How to visit Venice

As grand old European cities go, Venice is arguably the best at tricking you into thinking that you live in the 17th century. Sure, occasionally encountering the end of a tourist’s obnoxious camera lens may remind you what century you come from, but in those quiet back alleys, where the only sound is the drip-drop of drying clothes on the pavement below, you can easily kid yourself that you’ve been transported back to Venice’s maritime glory days. A time when merchants rather than tour groups visited the ‘City of Water’ in their droves. Back then, Venice was as much of a maze as it is today. Even those with the best sense of direction can find themselves hopelessly befuddled by Venice’s weaving streets and alleys. However, if you stick to the few do’s and don’ts below, you’ll discover a lot more to Venice than just the easiest way back to your hotel room.

Do stray from the tourist paths. 

Especially if you don’t want to pay tourist prices for your pizza. A typical pizza on the tourist routes will set you back around 9-12 euros and around the same off the beaten track, but the main difference is size. The further you travel away from the tourists (and away from the Venice islands to the nearby towns of Mestre and Favaro) the larger your pizza will be. Obvious, but worth remembering. If you’re not in the mood for a whole circle then consider popping into a takeaway for a slice. Prices will be around 2.50-3 euros and are usually tied in with offers for Coca-cola products which will round it up to a fiver. If you’re not strapped for time though it is worth heading away from the crowds and seeking a more traditional approach to takeaway pizza.

Don’t buy from the street vendors.

It’s an annoyance and a nuisance that plagues many European destinations: men with fake designer handbags or models of St Mark’s basilica laid out on blankets, designed to draw in the tourists who pass them by. Even if you do have the stupidity to buy from these illegal vendors, be warned. Venice is cracking down very hard and police will fine anyone they catch buying from these traders 7000 euros. Not worth it for a fake Gucci handbag… especially when you can buy the real thing around the corner.

Do stray away from the Venice islands. 

The waterways are not all there is to see on a visit to Venice. Take a bus out of the city to the mainland where you will find Mestre and its little brother Favaro, both commuter towns where the working Venetians live. The bus from Piazziale Roma is only 1.30 euro for 75 minutes worth of travel and the journey is worth it for the views as you travel along the one road into Venice, via Liberta. Mestre has plenty of shopping options and its surrounding towns and villages offer both families and independent travellers a true taste of Veneto, away from the tourist laden bridges of the Venice islands. If you have a day or two to spare then consider a trip up the coast to Jesolo, a resort town with pristine beaches and a wealth of attractions to keep all ages happy. Continue along the laguna Veneta to see Venice from a different angle, exploring the defences which keep the water levels in the city at bay.

Don’t go on a gondola.

Strange advice I know and very much to the contrary of what  A LOT of visitors do in Venice. However, unless you love having tourists taking aerial shots of you as you pass under every bridge, I recommend you avoid the high costs and disappointingly short experience. Got to get on the water? There are other ways! The first option is to get on board a Vaporetto- one of Venice’s many water taxis that will take you on the major routes around the city for 6 euros an hour. The second option, if you really are desperate to get on a gondola, is to take a traghetto across the Grand Canal. This costs as little as 50 cent and you’ll get a fantastic view, as well as enough time to snap that iconic ‘I’m-on-a-gondola-in-Venice-‘ shot that will inevitably end up as your Facebook profile picture. More here. 

Do eat the olive off your spritz stick. 

The amount of olives left drying in the dregs of drinks around the city is saddening… They’re delicious!

Don’t go home without shopping for a mask.

If you’re going to buy one souvenir from Venice then it’s got to be a mask. You can get cheap and cheerful ones from any old vendor along the street but spending an afternoon hour or two hopping from one mask shop to the next is a good way to discover Venice. Venetian carnival masks have a long and complicated history. The first recorded use of them is in the 13th century when they were worn by men throwing scented eggs at women. Nope, me neither… There are different types of mask, the most recognisable being the Medico della peste which even those without fluency in Italian can work out to mean ‘The Plague Doctor’. A Frenchman, Charles de Lorme, developed the beak nosed design in the 17th century whilst treating plague victims. Nowadays the masks are mostly worn for decorative purposes and some of them are stunning, if a little scary. Prices vary but expect to dig deep to purchase any mask from one of Venice’s wonderful mask shops. Better to just walk around and marvel at them.

Do get unbelievably lost.

It’s not hard in Venice and it’s not a bad thing (so long as you’re not trespassing etc…). If you meet a dead end and can’t remember the route back to your hotel then fumble around in your backpack for your Italian phrasebook, stop a passing local, attempt to pronounce ‘sono perduto. Non so dove mi trovo. dove si trova il Canal Grande?’, and then hopefully, after a few more dead-ends and a spritz at the tiny local bar you stumbled upon, you will have found your way out of the Venice maze. If I was working for the Venice Tourist board and had to come up with a cheesy slogan to sell the city (not that it needs much selling) I would suggest ‘Lose yourself, find Venice’. It’s the only way.