Going to Venice for my 18th..?

Question

As part of my 18th birthday present, Mum is taking me to Venice for a week - she hasn't been for years so everything's probably changed - where are like the best places to head to for shopping, art, museums, dining out, etc. And also is there a nice hotel not too far from all of the above?

Answer 1

lol Venice hasn't changed. That's sort of the point of it.

Buy a guide book. The Dorling Kindersley one is great.

Mainly you need to ride on a vaporetto and visit St Mark's Square.

Answer 2

venice is awesome! try hanging out in St. Mark`s Square.

and just walk around to see all the beauty of it. also try the gondala (sorry idk how to spell it) and try going to the museam. their are alot of shops, and also including a glass demonstration. well i stayed in hotel cadivalle... hope u have fun!

Answer 3

I would advise you to book a hotel in advance in Venice.City hotels are expensive.

For more information about venice,check this link

http://traveltouritaly.com/venice-italy-...

Answer 4

I went Venice for a day trip. Basically went to San Marco, visited the cathedral, wander around the area and had a nice gelato, walking through the alleys and visited some souvenir shops that sell masks and other interesting stuffs. My Venice travel blog and other parts in Europe -> http://travelerfolio.com

Answer 5

I lived there for 6 months last year, was there for work, till i came back to canada.  If you want a cheap place to stay I would suggest Hotel Bologna infront of the Mestre Train station.  This town mestre is on the mainland side of Venice, and there is a bus every 10 min that takes you into the peninsula of venice.

From there, I would simply take a route and follow the arrows all around until u get to Piazza San Marco.  Or you can also do a boat bus tour which is really nice, i would also recommend, and also chek out the other islands around the peninsula.  Lido is 1 of my favourites, as I was there last year for the film Festival, and the nice beach.

Good Luck and Enjoy!..

PS, careful as the restaurants are expnsive, and not that great quality unfortunatly.  There is a suprmarkt though if ur interested.

Answer 6

i would agree, part of the charm of venice is that it hasn't changed in so many years.... the sights, the smells, it will be like you mum left it!  san marco, of course, is a must see for the placa. venice is wonderful because its a walking city and you can see everything by foot in a few days.

for places to stay, i would recommend an apartment rental. its great because you have your own space to enjoy and relax. my friends have used www.holiday-velvet.com/venice and have found some lovely holiday rentals that were reasonably priced in good locations.

Answer 7

I first went in 1977 and marvelled at the beauty of it.  I went again two years ago and the only thing that had changed was the pigeon population which hadgone into overdrive so much so that I wrote to the Italian Embassy about the health hazard this problem posed.  

In trafalgar square measures are being taken to reduce the pigeon population for health reasons and anyone seen feeding them is fined £1000.

Perhaps you should take a parasol when you walk round St. Mark`s Square.

If you want to go for a ride on a gondola then try bargaining with one or two gondoliers - some will reduce the fare especially later in the afternoon

Try taking a boat trip to the islands on the lagoon - Murano, Burano and Torcello, very interesting.

I hope that you have a wonderful time and wish you a very happy birthday.

Answer 8

I stayed in Venice in February at Hotel Al Sole in Santa Croce - a 5 minute or so walk from the bus station with rooms overlooking the canal or pretty rear garden (I booked direct with the hotel for a better rate).  The public bus from Treviso or Venice airport is way cheaper than a booked transfer and provides a half-hourly service.  Tickets from airport before you board. Gondola rides are expensive but a MUCH cheaper option is to use the gondola's that just cross the Grand Canal at 50 euro cents a person.  We did both and ended up paying  80 euros for a 45 min. tour bartered down from 200 euros!  Have fun and happy birthday.