Hi everyone! Looking for recommendations for things to do, places to eat and any hidden gems in VENICE.
Details:
Will be in Venice for one night (August 27). We will arrive at VCE airport at 10:00am and depart the next day at 3:00pm. We would like to explore Venice with as much of that time as possible. We will be staying in Cannaregio, right near one of the ferry stops.
Also, do you recommend getting a vaporetto pass? We are fine with walking but if the boat provides a scenic ride / helps us see more of Venice, we would definitely consider it
Thanks in advance!

Sherene
If you buy any skip the line tickets, etc in Italy it's usually cheaper to get them from the facility's website itself than from one of the very many tour websites.
If you like history this tour was good; they take you to the rooms where the administrators worked, council rooms, loft and Casanova's prison cells. It's mostly wood and rock, with stories about how Venice was run, so may be boring to some. http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/.../secret-itineraries.../
Caffè Florian in the Square is the World's oldest coffee house in continuous operation. Not cheap though, and you can't roam inside without ordering.

We bought the ferry pass. The fruit and veg market near Rialto bridge was great for snacks. Lots of stairs in Venice. Each of those bridges is stepped. We enjoyed lots of gelato and limoncello. Murano and Burano were great. Bought glass and lace. Beware, there is no place to sit except restaurants and you must buy something. My feet were killing me. You can’t even sit on a curb near St. mark’s. The police will chase you away.

The vaporetto will give you a nice relaxed tour - try to sit outside. Don't eat in St. Marks Square as it's very expensive, you get charged just to sit. There are better places just a block or two away.
The Doges Palace was very interesting. There are lots of places to buy Murano glass and lovely masks.

I would definitely do the vaporetto from the train station to St. Mark's ( or even up to St Elena). Then walk back to St Mark's along that quiet piece of the Grand Canal.Your biggest challenge is to try to do Venice in one day. We spent three days and barely scrapped the surface on what this amazing city has to offer

I agree. I did 3 days and it wasn’t enough.

I would absolutely get the pass... the one day pass allowed us to see many of smaller little communities that make up the area. Murano, Burano-Torcello etc. Well worth it! One of the ferries will take you on a full ride of the canal

Make advance reservations for St. Mark's Basilica on their website - cost is 3 Euros, but will probably save you an hour of waiting in line.

You can also skip the long baggage check line by checking your baggage in the storage area (there are signs with instructions at the front of St. Marks).

Download the free Rick Steeves podcasts and walking tours. Best thing to do in Venice is to get lost wandering : )

And eat on the fringes of the city, not around St Mark’s. You’ll find better food, a richer experience, for about half the price.

If you are buying glass, please make sure it’s authentic mutant glass, and not cheap mass-produced glass.

Take boat #1 as you will around Venice and the grand canal

I have a radical food recommendation - a sardine and onion salad/appetizer. One of my most memorable delicious meals.

We took a bus from the airport and were able to combine that with our ferry pass. Machines in the airport.

Taking the ferry into Venice from the airport is a great way to have a first experience. It takes about the same amount of time. It lets you off in the heart of the city too.

Agreed!

Free walking tour.

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Thanks everyone for your great suggestions!

Thi Mai
Nguyen Hiep

Sarah Quinton