Things to do in Venice

Festivals and Events
MUST ATTEND ONCE IN A LIFETIME:  February: Carnevale  www.carnevale.venezia.it  Carnival in Venice is the most extraordinary carnival you’ll ever see with costumes and magical atmosphere.                                                                                                                                            

Venice Not to be missed - Fiesta del Redentore organises the fireworks that light the Venice sky in the most stunning setting of Venetian lagoon filled with decorated gondolas and boats. The following day there are regattas, rowing competitions and special services in the Redentore church on the Giudecca island.

Venezia Suona - As part of the European Fête de la Musique day, the city of Venice organizes free concerts. From  rock to folk, classical and jazz, the whole of the city is filled with music. Website: Venezia Suona Website (Italian) 

Venice Film Festival & Historic Regatta

Held in August and September in Lido di Venezia is by far the oldest film festival still in existence today. Website:  www.labiennale.org/it/ 

At the same time, The Historic Regatta, 13th-century boats, can be seen in Canal Grande, on the first Sunday of September. The Burano Regatta is the last Venetian regatta of the season takes place around Burano, starting at the northern end of the nearby island of Sant'Erasmo.

Carnival in Venice, once in the lifetime magical experience in one of the most romantic cities in the world.  Official site www.carnevale.venezia.it/

NOTE: Before planning a trip around a festival, make sure that you verify the festival dates at the festival website.    

TIP

Take Vaporettos from Marco Polo airport to St Mark's Square for a few Euros. Tourist travel passes can be bought at Marco Polo airport on arrival and cover ACTV bus 5 from the airport  to the city center as well as unlimited use of water buses; they are pricey but unfortunately necessary.

Low cost sightseeing in Venice
Culture vultures may be happy to buy either the Blue (reduced museum prices) or Orange (free museum entry) Venice card which also get tourists into palazzos, churches, toilets and free water bus travel www.venicecard.it  However, if your time is short in the city, the card may be money wasted as it's not exactly cheap, nor easy to use. Better is the Chorus pass which gives access to Venice's 16 best churches and their treasures. Alternatively, just take in the free stuff such as the San Salvador and baroque Santa Maria della Salute churches, the Rialto's markets, the bridges old and new, and the dead quiet cemetery on San Michele island.

Best Time to Visit

Feb for the magical Carnival, Mar-June, Sept and Oct.  Nov to March is a low season, apart from Christmas or Carnival time and you can enjoy its misty atmosphere with less tourists and low prices. In July and August its crowded, expensive and the canals get smelly. 

Cuisine

Good value food can be found in the local, late-opening wine bars between the Rialto Bridge and the market. Pizzas are the cheapest and two of the most popular are la Perla and Casa Mia, both in Cannaregio. Traditional Venetian bars, known as bacari, serves inexpensive cicheti, similar to 'antipasti' you find in restaurants. Try the Al Portego in Calle della Malvasia, Do More in Calle do Mori and Cantinone gia Schiavi in Fondamenta Nani.

Take a picnic on the benches of the Ponte Lungo part of the Zattere. For the best dining experiences in Venice try either Hotel Cipriani's gorgeous terrace restaurant, Da Fiore or Dalla Marisa in Cannaregio.  High society cafe scenes are a treat so go to Italy's oldest cafes, Caffè Florian or Gran Caffè Quadri, in Piazza San Marco.

TIP: Drinks consumed while standing in a bar or café should be half the price of those sitting down.

Shopping

Classy (expensive) Piazza San Marco, the route between San Marco, the Rialto and the station, Murano glass factories. 

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Venice is unique and timeless city. It’s stunning, decaying city sinking slowly into the mud. There are no wheels, just a labyrinth of mysterious streets and canals, surprise views and sublime buildings.

Highlights

The city centre is easy to navigate to and from Piazza and Basilica San Marco and the pink and white gothic Doge's Palace, aka Palazzo Ducale. TIP:  take a tour or audio-guide, the place is loaded with fascinating trivia.

The view from Campanile di San Marco tower offers a superb city overview while taking a vaporetto (water bus) along the Grand Canal and chugging past elaborate 14thC palaces is one of life's do-before-ye-die experiences. Along with those sights and boat rides are a clutch of riveting museums, elaborate palaces and churches and sensational walks.

Stop by the elegant Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal, the Accademia Bridge, the Academy Gallery (one of Europe's best classic galleries and focusing on the glory of Venice since the 13thC) and the nearby traditional gondola boatyard Squero di San Trovaso. Visit the Penny Guggenheim Collection - collection of 20thC art at the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Ca' Peasaro, Ca'd' Oro-Galleria Franchetti or possibly Museo Navale & Arsenale, for naval artifacts and kid-friendly ship models. Get a Civic Museum pass to save money, or a Venice card.

Walk the back streets and find your own exquisite little sights. For example, head north to Cannaregio's touristy 14thC Jewish Quarter or west to Dorsoduro and its triangular Dogana da Mar customs house, offering excellent views and off the normal tourist trail. Venice Tourism now offers a leaflet of great, little-known walks called 'Venezia Beyond San Marco', available near the old San Marco vaporetto stop.

To rest your feet, take a vaporetto along the Grand Canal or a gondola if you are very plush of pocket. For a primo boat view of the Grand Canal and its palaces, get on the No 2 vaporetto at  Vallaresso stop near St Mark’s Square; it’s the start of the boat's route so will be empty.

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