Venice
Venice is in northern Italy, known as a romantic city and is very beautiful. Venice is also known for amazingly built churches, rich flavorful wine, beautiful art, and a bohemian chic fashion industry. Venice is almost always on everyone’s list when visiting Italy and with it’s narrow streets perfect for strolling and relaxing waterways you should wouldn’t want to miss Venice.
Buying a Travel Backpack
Finding Cheap Accommodation
How to Find a Cheap Flight
Buying Travel Insurance
Best Hostels in Europe
Riding the Trains in Europe
Is Eurail Worth the Cost?
Visiting Pompeii
Costs in Venice
- Hostel Prices: There’s no cheap dorms in the city. They are just outside and combine with camping grounds. These dorms will cost around 20 Euros per night. If you wish to stay in the city, expect to pay around 30 Euros per night for a dorm room.
- Budget Hotel Prices: Cheap hotels in Venice start at 80 Euros per night.
- Average Cost of Food: Eating in Venice is really expensive. It’s better to eat lunch out rather than dinner, and you will be able to eat a restaurant meal for around 12-20 euros a person including house wine. If you go out for dinner, you should expect to pay around 30-50 Euros for a meal, even more if you are at a high end restaurant or near San Marco’s square. There are few places to get cheap snacks but for the most part, budget a lot for food. You can cook for a week for around 50 euros especially if you shop at the local farmers markets.
- Cost of Internet: Internet costs about 8 Euros per hour. There’s no free wi-fi in the city. Not even at McDonalds.
- Transportation Costs: Floating bus service is €6.50 for one hour of unlimited trips. A 12-hour ticket is €16, a 24-hour ticket is €18 and a seven-day pass is €50.
Things to Do in Venice
- Piazza San Marco – The most famous piazza in Venice. There are pedestrian traffic jams and you will have to walk through crowds of people. But, despite the crowds, this is a good starting point to explore the city.
- Basilica San Marco – St. Mark’s Basilica is the third building that has been constructed on that spot on St. Mark’s Square. Two other churches were there previously, the first built to hold the stolen bones of St. Mark, for whom the church is named.It is filled with amazing mosaics, domes, statues, and the High Altar that supposedly contains some of the remains of St. Mark. This church is a must-see for any tourist to Venice.
- Doge’s Palace – A series of 120 Doges ruled Venice, and their incredible 3-storied palace dates back to before Renaissance times. The facade features beautiful arches, pink and white marble, and is located on St. Mark’s Square. The inside of the palace is remarkable, and it has artwork inside. Tours will take visitors across the Bridge of Sighs, which connected the palace to the prison, and to the prison cells, one of which housed Cassanova.
- Gondola Ride- Some may say the gondolas of Venice are a tourist trap and can be expensive, but where else can you have the experience of riding an authentic Venetian gondola? A gondola ride can be very romantic if taken around dusk, and if the price seems too high, the ride can be split with others; bargaining is also permissible for a better price.
- Lido – If you want to escape the city, this is a perfect place to go. It is an island between Venice and the sea and it has a beach that you can relax on. Cabanas can also be rented.
- Artisans in Venice – In many shops you can see local artisans making products such as jewelry, linens, and other handmade goods at reasonable prices. This would be a good place to pick up gifts if needed and you would be supporting the local culture.
- Visit Murano Island – Close to Venice, nearby Murano Island is the tourist trap home of the famous glass blowers of the famous Murano glass. While the island is filled with tourist crap (avoid buying anything on the island!), it can still be an educational and fun afternoon learning and watching how the glass is blown.
- Visit the markets – Venice has great markets that should be visited. The morning fish market is very much worth the visit. Head there early to watch the restaurant owners pick their fish and stay for the old ladies picking their dinners. There is also an organic produce market on Mondays.
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection – This is a massive, avant-garde collection of art, comprised of more than 200 artists. Essentially a modern shrine, there are countless pieces by surrealists, abstract expressionists, and Italian futurists. In addition to works by Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, and various other big-name artists, the collection also includes local works. Admission is 12 Euro.
- Campanile di San Marco – Built in 1912, this tower is actually a replica of the original, Bell Tower of St. Mark. It is said that every last detail of the structure is a match. For 8 Euro, you can climb up through the inner workings and get a great view of the city.
- Voga Longa – Held annually on May 23rd, this is a marathon rowing event in which thousands of people come out to partake in. At over 1,500 vessel strong, this tradition originated as a protest to the increasing amount of power boats throughout Venice waters. In order to receive recognition, you have to row 32 km in under 3.5 hours.
- I Tre Mercanti – For the foodies out there, this food gallery can be found just a skip away from St. Marco’s Square. The specialty here is Italian dishes but the cool part is the number of regional specialties from around Italy. There are over 97 pasta sauces to peruse here. It’s kind of like heaven, really.
Budget Tips for Venice
- Don’t Eat at Piazza San Marco: This is the area with the most tourist hence making it much more expensive. Not only is it expensive, but it is impersonal.
- Pack a Picnic: Small market are numerous around the city. So, fill up with some fresh veggies, fruit, cheese, and wine and enjoy a delicious meal at a fraction of the cost it would be to go out.
- Walk the City: Venice is so beautiful that you can spend time strolling through the city seeing old building, churches, artists, and some times best of all a bit of people watching.
- Staying for more than 7 days? If you are staying for a longer period of time, consider purchasing a discount card for the floating bus services. You can save around 8 euros on a seven day pass by going through VeniceConnected.com.
Once, I waited over an hour for a bus that didn't exist because information in a guidebook was out of date. After that, I never wanted out of date travel information to exist. After traveling the world for over five years, I know exactly what type of information travelers want. I update this guide section every six months so you never have to go through what I did. 
