Staying in Venice

Staying in Venice: Accommodation, Shopping, Dining, Entertainment

The San Marco ferry

The San Marco ferry © jchambers - FOTOLIA

Visitors to Venice can fly to the international Marco Polo Airport, and take the coach to the bus station at the northern mouth of the Grand Canal, or the shuttle to the Alilaguna jetty, from where boats depart for Saint Marks Square and the Fondamente Nuove.

Venice is also accessible by rail. The Santa Lucia railway station is located in the northern Canareggio district, adjacent to the Ponte della Liberta, the causeway which links Venice to the mainland.

The city’s access points are regularly worked by touts selling accommodation. Some are conmen, but others are genuine. Some Venetian families make extra income by letting rooms to tourists and find guests by approaching new arrivals.

There are approximately two hundred hotels in Venice. Most were formerly palaces or religious institutions. The lobbies may often be smartly furnished but the standard of the individual rooms may vary enormously.

In addition to the huge suites with palatial ceilings and splendid views there are usually a large number of cramped dinghy rooms overlooking backyards. The internal structure of many old palaces and convents often prevents a more equitable distribution of space.

The most prestigious hotels, such as the Danielli, located on the Riva Degli Schiavoni with superb views of the island of San Giorgio, are beyond the pocket of most visitors.

There are, however, a range of more modest hotels. As a rule of thumb, the lower the price of a hotel, the further it is from Saint Mark’s Square.

The Danielli Hotel

The Danielli Hotel © agno_agnus - FOTOLIA

Many visitors prefer to stay on the Lido, a twenty minute ferry ride away. The most prestigious hotels such as the "Excelsoir” and “Des Bains" are expensive, but there are also a large number of modestly priced guesthouses. However, most are closed during the winter.

Many of the hotels have private beaches. There are also two public beaches at the northern and southern ends of the Lido.

The view of Venice from the Lido ferry is truly spectacular.

The city's monumental architecture was meant to be seen from the sea. Visitors who enter the Grand Canal from the Lagoon will sail past the Palladian splendour of the island of San Giorgio, the domed Maria della Salute and the palatial Riva degli Schiavoni.

The Lido Adriatic beach

The Lido Adriatic beach © Klaus Selbeck - FOTOLIA

View of Venice from the Lido

View of Venice from the eastern shore of the Lido© pmphoto - FOTOLIA

Venice hosts a variety of festivals and possesses four theatres, and several cinemas. Music recitals are also held at several churches including the Frari, the San Stae and the Pietà.

However, Venice lacks the sort of entertainment normally found in a major city. There is little in the way of nightlife, apart from the clubs attached to the casinos, and one of these, the Municipale on the Grand Canal, is only open during the summer.

Indeed, Venice practically closes at 10 pm, although many of the bars in the main tourist areas stay open until much later in the summer.

Visitors, who choose a modestly priced hotel some distance from Saint Mark’s Square, often find that there is no street lighting, and have difficulty finding their way back after dark.

Nowadays, most hotels only serve breakfast so that their guests are free to enjoy the city without having to return for meals.

Venetian restaurants have an (unfair) reputation for high prices, and surly waiters.

Many traditional dishes are an acquired taste. These include squid (seppie) cooked in black gunge, cornmeal cakes (polenta) and sliced liver and onions. Venetian ice cream, liqueurs and chocolate are, however, instantly gratifying.

If money is no object then the prestigious restaurants operated by the most expensive hotels, such as the Danielli, the Gritti and the Londra, are highly recommended.

However, for those on a budget, there are still a surprisingly large number of decent eating-places which specifically cater for the mass tourist market. They are reasonably priced provided that you stay within the set menu.

Choose your own fish

In some expensive Venetian restaurants you can choose your own fish © Joël Doudoux - FOTOLIA

Seafood is a Venetian speciality

For those who wish to eat on-the-hoof, there are plenty of stalls selling garlic-dressed meatballs (polpette), slices of pizza, sea food, and fried vegetables.

Several Venetian recipes have been named after famous painters. Carpaccio consists of thin slices of beef dressed with lemon and seasoned with salad or parmesan cheese.

The name of this dish was inspired by the reddish beefy browns of the painter's famous pictures. The bellini cocktail, champagne mixed with peach juice, is likewise reminiscent of Bellini's typically peach-golden palette.

Harry’s Bar, founded in 1931 by Giovanni Cipriani, claims the credit for these two recipes. The bar, situated a stone's throw from Saint Mark's Square at the entrance to the Grand Canal, has long been the haunt of the rich and famous.

Carpaccio, a Venetian creation

There are plenty of similar cafes and bars throughout the city, but be prepared to pay inflated prices if you want to enjoy a cup of coffee in St Mark's Square.

Anyone who shops in Venice will quickly discover that there are practically no department stores, malls or shopping centres. On the contrary, many of the shops are small and privately owned.

There are some excellent, but expensive boutiques, and plenty of antique shops. The latter generally sell relics from crumbling palaces to passers-by. There are also numerous speciality stores, often with adjoining workshops, selling hand-crafted leather, metal, glass, wood and paper products.

The smart boutiques are generally to be found in the arcades to the north and west of Saint Mark's Square and in the area around the Rialto bridge. There is also a large concentration of shops along the Strada Nuova, the long promenade which connects the railway station to the San Marco district.

Venice has relatively mild winters, although it sometimes snows. However, the summers are often unbearably hot.

Since some sewage is pumped into the canals, there is often a lingering stench during the high season.

Visitors should avoid wearing beachwear in the city or face the prospect of being refused entry to many establishments.

Venice is generally considered to be a safe destination. However, there are gangs of pickpockets and they often target tourists.

Women and children are generally not molested but the usual precautions should be taken as Venice has a large transient population of tourists and tourist industry workers.

Home Privacy

Contact Sitemap User Conditions