24 hours in Venice – An Alternate Plan.

24 hours in Venice – An Alternate Plan.

When Cara and myself travel, frankly we do it on a bit of a shoe string. We don’t go without anything but we would prefer to forgo tourist flash and pizzazz for more time away.

One day in Venice is nowhere near long enough, but maybe that’s all you can afford either  in time or cash. The thing is, using some of my suggestions here, you could probably afford to stay three times as long for the same cost.

I should also warn you that we are not museo, duomo, campanile, piazza box tickers. We tend to do more wandering and soaking up the atmosphere than rushing from one trip advisor suggested ‘must see’ to the next. I have read a few blogs on a one day plan for Venice and they list all manner of things to see and do, I would suggest they re-title their blog to “Venice – The One Day Challenge!” To see all they suggest would involve perfect timing, immaculate navigation and completely ignoring and glossing over the reason you came in the first place – Venice itself! We definitely do not want to turn a vacation back into work by trying to fit too much in and enjoying nothing (bus tour style).

If travelling around a country from city to city we definitely rent a car, a cheap and simple car, in Italy a Panda! USD$20 a day and they are easy on fuel and you can squeeze them into free parking anywhere…except Venice of course!!

We don’t stay on the island (is island the correct term for Venice? It is commonly described as the ‘floating island’ which it certainly is not, it is built on timber piles).

Anyway, here is a quite detailed summary of how to visit Venice for a day and have an amazing time for €50.

I will assume you are driving, but even if you fly in to Marco Polo Airport this will still work.

1) Book a room at the Ca’ Danieli Agriturismo. It’s well located for a very short ride to the airport. It is a 100m walk to the nearest bus stop for the Number 5 bus into Venice (20 – 25 min bus ride). It has quite beautiful grounds (it feels like a country agri, not one that is on the main road to Venice), comfy beds, good showers, decent breakfast (except the coffee from the coffee machine, ask for a cappuccino) and is dirt cheap. The staff are very pleasant and very helpful. They speak very good English, in fact they seem to be able to converse with everyone who was there no matter their nationality. Prices for a night vary on Booking.com (up to €100 inc breakfast but contact them directly in English, or Italian or German or a number of other languages) on info@cadanieli.it  I have no affiliation but I do know great value when I sleep on it and I’ve stayed there more than once so how good it is wasn’t a one-off event. I won’t tell you what I paid last time but it was a steal (under €80).

Agriturismo Ca' Danieli in Tessera near Venice Italy
The gardens at Agriturismo Ca’ Danieli in Tessera near Venice, Italy

FURTHER DETAILS for Ca’ Danieli

  • Located just off Via Orlanda (the road to the airport from Mestre/Venice) in Via Piovega. Its a tiny little lane, Ca’ Danieli is more or less the first driveway on your right when you turn off Via Orlanda, stop in front of the gate and buzz them (buzzer on the right on the left side of the gate) and request they open the gate (in the language of your choosing).
  • When checking in,  ask for some tickets for the bus into Venice. They are at the time of writing about €1.50 each. The bus stop is on Via Orlanda just outside the agri gates. When you see the bus coming you may have to wave it down. Swipe your ticket over the ticket sensor when you get on.
  • Email a request to the friendly folk at Ca’ Danieli for early check-in or at least the allowance to park your car in their property. We have arrived and been checked into our room as early as 11am. Once checked in early you have almost all day to visit Venice and with the knowledge that your car is safely parked and for free!

2) Take a ride on the local Number 5 bus into Venice. Contain your excitement as you travel across the causeway getting a glimpse of the amazing place you are about to get lost in. Once off the bus, take a bit of note of where you were dropped off as that is where the bus will be ready take you back to the Ca’ Danieli later tonight. The ticket office to buy return tickets later in the evening is over to the left of the large foot bridge that crosses the canal more or less right in front of you. When buying return tickets ask for tickets to Tessera (the suburb Ca’ Danieli is located in) on the Number 5 (try saying autobus numero cinque per Tessera – something like that at least…but hey its Venice, everyone speaks English).

3) Don’t follow the crowd over that big foot bridge. I mean you could, but that crowd turns into a bigger crowd and the whole trail from there to Piazza San Marco is a tourist trap. Stores specifically designed to relieve you of your hard earned dollars abound and in no way are they typical of the real Venice. Alternatively, if you like  to head over the small bridge to your right and head off into the lane ways of Venezia, you can experience a more genuine Venice. Better to do it at this end of your day when you aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere because you will get lost, but that’s the point. You will quickly discover there is much to see without a strong desire to tick off boxes on someone else’s must see list.

4) One key advantage of being away from the main thoroughfare across the island is cheaper prices! Perhaps the best example of this I have seen is this little coffee shop we found on our way back from the Guggenheim residence on the Grand Canal. Sure you can pay €10 for a coffee in St Marks Square or you can eat, drink and be merry in the real Venice for dramatically less.

caffe poggi in venice offers cheap drinks and snacks
Not all coffee in Venice costs a small fortune. Navigate to Caffe’ Poggi for €1 caffe.
cheapest drink and snack prices in venice at caffe poggi
Caffe’ Poggi price list for non believers!

5) Not all art in Italy is of Jesus and his mates. There is modern art and while in Venice, maybe take some in at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. FIVE Jackson Pollocks in one room is worth the price of admission and there is much more to see than that. Join others in confused contemplation at a white painted square with pencil lines drawn on it or be in awe of a Picasso. There is something for everyone and it is stunningly located on the Grand Canal. Very much worth a look! €15 – tickets at the door. Because the collection is held in the previous home of Peggy Guggenheim, you also have the opportunity to sit on the balcony on the Grand Canal just as Peggy and her guests did.

pegg guggenheim in venice
Not everything at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is immediately recognizable as art

OTHER HANDY HINTS FOR AN INEXPENSIVE DAY IN VENICE

  • Don’t chase the public toilet signs/arrows in Venice. They take you in circles for the amusement of the locals and once you finally track it down, it will cost you about €1.50. Much better to stop at the nearest cafe or restaurant that you like the look of and buy a coffee or a frizzante and use their bathroom. I have not struck a place that doesn’t have a bathroom for public use. Its sort of how Italy works. There are no public toilets but there are many private toilets! The owners expect it. so don’t be embarrassed if you can’t find it and need to ask – Dove il Bangno, per favore?
  • As long as you are appropriately dressed (generally long sleeves, slacks, shoes and no hat, but in Venice shorts and not too short a skirt and short sleeves are acceptable), you can enter any church and admire the interiors. In Italy in general, some churches with surprisingly plain exteriors are hiding stunning interiors. Our favourite example of a plain jane church with the wow factor inside is the Parma Cathedral.
  • Take a long lunch or dinner away from the crowds down some laneway or in a small piazza. Soak up the atmosphere, enjoy seeing what the locals are up to, amuse yourself with the antics of fellow travelers. Simple restaurants in out of the way areas are surprisingly affordable. Pasta and a beer for around €12 – surroundings priceless!

    Dinner in Camp Santi Giovanni e Paolo
    Dinner in Camp Santi Giovanni e Paolo – mostly locals at play.
  • Do navigate your way to Piazza San Marco. It’s free to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere created by folk from all over the world congregating in this one place. Personally, I wouldn’t eat or drink there if you are working to a budget. Its around €7 per person in copperto and that’s how a coffee in Venice can cost 10 euros. The price of the food is also somewhat eye watering. piazza san marco in venice seagull resident
  • Do take you time. Venice is ultimately all about ‘Venice’. You will find more impressive art, churches, food elsewhere in Italy but nowhere else is there Venice…
  • Do dress for comfort and definitely wear comfortable shoes. It tends to be warmer than you might expect and it can rain without too much warning. Travel light though as you will walk a long way in this one short day. Carry a fold away umbrella or you can always buy one from the hawkers who come out of the woodwork the minute it starts to rain.

6) Stay late. Take you time over dinner and head back towards Piazzale Roma (where the buses are) after 9pm and you will see a different Venice. Emptier, a different crowd and if its been a warm day, a much cooler Venice. Buy some chocolates or a Gelato from a store about to close.

7) Back on the bus having bought your return tickets as per above and the final trick of the day is to convince the driver to stop at the right stop. You can ring the bell but the best bet is to wander up the front and ask him to stop at Via Piovega please. Worked for me as the way Italian buses often work is they will stop anywhere. You ring the bell and they will stop. Don’t assume ringing the bell will cause them to stop at the next official stop. For reference Via Piovega is 1.8km after the IP petrol station on your left and 100m after the Esso on your left. Once you get past the IP I would be making my way forward and requesting the Via Piovega stop. Get back into the property with the keypad code the will have given you when you checked in.

8) Sleep well and enjoy and very good breakfast and don’t forget to stash away some extras for morning tea and lunch.. he he.. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below. Hey there a million ways to see Venice but not everybody wants to spend $1000s doing it. I hope my suggestions have been some help.

Thanks for reading, Andrew.

 

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