Venice, Italy (February 2023)
I have been to Venice before. It was 30 years ago when I was backpacking in Europe with a friend, on a very tight budget. On that adventure in January 1992 we stayed in youth hostels and bought food from the supermarket which didn’t need cooking (e.g. bread and jam). We visited most of the main tourist attractions like St Mark’s Square, Rialto Bridge and Peggy Guggenheim museum. I even managed to buy a Venetian glass ornament which I somehow got back to Australia in one piece. It still proudly sits on display in my home now.
This would be a different experience with a bit more spending money. Steve and I were visiting the UK and decided to invite my UK based in-laws (Steve’s mum, dad and sister) to join us on a side trip to Venice for 2 days & 3 nights. Our objective was to spend some quality time with our family that we haven’t been able to see much the last few years thanks to the pandemic – creating memories while experiencing Venice.
Getting to Venice
There are plenty of ways to get to Venice, Italy. There are direct international flights or if you are already in Europe you can drive, or arrive by train as I did when I was backpacking all those years ago.
On this trip we flew with Ryan Air directly from Bournemouth airport in England to Venice’s Marco Polo airport on a Thursday night. Scheduled to arrive at 22:00, we landed quite late due to some take-off delays for over an hour caused by ice on the wings. We made up some time during the flight but still didn’t land until around 22:30. Customs and immigration points were cleared quite quickly and seamlessly so we soon found ourselves in the arrivals area where the driver for our transport was waiting for us.
How to get into Venice from Marco Polo airport.
There are a few options I found after some research on the web, ranging from public bus and ferry services to private taxi transfers. One article I found particularly helpful outlining options and expected costs is here.
In our party of 5 we had two people who were less mobile. My husband was due for knee replacement surgery in 2 months time and my 80 year old father-in-law had recently fractured his spine! Although only travelling light with hand luggage / cabin baggage, we needed to minimise walking and I was also looking for the fastest option given our late arrival time. So I booked a private transfer. A taxi (car) was to take us from the airport to Piazzale Roma. From there we would get into a water taxi to take us to a dock ‘Molo Trinita’, a 2 minute walk from where we were staying. It cost €150 for the 5 of us (plus tip which I’d read was often around 10%). This was almost certainly the most expensive option but the most convenient for us given our circumstances. The car journey in a lovely, modern and large Mercedes van, seemed to take around 15 minutes through quiet dark streets and over the main bridge into Venice’s Piazzale Roma. This was the only place on the main Venice island where you would find cars. From there we walked from the car park to the adjacent water taxi dock, straight onto a water taxi which was just arriving. As we bypassed other people already waiting, our taxi driver took charge talking to (instructing?) the water taxi driver in Italian. I would have felt bad about jumping the queue except it was late and I guess that was what we had paid for. We climbed down into the water taxi- a luxurious Riva which you’d expect to see the rich and famous using. As we accessed the indoor seated area, we had to bend over and almost crouch to take our seats so I was a bit worried about my father-in-law’s back but he said he was ok. I sat on the bench seat at the back, taking photos out the back window of the beautiful architecture lit up alongside the canals.
Disembarking was a little stressful- in the dark on a narrow walkway without hand rails. My mother-in-law said afterwards she went to step up onto what she thought was a step then quickly realised it was a gap between the boat and dock, with water underneath. Had she stepped onto it she would have no doubt landed in the canal! However this experience was nothing compared to the departure at the end of our trip though. I’ll come to that later.
Where to stay
Of course there are many options of hotels all around Venice. As there were 5 of us (including 2 couples) I booked an apartment using Booking.com. The one I chose had an elevator to our first floor apartment, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and a main living area with lounge, dining area and sofa bed. It was very close to St Mark’s Square (a few minutes walk), and just over the bridge from Campo San Moise near all the ‘posh’ stores like Gucci, Prada, Chanel and Jimmy Choo.
We had a bit of difficulty finding it. In hindsight the directions given to us were fairly clear, however there was some construction in the area which threw us. We ended up walking in circles & down some dark and winding alleys at well past 11pm when there was nobody else about. If I’d been in another country or city, I might have been scared of being mugged or knifed! Eventually I stopped in a nearby hotel (The St Regis) and the lovely man at reception gave us friendly and helpful guidance. He was obviously regularly asked by other people suffering a similar fate to us!
The best time to visit Venice
In my opinion winter is the best time to go. Although, to be fair, I’ve never been at other times of year. However I have heard anecdotally from other people that at other times of year you could experience massive crowds, occasional flooding and when it’s hot, there is generally a bad smell in the air from the canals.
During winter there are less tourists, so it’s easier to find accommodation and restaurants and a better time to visit sites and landmarks without long queues. Also, the colder weather often creates a mystique in the atmosphere, sometimes compounded by mist at dusk and dawn from the cooler air off the canals. For photographers, the winter light is a bonus. When we were there the temperature ranged from 5-12 degrees. The sun was out creating picture perfect photos thanks to blue skies. And the sunshine was warm taking the edge off the cool temperatures.
Carnival!
I hadn’t realised until after I booked and started googling what events might be on in Venice during our visit – it would be Carnival time. Bonus!!
Carnevale di Venezia occurs every year for around a month in duration in the lead up to lent. It’s usually in February and involves a series of events, ending the day before lent starts. The history is that it started back in 1162 as a celebration following a military victory. There was a long absence when it was outlawed from 1797 due to a change in rule, however it returned in 1979 as an annual tradition when the Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice and use the traditional Carnival as the centrepiece.
The main theme now centres around the costume and mask designs. Locals (and some visitors) dress up in beautiful vintage ball attire and decorative masks. The costumes are fabulous. Some tourists also get into the spirit and wear Venetian eyemasks as they walk around the streets. When we were there (a Friday and Saturday) the Saturday marked the official opening day and meant lots of events in St Mark’s Square with costume parades and competitions as well as theatre performances on a stage set up in the centre. The crowds which arrived for the Saturday were substantial compared to the quiet numbers of people around the day before. We wondered where they had all come from? Perhaps they were local residents from Venice or nearby towns that had come just for the day because we noticed they disappeared again in the evening after dark.
We spent a few hours wondering around St Mark’s Square with me snapping lots of photos.
What to do in Venice
Outside Carnival there is lots to do and see. On our first morning of day 1 we headed straight to St Mark’s Square. We decided to sit at a table in one of their Alfresco cafes for a coffee – it was bloody expensive at €10 per coffee but we all agreed we were paying for the experience, not the coffee, and we had to do it. Being a coffee snob from Australia where our coffee is outstanding (not biased at all), Steve was not impressed with his cappuccino but the rest of us were happy enough. Dave had English breakfast tea which he didn’t complain about. As typical with Europe, they gave us a selection of little biscoff biscuits, which were delicious. We sat there in the warm sunshine soaking up the atmosphere and recalling movies scenes filmed here (like James Bond Casino Royale), admiring the architecture around the piazza, while trying to ignore the smokers nearby. We’d forgotten how much European people love to smoke!
Over our 2 days in Venice we skipped entering most of the main tourist attractions (Doge’s Palace, Guggenheim, etc) and opted instead to wander around the alleys and piazzas browsing. We admired architecture and ventured into shops, cafes, bars and restaurants – experiencing Venetian life and food in general.
Getting lost in the narrow alleyways of Venice is actually a good thing. Be prepared, as your mobile’s GPS may not be 100% accurate but eventually you will end up in a square (piazza) and be able to find your way. We didn’t go all over Venice but managed to find 2 different supermarkets for some important supplies (tonic water and lemonade so we could enjoy our gin and vodka we’d picked up Duty Free and milk for our morning wake-up cup of tea). We also found plenty of touristy souvenir stores, as well as some of the major landmarks, such as the Teatro la Fenice, Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge.
You absolutely must experience a ride in a gondola, you won’t regret it! I sometimes get anxious on water even though I can swim, so got a little stressed climbing in, as the gondola rocked from side to side. Our gondolier expertly glided us through canals for around 40 minutes offering some insightful commentary along the way. The ride was peacefully scenic and well worth it. As it was Friday afternoon in winter, we did not have to wait at all to get one – there were plenty vacant ones around. The canals weren’t busy either. Apparently the gondolas can only hold up to 5 passengers- perfect for us. It cost €80 for all of us.
Money – how to pay for things
By the way, traditionally Italy has been a society that prefers cash (the currency is Euros). Pleasingly this is changing and post pandemic, most places now accept cards, including cafes, restaurants and even the touristy stores on the Rialto Bridge. That said, there are a couple of places/services that still do prefer cash such as gondola and water taxi operators, so you do need to be prepared for this. We were over-prepared and had a fair bit of leftover Euros which we were happy to spend at the airport on last minute Italian treats to take back, such as Limoncello and Venetian biscuits. Marco Polo airport had a really good shopping area.
Eating out
Not much to say here except I personally had no bad experiences and prices were reasonable if you found somewhere away from the main areas like St Mark’s Square. As mentioned earlier, the cafes on St Mark’s Square are pricey. You are paying for the location and views.
We were concerned we might have trouble getting into a restaurant during Carnival time without having a booking but had absolutely no problems. There are plenty of restaurants around Venice to choose from.
Sometimes there is an extra cover charge and waiters do expect tips. Also, some places offer set menus which are good value. Menus are generally in Italian with English translations. You can’t really go wrong with pizza and pasta but there are also plenty of places serving other dishes, even omelettes and panini sandwiches, so if you fancy a light meal which is not traditional Italian, you can find one. In my opinion it is a waste to be in Italy and not enjoy Italian food and wine. I certainly indulged and enjoyed every mouthful.
There was one historic and famous place we walked past at St Mark’s Square which I’d love to have entered. Caffe Florian is one of the oldest Italian coffee-houses dating back to 1720. It’s famous for providing a unique experience, with its fancy decor and tasty menu. Unfortunately it was too popular due to carnival, with people lined up outside. They even had a red carpet, roped off outside their front door. Maybe next time.
Tides
A final word of warning: There has been lots of widespread publicity about major flooding in Venice and more recently of its canals running dry. It is a city built on islands with almost 180 canals and almost 400 bridges, with the main mode of transport being by boat or on foot. I read somewhere that some major work has been done in recent years to prevent the serious flooding from reoccurring. The more recent problem has been the dry canals. This has been caused by droughts, lack of snow in nearby Alps, and exacerbated by low tides linked to full moons.
We may have been lucky but when we were there we experienced neither floods nor dry canals. Only narrowly though, as only a week after we left, we started seeing photos of dry canals appearing in news reports. One should always maintain a healthy level of scepticism with what we read though. Reading more deeply, I noticed comments that this was overly exaggerated and only affecting some of the smaller inner canals. Supporting the need to be sceptical are the reports and photographs of dolphins in the Grand Canal during the Pandemic which were later revealed to have been photoshopped.
Departing Venice
The morning we left there was a low tide which nearly caused a very major issue. We had booked a water taxi to pick us up and take us to Marco Polo airport. This time it was a direct trip to the airport, rather than the journey partly via car on the way in, and cost slightly less than the inbound trip, at €135 plus tip.
When the water taxi arrived at the dock at 8.40am the tide was so uncharacteristically low, this had created quite a drop to get into the water taxi, with no stairs or ladders to assist us. The driver was scratching his head as to how we would get in the water taxi. Given Steve’s bad knee, and our other mobility issues, I suggested we would have to sit down on the edge of the dock and basically jump down into the boat. That’s what we did, with the taxi driver holding onto one hand to help guide and stabilise us. One at a time we jumped down into the water taxi, passing down our hand luggage. As I sat on the dock my feet didn’t even reach the side of the boat (another Riva). It was slightly terrifying and I simply couldn’t bear to watch as my father-in-law took his turn. There was no other option though and we had a flight to catch. Fortunately we all got in safely in the end and were on our way.
If I had my time again, I might perhaps have chosen another way of getting to the airport. Having said that, the cruise to the airport down the Grand Canal and going underneath the Rialto Bridge was particularly scenic on another blue sky day, albeit slightly scary, particularly once we picked up speed as we travelled across the water towards the airport.
I can’t think of any other airport in the world that you can arrive by boat. This certainly left a lasting memory of our time in Venice!
