Venice: After all of the research, I was still surprised by....

[Browezilla]

Hi all,

 

I did a lot of research for this cruise, yet there were still a few things that caught me off guard. Rather than repeat all of the common hints that others have listed, I thought I'd start a thread on my "surprises". Here goes

• Pull the Venice Port guide from http://www.**************.com/. It's excellent, and contains other URLs you'll want to traverse to.
  
• I expected a lot of walking, but it can be an awful lot of walking. Bring very comfortable shoes
  
• The people mover didn't seem that convenient to me, but if you decide to use it, follow the sign in P. Roma for the people mover to the white building, but the sign points to the right side of the building. The People Mover is on the LEFT
  
• Cruise lines run buses from P. Roma to their terminal. For whatever reason, they don't advertise this, but they're there.
  
• Expect everything to take longer than you planned.
  
• Expect that you will get off course while walking (not really lost, but off course). You'll be able to easily get back on track, but it will cost you some time
  
• It isn't hard to get around Venice, but it is very hard to get around Venice on a tight schedule.
  
• Expect to spend a lot of money. Everything has a price, including the toilets. Speaking of toilets, many museums have them for free if you are a paying visitor (you may need to ask where it is)
  
• Definitely go out at night. It's beautifully lit
  
• Definitely get off onto some of the small streets. There's plenty of wonderful surprises to be found
  
• Stay in Venice if possible. Staying on the mainland will cost you 45-60 minutes each way to get into the heart of Venice.
  
• Don't miss the Doge's Palace! I know several people on our cruise that didn't go into Doges. To me it was the highlight! It is wonderfully maintained.
  
• The vaporetto pass if very handy. You can walk into Venice, but it's going to cost you time (see above comments about everything taking longer than you might think)
  
• Know where the 4 bridges are that cross the main canal.
  
• Skip Murano and Burano unless you have time to kill. There's plenty of glass and lace you can see in Venice.
  
• You will have to check your backpack at a lot of sites. This will eat up some time, however, you do get to go back in via the express line. Don't carry a backpack or large bag if you can avoid it.
  
• Secret Doges tour is interesting, but if time is short, I would pass on it. It will take about 2 hours of your time. Again, it's interesting, but I'd rather have those 2 hours back to spend at other sites. By the way, the Secret Tour is discounted if you also buy/have the Museum Pass
  
• Get a good map where you can read the street names and where you can see the bridges over the canals. It's worth the 3-5 Euro in the time it will save you.
  
• Gondola rides didn't seem that romantic due to the traffic. Just watching the passengers' expressions, for the most part they didn't seem to be enthralled by it. However it was chilly while I was there, so that could have been a factor.
  
• The number of people on board that do not speak English well was much higher than I expected.
  
• They make many of the announcements in multiple languages (3-5).
  

 

I hope this helps a few of you!

B

[paul929207]

I would just add that there are many signs pointing to P. Roma and P. San Marco. These two sites are at opposite ends of the city. If you learn whether places you are looking for are near which of these two places, it becomes much easier. For instance, on our last visit, we stayed about 100 meters from Plaza San Marco. We just followed the sign there and then veered off to our b&b.

[dln929]

Great list, so helpful, but I'll fight you tooth and nail about not going to Burano unless you have time to kill! Going to Burano is like being lost in a box of Crayola crayons. It's like no other experience around. I was smiling the whole time I was there because it was so crazy colorful.

[ab0si]

There are two other ways to cross the canal in addition to the bridges.

 

1) if you have a day pass for the vaporetti, line 1 zig-zags the Grand Canal. Depending upon where you are and where you are going, this can be a convenient way across.

 

2) There are seven (or so) traghetti which go straight across. The cost used to be 0.50 euro maybe it still is. Even if they raised the price, it is still a darn cheap Gondola ride .. as well as convenient.

 

Hint: when you get to a traghetto pier, if you don't see one coming or going or directly across the canal, it means it is not in service. So, there is no point in waiting.

[Browezilla]

Great list, so helpful, but I'll fight you tooth and nail about not going to Burano unless you have time to kill! Going to Burano is like being lost in a box of Crayola crayons. It's like no other experience around. I was smiling the whole time I was there because it was so crazy colorful.

 

Yeah, it is very colorful. One has to decide where they would like to spend those hours, in Venice or Burano. If short on time (1-2 days), I'd still stay in Venice and bypass Burano, but others may feel differently.

[Browezilla]

There are two other ways to cross the canal in addition to the bridges.

 

1) if you have a day pass for the vaporetti, line 1 zig-zags the Grand Canal. Depending upon where you are and where you are going, this can be a convenient way across.

 

2) There are seven (or so) traghetti which go straight across. The cost used to be 0.50 euro maybe it still is. Even if they raised the price, it is still a darn cheap Gondola ride .. as well as convenient.

 

Hint: when you get to a traghetto pier, if you don't see one coming or going or directly across the canal, it means it is not in service. So, there is no point in waiting.

 

That was the problem I saw with them, that the service wasn't reliable. Many seemed idle when I was there, but maybe it was the date or time of day. For me, the bridge at P. Roma, Rialto, and Accademia were very handy because of the attractions nearby.

[MRSBITS]

I love your list! I have been planning our Venice visit for next May, both pre and post cruise; and your pointers are very helpful. I'd like to know more about the cruise line buses from P. Roma to the terminal. I was thinking of using the people mover from P. Roma; but a shuttle bus would be even more convenient! What cruise line were you on?

[Browezilla]

I love your list! I have been planning our Venice visit for next May, both pre and post cruise; and your pointers are very helpful. I'd like to know more about the cruise line buses from P. Roma to the terminal. I was thinking of using the people mover from P. Roma; but a shuttle bus would be even more convenient! What cruise line were you on?

I was on RCCL. Unfortunately I don't have the details on it because I decided to walk instead of waiting for the bus to fill up. but you could call your cruise line for details. The People Mover is about 1000ft+ from where the ship is.

[Hlitner]

Interesting post and lots of good info. But we would add a few comments. Regarding cruise line transfer buses between P. Roma and the port, this depends on the cruise line. Not all cruise lines provide this shuttle. And we would disagree about Burano. Burano is a place to go for the charm of this particular island and escape the hustle and bustle of Venice. When we are staying in Venice we will sometimes go all the way out to Burano for a nice lunch (this island has some excellent restaurants).

 

Hank

[sippican]

I was on RCCL. Unfortunately I don't have the details on it because I decided to walk instead of waiting for the bus to fill up. but you could call your cruise line for details. The People Mover is about 1000ft+ from where the ship is.

 

We were on Royal Caribbean and were told the shuttle bus was only for passengers with disabilities and the other buses were organized tours. I agree that the People Mover did not meet our needs, and the walk to and from it at night is not well-lit. Last car from P Roma is at 10:50. For 1 Euro each way, combined with the cost of the Vaporetto pass (which we also found not real user-friendly) it was not fast nor cheap and we felt we wasted valuable time waiting. We opted for the ship's water shuttle to San Marco on the second day. It ran frequently, was reliable, convenient and got us back and forth more quickly. We also did alot of walking.

[Browezilla]

...And we would disagree about Burano. Burano is a place to go for the charm of this particular island and escape the hustle and bustle of Venice. When we are staying in Venice we will sometimes go all the way out to Burano for a nice lunch (this island has some excellent restaurants).

 

Hank

Two quick comments:

1) re: "When we are staying in Venice" .... I would agree in that case. You have more time, however if you are in Venice for just the time the cruise is in port, that's a lot of time to give up to go to Burano. However, it may be worth it to others. It wasn't for me

2) re: "escape the hustle and bustle of Venice." ... I tell you, I found a lot of places "off the beaten path" that didn't have the hustle and bustle. You just have to venture away from the main thoroughfares and attractions and into the neighborhoods.

 

I'm not maligning Burano at all, just trying to point out that if you have a small amount of time, I would carefully weigh the time element and what you would be giving up seeing in Venice to go to Burano.

 

Cheers, and thanks for the response!

B

[ab0si]

If looking for a quiet, but fascinating place in Venice, I suggest visiting San Michele (vapo 42). It became a cemetery (well, the island next to it which due to land fill became part of San Michele a bit latter) was designated a burial spot in the early 19th century (Bonaparte's occupied forces forbade the then current burial practices as unsanitary which they certainly were). Prior to that the island became the site of The Serene Republic's first Renaissance church. It is a lovely spot and has never been particularly crowded when I've visited it.

 

My favorite quiet spot, though, is the Armenian Monastery on San Lazzaro. It is difficult to get to (one boat a day, vapo #20). If you are have an interest in printing and books, this is the best place left in Venice to feed your passion .. in addition to being quiet and lovely spot. I say "left" because Venice was one of the great early printing centers. Italic typefaces were invented there to assist in the printing of cheap, small books (the pocket book is a Venetian invention).

[Hlitner]

Two quick comments:

1) re: "When we are staying in Venice" .... I would agree in that case. You have more time, however if you are in Venice for just the time the cruise is in port, that's a lot of time to give up to go to Burano. However, it may be worth it to others. It wasn't for me

2) re: "escape the hustle and bustle of Venice." ... I tell you, I found a lot of places "off the beaten path" that didn't have the hustle and bustle. You just have to venture away from the main thoroughfares and attractions and into the neighborhoods.

 

I'm not maligning Burano at all, just trying to point out that if you have a small amount of time, I would carefully weigh the time element and what you would be giving up seeing in Venice to go to Burano.

 

Cheers, and thanks for the response!

B

 

Agree! It does take several hours to make the trek out to Burano which may not be the most efficient use of a short port day.

 

Hank

[TLCOhio]

Very interesting and helpful listing. Can't say I agree on everything as we have not experienced everything on your listing. We super love Venice. Visited there in June for our third visit there. For the first time, we were able to do a cruise ship sail-in and sail-out. WOW!! What a great thrill. Below are a few of my visuals highlights and suggestions for this city. Also went to the top of the central tower for the first time. Great views from there.

 

You might look at this earlier posting that I did with many options and visual potentials shown for this city that is so great for "walking around".

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226&highlight=venice

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 45,261 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

As we sailed into Venice, here is a tighter shot of the main square and the crowds that were there around 1 pm on June 14. Next are a couple of other views from that great sail-in to Venice and the sights of various interesting buildings and church. Love Venice so, so much!!:

 

 

 

 

 

T Here is an added view of St. Mark’s and its spectacular architecture and design.:

 

 

 

In front of the Accademia Art Museum, here is an artist on that wooden bridge over the Grand Canal making a painting.:

 

 

 

It was a full moon for our evening in Venice. Here is that view of the moon as we walked at night past the Doge’s Palace. Don't miss the "battle of the bands" at night on San Marco Square in front of St. Mark's.:

 

 

 

This is a mask shop hidden on the back-streets of Venice. We had discovered this great place in 1999 and were lucky to find it again as we explored a little off of the typical tourist streets of Venice. They have such delightful and creative designs serving more of a professional customer base. It is not just a tourist place with imported “stuff”. These are the “real” deal that made this art famous in Venice. It is called Tragi comica. Their web address is http://www.tragiccomica.it. :

 

[MRSBITS]

We were on Royal Caribbean and were told the shuttle bus was only for passengers with disabilities and the other buses were organized tours. I agree that the People Mover did not meet our needs, and the walk to and from it at night is not well-lit. Last car from P Roma is at 10:50. For 1 Euro each way, combined with the cost of the Vaporetto pass (which we also found not real user-friendly) it was not fast nor cheap and we felt we wasted valuable time waiting. We opted for the ship's water shuttle to San Marco on the second day. It ran frequently, was reliable, convenient and got us back and forth more quickly. We also did alot of walking.

Do you remember the charge for the ship's shuttle to San Marco? We are on Celebrity, and I would imagine that they also offer this transfer.

[TLCOhio]

Do you remember the charge for the ship's shuttle to San Marco? We are on Celebrity, and I would imagine that they also offer this transfer.

 

For us on Celebrity in Venice, it was $22 for the one-day shuttle service or $36 for both days. Not cheap, but it saved time. Nice views as we were coming and going on this fairly direct routing. The Grand Canal would have been better, but that would have taken more more time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 45,261 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Billiam]

Terry, thanks for the great pictures but the website is incorrect for the mask shop. Delete one c and it works. Happy cruising

[Browezilla]

Do you remember the charge for the ship's shuttle to San Marco? We are on Celebrity, and I would imagine that they also offer this transfer.

It was $25, and it was unlimited roundtrip use from 8:30am to 11:30 pm. It also included the Chorus pass for entrance to 16 churches (a 14 Euro value they said). It took about 20 minutes. They are contracted with Alilaguna to provide the service. On my day there, we actually left the cruise port at about 8:05 and I was in St Marks before 8:30!

[TLCOhio]

Terry, thanks for the great pictures but the website is incorrect for the mask shop. Delete one c and it works. Happy cruising

 

Appreciate the update and correction. YES! I goofed . . . or my eyesight failed me in my old age.

 

It should be http://www.tragicomica.it

I've corrected it on my file. I re-checked it on their business card and I mis-read things. I got my English of "Tragic" mixed up with the Italian of "Tragi". It's a super interesting shop and it was fun to track it down without having the address. That kind of "walking around" and exploring are what makes Venice so much fun!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 45,261 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[T. Advisor King]

Just like TLC Ohio, we loved Venice. We stayed there six nights, but really only spent about 2.5 days on the island. I agree with the comments about Murano and Burano. We enjoyed Burano a lot more than Murano, but if you have limited time, the travel time to the other islands means you’re giving up a lot by going there.

In terms of language, it probably depends somewhat on what cruise line you’re on. Even on a mass-market line based in the US, you should surely expect half of the passengers to have some language other than English as their first language. I’ve been on a cruise with a smaller company out of Greece and a large mass-market cruise out of Barcelona and I far more enjoyed the Greek cruise, in part because there was no presumption that they were catering to an American clientele. All announcements were in at least Greek, English, Italian and I think one other language. If you spoke to a crew member, there was no guarantee he/she would speak English. But they sure did a great job making sure they could find someone who spoke your language.

You can read about every other thought I’ve had about cruising, including things that you really don’t care about, including our stops in Barcelona, Messina, Naples, Livorno, Monaco by looking for my posts and reviews using the CC search function. There’s also postings about Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete and Santorini. There’s even more about the Caribbean!!!

[5326jan]

I humbly disagree with your assessment of Burano. It was our favorite place. Obviously, if you've never been to Venice and only have a day or two it's probably not as important as San Marco or Rialto, but if you've seen the

"highlights" of Venice and want to escape, Burano is a relaxing hour long boat ride to a charming village! Whoever said it was like getting lost in a box of Crayons was right, but we found it such a relief from the heat and crowds of Venice! We spent an entire day there, most of it at a sidewalk cafe drinking wine and people watching! It was a lovely afternoon by the water! :)

[Browezilla]

I think you're agreeing with me as much as you're disagreeing :-)

 

The context is "being on a cruise". On a cruise, you usually just have 1 day to see the sites. If you have extra time, then yes, look at the outlying islands, but don't sacrifice not seeing things in Venice. There's a lot to see. If I were in Venice for a week, then Burano would be on my list to visit

[5326jan]

I think you're agreeing with me as much as you're disagreeing :-)

 

The context is "being on a cruise". On a cruise, you usually just have 1 day to see the sites. If you have extra time, then yes, look at the outlying islands, but don't sacrifice not seeing things in Venice. There's a lot to see. If I were in Venice for a week, then Burano would be on my list to visit

 

YAY!!! I guess I am agreeing with you then! :) If you've never been to Venice, only have a day, there is bad weather, etc., don't take the time. If you've been there, done that, Burano is an exceptional way to spend a day!