Since Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, its beauty has its price. However, you can enjoy everything it has to offer if you plan ahead and budget accordingly.
If you are staying more than a day in Venice, buy a vaporetto travelcard
Travelling across Venice can be a little bit of a rip-off – one vaporetto journey costs €7 – and it would be a shame to miss out on the scenery it has to offer (if you have trouble walking a lot).
If you are under 29 years old, you can buy a vaporetto travelcard valid for 72h,that costs €28 . With the same travelcard you can also visit Murano, Burano and take a ride to Lido (where you can walk to the beach and see the Adriatic Sea).
If you want to purchase the tickets in advance, you can do so here , where you can also download Waterbourne Routes map and book different activities.
Take a short trip to the other islands in the Venetian lagoon: Murano and Burano
Plan a self-guided day trip to Murano, the island famous for its glass making and Glass museum. Did you know that they don’t have any glass making teaching schools? The art of glass making has been passed down every generation from father to son!
The other lovely island in the Venetian lagoon to visit is Burano. The island is about 40 minutes from Venice by boat and it has a much more different atmosphere from Venice’s busy centre.
The Buranese have painted their houses in bright colours – they say the fishermen painted their houses in different colours to make it easier to recognise them when they would come back home.
Your eyes will be pleasantly surprised with a wide spectrum of colours and coziness. Although the locals don’t speak very much English, they are welcoming and cheerful.
Once you’ve returned to Venice, walk around and take in everything the city has to offer. The architecture boasts a history filled with many secrets and stories ( The youngest building in Venice is 200 years old! Youngest, eh?)
San Marco’s Square is overly priced. Consider dining somewhere else.
Because it is the main attraction point in Venice, the place is filled with tourists and the restaurants are making the most out of this. You can visit St. Mark’s Basilica and the Campanile Tower and then just wander around. On the small streets you can find plenty of restaurants with lower prices (or you can go for take-away snack on the canals).
You don’t have to pay for everything in Venice!
There is so much you can see in Venice for free, you just have to arm yourself with comfortable shoes, a bottle of water and a lot of patience (to survive the crowds, of course). You can walk down the Grand Canal, explore what Giudecca has to offer, visit Scala Contarini del Bovolo ( the so called Snail Staircase) or just admire the churches and their stories.
Treat yourself to a gondola ride.
The gondola rides cost 80 euros during the day and 100 euros after 7 pm. They last for approximatively half an hour and the gondolier usually offers a splendid tale about Venice’s historical buildings and Casanova’s romances. The gondola ride is intimate and romantic, but it can also be shared with up to six people, hence reducing the costs for you.
There’s so much Venice has to offer and you can enjoy it – either by day or by night. Have a spritz with the locals instead of an expensive Bellini and prepare yourself for an unforgettable journey.
Have you visited Venice?
Have you got any tips or tricks about visiting Venice?
Let me know in the comment section below!
Love,
Csilla x
