Going to Italy?! 30 Things to Know before Visiting Venice

How exciting the thought of planning a trip to Rome.. But before making that happen here are some advice on things to know when visiting Italy.

Have you planned out your trip from hotels, places to go, airline ticket to what to pack and then you visit a place and find out there are things that would have helped if you knew ahead of time?

At first, you would think most places in Italy would be the same but that is so far from the truth.  Every place from Florence to Rome are so different and Venice is not the exception.  Here are a few tips or things to know before visiting Venice.

1. Take the Bus – I was surprised how easy it was to find buses that travel from cities far away and the airport.  The bus takes you directly to the entrance in Venice.

2. Get tickets to skip the line – the line to go inside is usually long for some places like the Doges Palace, if you purchase tickets to skip the line you might get a deal that may include other places too. You can download an app on your phone called Headout. There you can purchase your skip the line tickets.  There are a few apps like this but this is one we use.

3. Cash is key – exchange to get Euro to pay in cash when a card is not accepted. This is key and necessary, especially when using tip #4 using the restrooms.

4. Pay for Bathroom Use – some places you will need to pay to use the bathrooms but if you are dining in local restaurants you don’t need to pay for restroom use.

5. Google Maps is key – if you don’t have wifi while in Venice you can download the map and it will be easy to find your way around the city.  Downloading the app in your phone will help you get around which is key when visiting Venice.

6. Gelato try it before buying it – you can ask for samples before selecting the flavors, Some locations will provide a list of the items used to make the gelato to know it is authentic

7. Wear comfortable shoes – Walking around the city, standing in the long line and visiting nearby islands is a lot of walking, if you are wearing comfortable shoes this will make your trip more pleasurable.

8. Enjoy night view  – seeing Venice in a different light could be at night, is less crowded and more romantic.  This is something we are looking forward to doing on our next trip.

9. Visit Bridge of Sigh –  If you book a tour or you are visiting Doge’s Palace you will be able to walk through the bridge as they take you to see the prison.

10. Visit during Spring or Fall – Visiting in the spring is truly more pleasurable then during the Summer.  The weather is a lot cooler, there are fewer crowds and you are able to enjoy more of the city.

11. Take Jacket or Shawl – this might seem unusual for summer weather but some locations you may plan to visit requires for certain areas to be cover. If you are wearing shorts or a tank top (at least the ladies) you will need to cover those areas in order to

12. Take Water Bottle you can bring your own, purchase at convenient locations or refill in water fountains throughout the city

13. Pizza is one Size – if traveling with kids most restaurants don’t offer a kids menu, the size for the pizza is the same for everyone. Even the toppings are a bit different we cant order pepperoni instead order Salami Pizza.

14. Plan your mealtime – some locations may close in the afternoon and reopen for dinner.  We learned the hard way when visiting a nearby city.  Most restaurants are open all day in the center of Venice but we learned the hard way when visiting a nearby city when they close in the afternoon.

15. Burger King in Venice? – if you are traveling with kids or want to grab something quickly, you can find Burger King in the center of Venice

16. Some places you can visit for Free – there are museums and churches that are free to see.

17. Validate your ticket – If you are traveling using the metro, you will see a machine which is there for you to validate your ticket before getting inside the metro

18. Visiting from the Cruise – The port is about 20 minutes away walking, you can board early and come out to enjoy Venice

19. Pictures not allowed? – Some locations like a church might not allow cameras, you can go inside, they are still open meaning the locals do go in.

20. Use Vaporetto to get around – water taxi is a convenient way to get around, the tickets can be good for all day or for days you choose for

21. Ride the Gondola  – riding the gondola feels like a dream but it can come at a cost, look around for deals since there are 2 different options

22. Visit Burano and/or Murano – If you have an extra day you can visit these island using the Vaporetto.

23. Bridge to carry your luggage – If you book a hotel in Venice be mindful of the amount of steps/bridges you will have to carry your luggage through.

24. Drink some Spritz – If you don’t mind drinking a nice refreshing type of wine this drink would be it.  enjoy Italy’s drink – Spritz

25. Drink some Coffee – I love my iced coffee but in Venice or Padova (a city near Venice) that is almost impossible to get, so getting standard coffee is as rewarding, the coffee is so much stronger and better.

26. Experience Regatta Storica  –  rowing parade on the first Sunday of September, you can see it while walking near the Rialto Bridge

27. Experience Regatta Vogalonga  –  rowing competition early in June, you can many people rowing in the canal

28. in winter wear rubber boots  – in a tour the lady let us know how much it rains during the winter season, the water can make it hard to walk around, wearing rubber boots might make the trip more enjoyable or skip traveling during this time

29. Experience Carnavale  –  once in Venice all of the shops sell nice mask, the reason is for a Costume Mask Carnival held 40 days before Easter

30. Get ACTV or Venezia Unica pass –  riding the bus and water taxi (Vaporetto) is best to get an ACTV card which helps you save a lot more if you are staying a lot longer then getting Venezia Unica Card will be more beneficial. (airport transportation is not included read on both options to see which one will work best for you).

You can also check out the video as I talk about the things to know about Venice here

 

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