want at the bus stop:
And keep your eyes open...just in case:
BBC link....Huge cruise ship crashes into Venice harbour.
Last edited by PickleB; 2nd June 2019 at 15:25. Reason: add BBC link
We stayed at the Gritti Palace - it was superb. you step off the water taxi directly into the hotel and the canalside restaurant (breakfast taken in the open air) has one of the best views in Venice.
The Hyatt Centric Hotel on Murano is worth considering. Nice thing is the speedboat connection between the airport and the hotel! The big James Bond experience. (Like my wife did, sending a short iphone video with the James Bond theme).
The Vaporetto has a stop in front of the hotel, so it's very easy to get aboard for a trip to the mainland (Venice itself).
Have a coffee at the Café Florian on the St Marco Square. Unbelievable expensive, but the only way to spot wall-to-wall Pateks and other high end stuff...
Menno
That was going to be my response.
We booked a room that cost a bomb in quite a good hotel but the room had a normal view overlooking a street. We enquired about transferring to a room overlooking the Grand Canal and were quoted an additional €320 per night. We declined.
The restaurants are indeed pricey but the city is unique and women seen to like it more than men and make sure you give her a trip for two on a gondola.
We are going to break our golden rule and return to somewhere we have gone before and do another trip there.
Everyone should have Venice on their bucket list.
Lovely place
If your in st marks square and fancy a drink and you like the look of the open air bars and the waiters usher you to the table
Prepare to have your pants pulled down
Sent from my iPad using TZ-UK mobile app
Just got back from Italy and took a a jaunt to Venice again. I can thoroughly recommend Nevodi Venezia as a restaurant to visit. It is away from the main tourist parts of Venice just up from the Arsenale river bus stop.
Thanks for that. I looked it up on the internet and found an address and looked at in on GoogleMaps. Then I tried to understand the address...until I read Street addresses in Venice that says "Within a given sestiere, blocks of house numbers are assigned almost randomly".
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kk14aK6E5rgVEoKf8 for Nevodi Venezia
Don't sit and have a coffee in St Marks Square, it was £15 a coffee in 2010!
Has anyone tried ordering and standing inside at any of the establishments on St Marks Square? I know it's not what a tired tourist wants but, if it's just the coffee that you want, it should be cheaper.Don't sit and have a coffee in St Marks Square, it was £15 a coffee in 2010!
I had coffee on St Marks square as a backpacker in 1982 £4 IIRC
I didn't return for about 35 years!
Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk
Good luck with that, they’ll have you seated quicker than anything. I know bars in Italy charge more for table service so in a tourist hot spot like that, that’s what you’ll get.
I did have a feeling that it wouldn't work...but no harm in asking.
We loved the family holiday to Venice. We had a great time & interesting weather ...
For the best of both worlds (beach & city break) - Stay on the lido, eat with the locals.
z
Comfortable shoes, walk, scope out gondola prices then wince,unless Ernie was kind avoid eating or drinking in St Marks Sq plenty of still expensive but cheaper eateries in the back streets, Munrano and Burano worth a visit it’s a wonderful place not kind to those with physical challenges but worth it.
Enjoy
Last edited by mart broad; 4th June 2019 at 22:02.
It’s a good point, my wife’s Italian and I still have no idea how it really works. She used to live in Bologna 10 years ago and it was 80 cents for an espresso at bar off the main square. When we visited new bars they shuffle you to a seat and it would be 3 euros.I did have a feeling that it wouldn't work...but no harm in asking.
Me and wife went years ago and went for a gondola ride which although expensive was really enjoyable and very memorable, we paid extra to have it to ourselves and not share which for once in a lifetime kinda thing was well worth it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Posting Permissions
