B2B free day in Venice

[grammy2009]

On the B2B with free day in Venice between, of course there are no ship based tours. My husband and I would like to explore Jewish Venice. I have been in touch with a couple of tour people but nothing satisfactory so far. I'm beginning to think we could probably catch the vaporetto and get off in the area, go to the Museum and start our tour from there. Can anyone advise which vaporetto and what the stop to watch for is? Any other suggestions would be apreciated. As would another few to join us!

[WooKeef]

On the B2B with free day in Venice between, of course there are no ship based tours. My husband and I would like to explore Jewish Venice. I have been in touch with a couple of tour people but nothing satisfactory so far. I'm beginning to think we could probably catch the vaporetto and get off in the area, go to the Museum and start our tour from there. Can anyone advise which vaporetto and what the stop to watch for is? Any other suggestions would be apreciated. As would another few to join us!

 

Hi! Just saw your post and wanted to say hello. I am excited about Venice as it is on my top list of things to see. Sorry to not be able to help you with your request...I have no idea what the vaporeto stops are.

[r&rd]

On the B2B with free day in Venice between, of course there are no ship based tours. My husband and I would like to explore Jewish Venice. I have been in touch with a couple of tour people but nothing satisfactory so far. I'm beginning to think we could probably catch the vaporetto and get off in the area, go to the Museum and start our tour from there. Can anyone advise which vaporetto and what the stop to watch for is? Any other suggestions would be apreciated. As would another few to join us!

 

 

The Jewish section is not terribly close to vaporetto stops but very walkable. Rick Steves has a free Jewish Venice ipod tour that you can dowload from itunes for free. He also has St. Marks.

[orchestrapal]

On the B2B with free day in Venice between, of course there are no ship based tours. My husband and I would like to explore Jewish Venice. I have been in touch with a couple of tour people but nothing satisfactory so far. I'm beginning to think we could probably catch the vaporetto and get off in the area, go to the Museum and start our tour from there. Can anyone advise which vaporetto and what the stop to watch for is? Any other suggestions would be apreciated. As would another few to join us!

 

There is practically nothing left of "Jewish Venice."..The only services 20 years ago were being held at the Jewish Old Age Home where there were only about 20 Jews left.

One synagogue is a museum and only open part time.

No guide would be able to show you much. Sorry!

[Phxazzcruisers]

There is a section of the Jewish Ghetto still there with 2 temples to tour, a museum and a few very good kosher restaurants

[grammy2009]

your response gave me a good chuckle. At 74 with a walker, not much is "very walkable" any more. And while I do own a cel phone and spend lots of time on my PC, that whole last part from "i-pod to i-tunes" is all greek to me!

[brian_uk]

Maybe you would just be better off in Athens.

 

Brian

[Zimmy]

We had a very good tour of the Jewish ghetto several years ago. We took a taxi to the area, and there were organized tours given through either the community center or the synagogue, I don't remember which. The tours were at specific times so you will need to inquire.

[grammy2009]

Maybe you would just be better off in Athens.

 

Brian

 

Didn't say I SPOKE greek:D

[editor@cruisecritic]

Maybe you could take gondola lessons? I did this on my last trip and it was a fantastic experience (if gondola paddling doesn't intrigue, there's an organization that can arrange mask-making or culinary adventures too). I wrote about it on a trip report for our sister site Independent Traveler -- it's here: http://www.independenttraveler.com/tripreports/tripreports.cfm?ID=1848.

 

Happy to answer any questions; drop me a note at editor@cruisecritic.com.

 

Good luck.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

[editor@cruisecritic]

Also, our port profile on Venice gives a few ideas....

 

It's here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=71.

 

Carolyn

[greeneg]

The Ghetto in Venice is very easy to reach and very easy to tour. Depending where you are ( ship or Hotel) the location is clearly marked on the Vaporetti Maps and it's a very short walk from the stops into the Ghetto. There are six ( as I remember) synagogues in the Ghetto, not all of which will be open or available depending on the time of day and year. Tours of the Synagogues are purchased at the Jewish Museum on the Main Square and access to the Synagogues is strictly by their tours. The Synagogues, no matter which you are able to see are amazing. There are also Judaica shops in the area which have some very nice things that you may not see elsewhere in Venice. It's a wonderful and moving way to spend some free time in Venice.

 

You do not need a guide. The area is small and the only access to the Synagogues is via the Jewish Museum. There are a number of good guidebooks as well as the Rick Steeves download mentioned above; doing a little preparation before you go will pay off big dividends late.

 

Have fun and enjoy.

[grammy2009]

Dear Carolyn and "Greeneg"

Thanks for the helpful info and links. Much appreciated.

Arlene