OVERVIEW
Are you ready to explore one of the most unique cities in the world? Venice is a vibrant and lovely city that doesn’t have any streets for cars, but rather uses the canals and boats! However, that doesn’t mean you need to take a gondola every time you want to go to the next street. Venice is one of the most walkable cities and you are able to see most of the main attractions on foot.
ATTRACTIONS
If you’re wondering where to go and what to see while you tour Venice, you have come to the right place. The first main attraction is St. Mark’s Square. One of the many reasons that this area is necessary to pay a visit to is because it is almost at the center of Venice and is an easy reference point to find. Another great aspect about the Square is that there are several museums, including the St. Mark’s Basilica. Something to note about the St. Mark’s Square is that, although it is beautiful, beware that there is no where to sit down unless you are eating at a restaurant. There are no benches anywhere in sight and if you attempt to sit on steps or the ground a worker will come over and ask you to stand up. This may seem abnormal to you, but it is ultimately to keep respect for the area, especially the tower in the Square.
St. Mark’s Square
For those who desire to see the beautiful inside of St. Mark’s Basilica, I have a few tips for you. The line for admission gets incredibly long, even super early in the morning. At about 10 a.m., the line had over a two hour wait and it did not decrease as the day went on. I recommend that you buy tickets a couple of days in advance. Also, it is important to note that to be allowed inside, your shoulders must be covered. Venice can get hot, so keep this in mind when choosing your outfit for the day if you are visiting between May and September.
St. Mark’s Basilica
A hack that you can use for tickets to enter the museums is to go across St. Mark’s Square and purchase them from the desk there, rather than in front of the museum. If you look at the picture of the Square above, the ticket booth is approximately where the photographer was standing. The line is even shorter at this ticket booth than it would be in front of the museum. The best part is that you can buy a museum pass and see ten museums with one ticket. Don’t let St. Mark’s Basilica distract you from the other beautiful museums in Venice! The price for the museum pass is $41. It sounds like a steal to see so many historic places and artifacts without waiting in a line.
Doge’s Palace
Doge’s Palace is another extraordinarily beautiful museum near the center of Venice. Definitely utilize the museum pass and visit. While ten museums may sound like a crazy amount to visit in one day, even if you just go in and see a few the price is worth it. Don’t get distracted by the beautiful St. Mark’s Basilica and miss out!
Gondola Ride
While you are in Venice, you absolutely must go on a gondola ride. The rides are roughly $25 per person and each gondola can fit five people. This is a fantastic way to see the Grand Canal and get amazing views of the entire city. If you’re lucky, sometimes your gondolier may even sing!
Secret TIP
For museum tickets, go towards the red banner, I took this picture from in front of the tower in St. Mark’s Square. Here you can get all the tickets, you wont have to wait as long, and you can even get a better deal! So next time you’re here you can show your friends this great tip!
WHERE TO STAY
Deciding where to stay for a trip is a big decision, and the place you decide on can really affect the quality of your trip. Some of you may decide to stay in Venice, which has a high convenience factor and most of the hotels are averaging around $140. Keep in mind, if you choose a hotel that is nearby or overlooks St. Mark’s Square, the nightlife will contribute a decent amount of noise while you try to recover from your exhausting day.
I stayed in the Anda Hostel that is located in Mestre, an outskirt of Venice. This hostel was roughly half the price that a hotel inside of Venice would have been. In order to get into Venice from Mestre, I took a short city bus ride and then a water taxi. Although this has a few more steps than staying inside Venice, it was easy to navigate and didn’t take too much time.
Another mentionable feature of Venice is their yellow signs that are on every street, about 15 feet above you. These yellow signs are easy to spot and give your current location. If you can remember which yellow sign you got off the water taxi at, navigation just became 10x easier for you.
One last thing to consider when picking a place to stay is that almost no buildings in Venice have elevators. This can be a deciding factor on where you would like to stay if you have numerous and heavy bags with you. The hostel I stayed at in Mestre had 3 (that’s right, 3!) elevators and I didn’t have to worry about lugging my big suitcase up several flights of stairs.
FINAL TIPS
All in all, Venice is a must-see city. However, I would say that you can do Venice in one day, and don’t really need more than two. Make sure that you wear comfortable, good walking shoes. I spent one whole day in Venice and I walked about 15,000 steps! Remember, unless you are at a restaurant, there is no where to sit and rest your feet. Also, if your Italian speaking skills are subpar, it is almost no trouble to find someone who can speak English. When in doubt, the younger the person is, the more likely that they can speak English. Italians do appreciate a “Grazie” or “Ciao” here and there. One final tip is that in Europe, splitting a bill at a restaurant is uncommon and difficult for the servers to do. Plan ahead, figure out who will pay, and send money to that one person. The waiters will really appreciate this. Lastly, enjoy the new sights and cultures and have a blast on your trip in Venice!
SKYE SIGHTS 
Leave a comment