Venice the city itself is very historic. So while on a vacation there, sight-seeing opportunities could be unlimited. When you go there on a vacation, it is a must to see the main—if not the major—tourist attraction offered by the city: the Piazza San Marco or the St. Marks Square. Here, you can visit the wonderful St. Marks Basilica, The Doges Palace with its amazing bell-tower as well as many other local establishments that are great for sightseeing and photo opportunities.

A visit in the St. Mark’s Square is only the “appetizer” in the list of must-see attractions in Venice. The next would be riding the world-famous “Gondolas” which is a staple picture of any Venice vacation. Riding the Venetian Gondola is a must for those who set foot on Venice the first time because it provides an ease and comfortable tour of the city. Gondolas a usually rented for a specific period of time and you can ask the driver to cruise you along the narrower canals inside the inner quarters of Venice. You can take a tour of the city via The Grand Canal first then you can take the back canals which will provide you a more intimate feel of the city.

Next would be a tour of the Grand Canal which is the biggest—and most detailed —tourist attractions in Venice. This canal stretches from the railway station down to the far end of the city where St. Marks Square is located. The ideal means of touring the Grand Canal would be through the Grand Canal Boat Tour that offers convenient route for the most wonderful sites within the city.

Aside from visiting the St. Marks square, the Basilica, and the Doges Palace located in the San Marco District, other must-see attractions in Venice would ideally include sightseeing in the Castello District that features the “Arsenale,” the “Biennale Art Exhibitions” as well as other public gardens. You can also visit the main attractions offered by the Dorsoduro District including the “Accademia,” the “Peggy Guggenheim Museum” that features rare Gondola workshops as well as the “Campo Santa Margherita.”

If you have more time, try to go around the Cannaregio District where you can find the “Jewish Ghetto,” and the “Ca D’oro,” as well as the San Polo district for great bargains at the “Venetian Mercantile Empire” and “Rialto Fish Market,” and a wonderful features of the “Friari Church”.

A complete tour of Venice would include a visit to its museums and art galleries where you can see the works by almost all great Venetian masters like Titian, Bellini, Tintoretto and Giorgione.  Aside from the Peggy Guggenheim museum, other museums and art galleries that you must visit should include “The Correr museum,” the “Naval Museum,” the “Gallerie dell’Accademia,” the “Museo Civico Correr,” and the “Glass Museum at Murano.”

How to spend your time and money wisely

While on a vacation, there are two important things that you should spend wisely: TIME and MONEY. Since you don’t have all the time in the world to explore Venice, you should plan you visit very well. It would really help if you would write your itinerary even before you leave so everything is carefully scheduled. If you are able to plot your schedule well, you can maximize your time in visiting as many places as you can.

To ensure that you will visit the major attractions in Venice, include in the list the main places to go to including the St. Mark’s Square that houses the St. Mark’s Basillica and Doges Palace in the San Marco District which is considered as the central area. Aside from visiting the attractions here, you can also visit nearby districts including the Castello District, the Dorsoduro District, the Cannaregio District, and the San Polo District.

These districts offer other interesting sites such as the “Arsenale,” the “Biennale Art Exhibitions,” the “Accademia,” the “Campo Santa Margherita,” the “Jewish Ghetto,” the “Ca D’oro,” the “Venetian Mercantile Empire,” “Rialto Fish Market,” and the “Friari Church” among others. You can also take a peak of the art museums and galleries where you can see the works of traditional Venetian masters like Giorgione, Bellini, Titian, and Tintoretto as well as the art pieces of many contemporary artists. You can tour the various public and privately-run museums and galleries like the “Peggy Guggenheim Museum,” the “Correr museum,” and the “Naval Museum” among others.

To ensure that you spend your money wisely, it is a must to convert your local currency to Euro. Although you can exchange travellers cheques and foreign money at public places such as banks, railway stations and airports, it is best if you exchange your money prior to your visit because the rates are more convenient. If you choose to, you can also use credit and debit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, and Diners Club which are widely accepted in major establishments. However, if you are eyeing a shopping spree in smaller stores, cash at hand is more ideal.

If you want to save some money on tour vacations, dining, and shopping, you can consider public options. In mode of transportation, you can ride public means such as the “vaporetto” and “traghetto” instead of hiring a private gondola. When eating out, opt for “baracos” and “osterias” instead of dining in expensive restaurants. And instead of buying souvenirs and other items in specialty stores, you can find great buys in local markets.

Once you have decided to go on a Venice vacation, you should also consider the peak seasons, type and length of vacation, as well as the legalities and confirmations for your vacation.

Most of them are not from Venice, although there are some few locals who also take advantage on their unsuspecting visitors. Like in other places of the world, it is always a mixture of the good and not-so-good people.

Not all incidents, however, are bad. Some are funny, surprising, and some are the results of being too gullible. Here are some tips taken from actual experiences of previous tourists. As always, your common sense is your best guide.

Some survival tips

***Beware of fake signature handbags sold on the streets. Ignore them because they are illegal. There is a hefty fine (3,000 Euros) simply for buying from them.

***Be careful if you plan to buy those famous Venetian masks – they can be overpriced.  Worse, they might be imported fakes from abroad. There are still shops around where you can witness the actual papier-mâché process. Buy from them to be sure.

***Ordering food from sidewalk cafes, especially fish, can be tricky. Fish in these places are sold by weight, not by piece. 7 Euros means 7 Euros per etto (or 100 grams), so a regular fish weighing 5 etto (500 grams or half a kilo) might cost you 35 Euros, rather too steep for fish. Always ask.

***Do you want to have some coffee and sit at St. Mark? Check for hidden cover charges. They could be more expensive than your coffee, simply because you were listening to some live orchestra playing while sipping your latte. (Try Campo San Polo or Campo Santa Margherita. Their coffee is lovely even without the music and they are reasonably priced.)

Side note:  Like in most of Italy, sitting down and consuming your food and drinks costs more than doing the same (eating and drinking) standing at the “banco” (bar area).

***Original Murano glass pieces, hand-blown and designed by authentic glass masters are generally very expensive. However, items sold near Piazza San Marco are greatly discounted because of too much competition among the shops.

Sometimes, bigger discounts are also available at Burano or some other outlying areas away from the commercial centers. Of course, you still have to be wary of fakes imported from Asia and passed on as original Murano glass.

Practical tips

If you are staying in spring and summer, ask for mosquito repellents. The beautiful windows of many of La Serenissima hotels do not have screens. Hotels have small electric mosquito repellents.

Buy yourself a small pocket flashlight. It will be handy looking at your maps in the evenings. Venetian street lamps are quite dim, very romantic and mysterious, but do not help you in seeing what’s on your map.

Maps of Venice are given out FREE along with your transport ticket pass at the airport. Everywhere else seems to be selling the maps to unsuspecting tourists who don’t have theirs. (Some hotels also have free maps of the city available at their reception.)

If you took note of some of these tips, it might help you survive your stay in one of the world’s most enchanting and truly fascinating cities. These difficulties notwithstanding, Venice is still the best.

In Italy, the city of Venice is one of the most visited places mainly because of its unique environment. If you are a first-time visitor, the first thing that you need to do is to be familiar about the place. You can do this by conducting a research about the place by browsing various Internet sites or by reading travel magazines that feature Venice.

To make the that you make the most out of your stay in Venice, visit its major tourists attractions, eat in the local stores, visit it’s museums and galleries and just walk around and talk to locals—if you know how to speak Italian—to discover the true feel of the city. If you are not to formal city tours, here are some of the things that you should do and you cannot miss when you’re off for a Venetian vacation:

- Wander through the St. Mark’s Square. This is the major tourist spot in Venice. This is also probably where all the tourists are most of the time. On your first say, make sure that you drop by here so you will have a peak of what is Venice like. Here, you can visit two of the most wonderful places in the city, the St. Mark’s Basillica and the Doges Palace or the “Palazzo Ducale”. You can also find some stores nearby where you can see unique souvenirs.

- Take a tour to the Grand Canal. This is also one of the major attractions in Venice that offers you a view of the city through a cruise. You can opt to hire a gondola where you can enjoy a private cruise of the city as well as its inner canals or take the vaporetto or traghetto ride which is a public transport that will take you to different parts of the city.

- Eat on “bacaros” and “osterias”. The best way to dine in Venice is when you eat at small stores that offer local snacks. Bacaros refer to small stalls where you can grab something to eat while touring. Osterias, on the other hand, offers a bigger and more comfortable dining area where you can taste Venetian home style cooking.

- Indulge in art appreciation. Art works are truly a must to visit when you are in Venice. You can do this by visiting public and privately-owned art galleries, museums, and exhibition areas. The most famous museum in Venice would be the “Peggy Guggenheim Museum” where you can see most of the works of Venetian masters like Tintoretto, Giorgione, Titian and Bellini. For more works by contemporary artists, visit the “Correr museum,” the “Naval Museum,” “Glass Museum at Murano,” the “Gallerie dell’Accademia,” and the “Museo Civico Correr.”

- Visit nearby districts. Venice is mainly divided into six districts or “sestiere”. The “Grand Canal” is considered the main street since it runs through the heart of the city and connects each district together. Then there’s the “San Marco District” where you can find the St. Mark’s Square; the “Castello District” where you can find the Arsenale, and the Biennale Art Exhibitions; the “Dorsoduro District” that features the Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, and the Campo Santa Margherita; the “Cannaregio District” where the Jewish Ghetto, and the Ca D’oro are located; the “San Polo District” where you can see the Venetian Mercantile Empire, Rialto Fish Market and  the Friari Church; and the “Santa Croce District.”
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Venice, as a prime tourist attraction, is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and nearly perfect for everyone. The sights, the sounds, the feel, even the smell of the surrounding sea all contribute to the total appeal of Venice. Except, of course, to the nagging question of many: where does one eat a good meal in Venice?

This had been the common complaint about Venice – the absence of good places to enjoy food. From the experienced traveler, a very good tip: get away from the tourist-filled areas and make your own discoveries.

Like the other popular destinations, the best places to eat or drink are not found in areas frequented by tourists. Rather, the better ones are those that are out of the way, hard to reach places.

In Venice, these places may lack the usual beautiful view of the canals, but you can always look at these canals at other times. This time you want to eat, and eat good food. Be prepared, though, because the menu might only be in Italian and nobody speaks English. (You have your handy Italian phrase book with you, of course.)

Random recommendations

Venetian dishes are based on the produce from the sea like sardines, cod, eels, crabs and prawns, whatever is in season. Appetizers like marinated sardines, risotto with the local prawns, pasta with baby clams – these and more are standard fare in the Venetian table.

La Colombina di Sigfrido e Domenico.
If you want to eat some of the best Italian food ever, whether in Venice or anywhere in Italy, this is the place. An added plus: the place is not even that expensive compared to the other pretenders in the business. (The dinner is under 20 Euros, worth going back again and again.)

Dona Onesta, or Antica Trattoria di Venezia Dona Onesta.
This is where you find perfectly textured cream sauce for your pasta, as well as perfectly grilled “verdura” (vegetables like mushrooms and eggplants, artichokes, spinach). You can also find traditional grilled salmon, liver and onions, pork chops even.

Ristorante S. (San) Stefano.
Try their spaghetti with clams. The slight saltiness of the clams balance out the pasta, which has a sweet buttery taste, topped with chopped parsley. An attentive waiter can grind some fresh pepper and make it perfect. The bill? Around 12 Euros.

Another good place to enjoy Venetian food that is not that cheap (40 Euros for 2, and with good wine) but not that outrageously priced either, is in the Jewish ghetto. This is near the Jewish museum (Campo del Ghetto Nuovo). The ambience is cozy and just right. It is off the beaten tracks of tourists, with people going around their regular daily business.

Some other few places that offer good food at non-tourist prices are located right in front of St. Mark’s Square, but on the opposite side across the Grand Canal. Once there, you would suspect the place might have good food if the patrons are Italians and your group is the only English-speaking people around.

All in all, the search of places for good food is another part of the attraction of Venice. Consider it part of the adventure, too. Again, to find the good places on where to eat in Venice is to go the other way where tourists go.

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2. La Cusina – Dining in La Cusina gives you the chance to enjoy the view of Santa Maria della Salute – a most sought-after sight you can enjoy while devouring a sumptuous Italian cuisine like ravioli stuffed with sea bass in a light cream sauce with wild fennel. Prices of main meals ranges from 21 to 23 euros while secondary meals ranges from 23 to 34 euros.

3. Avogaria Locanda and Restaurant – Sweet, quiet and modern, this restaurant specializes in Puglian cuisine, mostly olive oil-based meals like burrata con verdure, fresh mozzarella with creamy center and vegetables, tuna fish “tagliata” with sesame, filetto di branzino in crosta di patate al forno, and sea bass fillet with potatoes. By plane, you can reach Avogaria either thru Marco Polo Venice Airport or San Giuseppe Treviso Airport. It’s located on Calle dell’Avogaria in Dorsoduro and with telephone number: 011-39-041-296-0491.

4. Fiaschetteria Toscana – This “bright, elegant, and relatively small place” wrote Mark Bittman, is tucked in the heart of Venice, 200 metres from Ponte di Rialto in Salizada s. Giovanni Grisostomo. Fiaschetteria Toscana got its name in late 1800s when the Busatto family, from Montecatini in Tuscany, opened a bar offering typical local products. Today, despite its name, this restaurant serves traditional Venetian fare like sarde in saor or marinated sardines. Their risottos are one of the best in the city – made with aged organic Carnaroli rice popularly known as Acquerello from a small Piedmontese producer. The end-product? A Venetian risotto which is perfectly soupy and loose but hardly creamy.

5. Cantinone Gia Schiavi – Located just southwest of the Accademia bridge, this place is popular for their great wine selection from Venice. They are open from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm thru Mondays to Saturdays and 10 am to 1 pm on Sundays.

6. Al Covo – This lovely restaurant located in Castello, Venice is popular not only for their fresh seafoods and excellent selection of moderately priced wines but also for their warm and welcoming atmosphere. Waiters are friendly, suggestive and English speaking. One of the owners of this lovely restaurant hails from Texas, which explains the hospitable atmosphere to Americans. Their menu includes garnished light beef tartar steak, fresh granzevola or spider-crab meat, and canocce or shrimp salad for starters; roasted lamp chops with lentils and homemade mint sauce and deep-fried fish and shellfish with crispy vegetables and matchstick fries for main courses. They also have a fresh 24 hour salad for side dishes.

Venice is good at daytime and night. At daytime you can walking along “Calle” the narrow alley where you discover small squares, a place for Venetians have good time by playing with their children and pets. Don’t worry if you want to buy your needs, there are many small shops and even cafes. And don’t think the happiness will end when the night comes, because at night the city’s charms sharpen.

At night you can stroll the beautiful city starting from the alley at St. Mark’s Square next to the Basilica. You will have wonderful experience by knowing closer to people, some gelato stands, phone booths, some restaurants, some bridges, and the dazzling back view of the Bridge of Sighs. For you know, the famous bridge will be lighted at night. There, sometimes, you can enjoy the beautiful music from musician while watching the moon rise. All of them make your nigh in Venice will be unforgettable moment. But don’t forget wearing dress warm in winter to avoid or at least minimize bitterly cold.

Another Choices

If you want to enjoy another side of Venice at night you can stroll around to look into the little shops or enjoy some drinks at shops, something like at surrounding Ponti de Rialto where has the largest concentration of popular bars. Most of that bars tend to peak at around 8pm and these pubs and restaurants close at 10:30pm. Another pub is Tortuga Pub (off Fondamente Nuovo) that open till 1:00am and plays rock music. They also serve some food even at these early hours. Just go to the one stall that near Scalzi Church which selling hot mulled wine. Some say that the food served there is delicious.

Traveling by Vaporetto or water buses at night in Venice is good too. You can travel to one of the islands for a meal and drinks, and return, all via these unpretentious transportation while enjoying the view of the Grand Canal and its surroundings. It will be enthralling experience.

The last thing that you must try is gondola. Venice without gondola is as food without salt. Though exploring canals by riding gondola is the most expensive way, it doesn’t matter if you are the romantic kind of people. Sometimes, the gondolier is not shy about singing his way through the whole trip bringing you enjoy night at Venice. Yes, that is an unforgettable moment enjoying Venice at night.

1. The Palazzo Ducale – This pink-and-white marble Gothic-Renaiisance residence and government center of the doges stands between the Basilica di San Marco and St. Mark’s Basin. It is one of Italy’s greatest civic structures built in the 15th century by Alesandro Sforza. The most famous painting display here is Piero della Francesca’s masterpiece, The Flagellation. Another highlight is the remarkable portrait of Federico and his son Guidobaldo.
2. The Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari – More popular as the “Frari,” this Venetian Gothic Church is few walks away from San Marco. Filled with great art, among of the best work that can be seen here is Titian’s Assumption over the main altar – a masterpiece of soaring beauty depicting the ascension of the Madonna on a cloud puffed up by floating cherubs. (Source: Frommer’s Portable Venice).

3. Piazza San Marco – Tucked in the heart of Venice is the Piazza San Marco where St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace can be found. St. Mark’s is adorned with booty from every corner of the city’s once far-flung mercantile empire. Spanning the facade is a loggia, surmounted by replicas of the four famous St. Mark’s horses, the Triumphal Quadriga. The interior is a stunning wonderland of marble, alabaster, porphyry, and pillars. To arrange a tour inside the Piazza San Marco, call 041-5225205.

4. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco – One of the Venice’s most important scuole, it has a lively facade by Scarpagnino,and inside it contains one of the womders of Venice – or rather, 54 wonders – all painted by Tintoretto. The artist took more than 20 years to complete his dramatic works in this scuola. For tours, you may call 041-523-4864.

5. The Accademia – Many writers say that the glory that was Venice lives on in the Accademia, the grand cathedral of Venetian art, ablaze with light and colour. The collection is arranged chronologically, from the former refectory of the Scuola to 14th-century altarpieces by Paolo and Lorenzo Veneziano.

6. Santi Giovanni e Paolo – It is the richest monumental public space in Venice dominated by the huge brick church from which it gets its name. The square is overlooked by the most beautiful facade of any of the scuole grandi and one of the finest equestrian monumnets in the world. It was built by the Dominican order from the 13th to the 15th century where 25 doges are buried. It is second in size to the Basilica di San Marco and also home to a number of artistic treasures.

A row of cafe-bars and a perpetual gaggle of ball-playing kids keep the atmosphere lively. To visit this church, you may call 041-523-7510 or 041-235-5913.

Knowing and calculating your costs and possible expenditures during Venice vacation can greatly help you set a realistic budget during your stay. By estimating the possible cost of your vacation, you can set your budget in advance so you wouldn’t be spending more than you can afford to spend. Another advantage of knowing how much you will spend will also help your leave your worries behind because you have enough money to spend on something during the entire trip.

If possible, always make sure that you leave an allowance or you allot at least 10 to 20 percent of the total of your budget to spend on emergency cases. The most important expenses that you should expect from your from your Venice vacations is accommodation. This very important in planning your budget because this is where you will stay once the busy day is finished. Many people make good accommodations a priority because this is their home when out of the house while others are not so much into good accommodations because they think that they should be getting as much exposure as they can get when they are in a vacation destination.

During a Venice vacation, accommodations will matter because this is where you will spend most of your time after a long day of touring. This is also the place where you will leave your baggage for safe keeping. If you want ultimate comfort, choose accommodation that are near the central city so you can have access to almost all the things that you might need.

Enjoying your stay

Aside from personal comfort, the best way to enjoy Venice is when you tour the city itself. If you ask people who have been to a Venice vacation, they would tell you not to miss out on its major tourist attractions because this is what will make the trip worthwhile.

During a tour, you can opt for tour services offered by various establishments. Many of them offer scheduled tours that ensure that you will se all the sites that you should when you visit Venice. You will have a local to accompany you when you choose guided tours. This might cost a much but if you want an orderly and safe touring, you can get their services.

But if you want a less formal city tour, then you could tour the city yourself. All you need you need to do is to have a list of the attractions that you want to visit and go these one day at a time. Make sure that you visit the main attraction in the place by touring the St. Mark’s Square where you can also drop by at the St. Mark’s Basillica and the Doges Palace.

You can also visit nearby districts to see more sites and attractions that are truly worth your brief stay.

If you are planning to visit Venice, one of the major things that you should consider is getting there. If you are from other countries, say from the United States, the best and easiest way to get to this beautiful city is by riding a plane. Via Delta Airways—which is the only one that offers direct flight to Venice—from JFK airport in New York, you can fly straight to the city without hassles and stopovers. You can also take other connecting flights to nearby cities in Europe and just find your way to the city via land transportation.

If you are in nearby cities already such as from Padua or Florence, you can take the train since Venice is orderly serviced by regional and national train system. You can arrive at the Sta. Lucia Station and take other forms of public transport. It is a must that you get to know the right means of getting there to avoid spending too much when you can actually save some for other activities or for shopping spree.

Knowing the city

A Venice vacation can be a great treat for anybody. Especially to those people who are often gets stressed out by the modern world. This is because this can give you a perfect break away from all the toxicities modern life has to offer. But, before going into a vacation Venice, take some time to know the place that you are planning to go to. This will really help you a lot in maximizing the time you are going to spend there.

The first thing that you need to pay attention to is you schedule during your vacation. Since you don’t have all the time in the world to explore Venice during you vacation, it is best that you plot the list of activities that you will be doing during your stay. Your schedule or itinerary might include visiting Venice’s interesting sites and historical places. This is very important especially for first-time visitors because these tours can give them a primer and background about the place. For those who would want to know about the history of the place, they can visit historical sites including the Piazza San Marco or the St. Marks Square which will introduce you to the city that is Venice. Within this are other tourist attractions including the St. Marks Basilica and the Doges Palace.

You can also try water adventures and activities. A Venice vacation is nothing if you don’t get to experience water activities waiting for you. During your stay, it is a must that you take a boat and visit the lagoon’s islands called “Torcello,” and take a Gondola trips through the Grand Canal.