Any advice for traveling to Venice for the first time.?

Question

Any advice for traveling to Venice for the first time.?

Answer 1

You're going to do a lot of walking.  No cars.  Just you and your Nikes.  It's very expensive so don't buy a lot of c**p unless it's sovenirs or glass.  You can buy leather stuff in Florence and designer cloths in Milan.

Bring a nice camera for all the pictures you'll take.  Waitors will be agressive for you to come in and eat at their place.  Gelatos are the best in Venice.  It's very safe at night.  There's a karaoke on the San Polo side on Wednesday night, north of the Rialto Bridge.

Have fun, get lost, and discover the beauty of Venice.  It's really romantic.

Don't worry, if you have "Cirrus" or a Visa Check card, you can use your ATM card over there.  The conversion rate is a lot better.

One more thing, get a Rick Steve's Guidebook or a Lonely Planet Blue Book

Answer 2

Just have fun especially if you have never been to a place that is so closely attached to water! without cars.

Early morning and evening are good time to avoid the crowd.

Walk, take gondola and vaporeti or ferry around. Go to Murano (glass blowing place and shops), Lido (beach, cars, Casino) and just explore Venice (of course St. Mark or San Marco Square).

You might gain more by reading ahead about the history and various churches, museum and historical places.  So you can set priority of what you really want to see on your first visit.

Here are some pictures-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdalumni/ta...

My last visit and from some people's opinion- Venice is becoming more like a Disney type resort than real town especially compared to my first visit 30 years ago or so.  I remembered seeing real people commuting to work and actually lived in Venice rather than just tourists!

But still it is a very unique place and you should have fun.

Enjoy.

Answer 3

FIRST--SECOND--THIRD   TAKE TRAVELERS' CHECKS AND LOTS OF THEM

Answer 4

Just go and walk and explore and get lost and love it (the getting lost) and listen to where your heart strings pull you.

Answer 5

You don't need travelers checks, They are like any normal city they except cash and credit cards.

You will walk a bit but you can also take the vapporreto (water buses)

Its an expensive city so dont plan on buying too many things. You can get the same stuff all over Italy paying much less.

Have a lot of patience. The locals tend to do things a bit slower since there life style is much calmer then ours.

Answer 6

Get up early to do your sightseeing.  It can get very crowded.  

Wear comfortable shoes.  You'll do a lot of walking.  Stop often for snacks and rest.  

Have an easily-readable map.  

Use the water transport (not necessarily gondolas) to move longer distances.  

Don't touch the canal water.  

Visit some glass-blowing places.  See St. Marks.  Eat at more out-of-the-way restaurants.  

Are you staying in Venice?  Visit the Lido.  Very fancy.  

You'll want to buy a bunch of stuff.  Some places will do shipping for you; take them up on it.  Be sure to get some lovely Venetian glass.

Answer 7

The water bus (vaporetto) is by far the cheepest way to travel although you can also walk to may places. Be very careful and have a good map with you if you are walking as even the Venetians can get lost in Venice. (we met one!) If you fancy taking a gondola be prepared to barter and make sure the price quoted is for all of your passengers and not each one. The gondoliers can rip you off if you're not careful. There are many places to visit and the Doge's Palace, St Marks and the Accademia are just a few. If you fancy a boat ride over the bay you can go to Murano where they make the glass and to the Lido where there is a beech and new nightclub. If you'd like a day away from Venice there is Ferrovia train station near to Piazzale Roma and you can travel easily to Verona, Padua etc.

Happy holidays.