Venice advice from the old-timers

To visit Venice, it is advisable to follow the advice of seasoned travellers:

Where to stay?

If you're not on a tight budget, you can stay in Venice itself. But if you only have money for a bed and breakfast, consider the suburbs, especially if you're travelling by car. Choose a place within a 20km radius that's within your reach. Ideally you should rent a camper van from about 25 EUR/night (including the car park outside the camper van).

How to get there?

Venice is accessible by bus (€1.50 at the ticket office or €3 from the driver) and by train from the suburbs. Alternatively, you can take your own car and park it (from 5€/day behind the bridge on the mainland and 25€/day in Venice itself). Public transport runs until deep into the night.

When to visit?

Visiting according to the season of the year is possible at the end of May and throughout September. When it's warm and there isn't a big influx of tourists. But the lack of an influx of tourists out of season is a myth!!! People are always there in such numbers that I wish there were at least 5 times less of them) At the time of day, an important tip - Venice must be seen both during the day and at night when everything is lit up. It is therefore advisable to arrive at the place around 5 pm, to start walking in daylight hours with sunshine (it will be more beautiful photos, not so dull) and end with night lights (Venice looks more beautiful at night).

What to see?

A great idea is to walk around Venice on foot over the 5 main bridges, following the signs to St Mark's Square. It's also called the 'lazy tourist' route. From there, once it's dark, take a boat ride across the Grand Canal to the train station. You'll end up with a "holistic" picture of the structure of the city on the water, Venice. You will see streets and bridges, houses and local transport - gondolas, and the main sights - the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square. The Grand Canal is a pleasure to take a boat trip on the "common" boat. You can get a day pass or a one-off pass depending on how many boat rides you make. Single grand canal boat tickets cost around 7,5 euros. You will have to stand like in a tin can, or sit with people on your head... The best way to ride the grand canal is on a personal boat with a motor, not on a gondola, as they are for floating along the streets at a leisurely pace. But that's another money and another story).

The bridge connects the mainland to Venice itself. All buses and trams arrive in "Region A". You can get here by car and park from €25/day. Alternatively, you can park in front of the bridge on the mainland (from €5/day) and take public transport across the bridge (maximum cost €6/person round trip). "Region A1" is Venice's railway station.

The "A-B" route is a walk across the bridges in Venice to St Mark's Cathedral, Venice's main attraction. There are boat stops all along the Grand Canal, and if you wish you can take a season ticket and get off/on at each stop, combining it with a walking tour of the region. Or you can ride from B to A1 in the evening and watch Venice glow at night, which we did. Such an itinerary may be for the "lazy" tourist, but it gives more than enough insight into Venice. We did not want to spend more time in Venice.

Venice is an unusual city, but alas not a magical one) We recommend visiting it as part of a tour of Italy or Europe in general. To come here for a week or even a 2-day weekend is definitely not advisable.