Let’s see what has Venice to offer. The first place to visit will be one of the city’s greatest attractions, the Piazza San Marco. It is worth visiting the Basilica, the Bell Tower and, of course, the Grand Canal. To avoid the crowds I recommend to get up early in the morning and see the sunrise at the square. You will visit the basilica. Even though the entrance is free, it is worth paying a few euros for the skipped the line entrance. You need to buy the tickets in advance online, but you won’t be staying in the queue for two hours. In the basilica, you have the possibility to pay to visit other parts, always about two or three euros. I personally think that it is worth to pay and to see the whole basilica. If you are lucky enough, you might see a Philippi Choir signing. Another place to visit at Piazza Marco is the bell tower. Be careful when it starts to ring, it’s a pretty loud experience. For the bell tower, you can also buy tickets online. The elevator will take you up and you will get an incredible view. If you have just limited time in Venice, this is the only thing you definitely must do! Wonderful view of all parts of Venice is simply a memorable experience!
Then there is Grande itself. From Piazza Santo Marco there is a beautiful view of the canal and adjacent islands. The Grande Channel floats through most of Venice. Given that there is no transport other than water on in Venice, there are also several public transport services. I recommend taking Line B and going through the whole canal grande, for example, at sunset. Vaporetto tickets are a bit more expensive than usual, but it’s worth it! There are four major bridges across the Canal Grande including the Ponte della Constituzione, the Ponte degli Scalzi, the oldest Ponte di Rialto, and the Ponte dell’Accademia (Académie Bridge). You can see them all from the vaporetto. Of course, you will also see smaller channels that are equally magical.
The Naval Museum (Storico Navale Museum) is also worth visiting. It is located on the “suburbs” of the city, where the streets are a little wider and there are fewer tourists. You will find at the square called Campo San Biagio. The museum itself is made up of several parts, unfortunately, at the time I was visiting it, the bigger part was under the reconstruction. Otherwise, more than 48 salutes can be found and you can see all important fleets of different centuries. Definitely worth a visit.
If you decide to go shopping, you have several choices. Small shops with typical Venetian masks can be found everywhere, as are the souvenir ones. If you want to buy clothes, one of the areas is called Sestiere di Sant Marco, where we can find also the Bialetti store (to buy moka or coffee). Calle Salvadago, there is the Zary branch and an area near Chiesa San Salvador are also good places to shop at. There are also many local women’s clothing shops in Venice where you can buy clothes for only 9 euros. At Rialto Mercato there are fresh vegetables and fruits. And there is a good breakfast bar on the corner.
The airport can be reached either by boat or by bus. I recommend trying both options. The boat departs from Piazza Santo Marco, the bus from the main station near Ponte della Liberta.
As always I am going to talk about the food as well. I was lucky and had the chance to visit some very good restaurants and bars. And, of course, I will share my experience. I am attaching a map of good restaurants recommended by a local resident. I tried only two, but I have to say that both were excellent. Try to avoid touristic-looking restaurants, trying to get you at the great menu and the best pizza. Typical dishes in Venice are sardines, veal, risotto, and generally seafood. The restaurant, which is excellent, is Osteria Nono Risorto (address: Ramo Quinto Gallion O del Pezzetto). They have excellent seafood, pizza, and tiramisu. The service is excellent, the place is hidden but great and popular among local people. Prices are very affordable for Venice. Another place is Due Colonne where I had the best pasta with mushrooms in my life. I recommend asking about wine, they will advise you the best one to fit in with your dish. A bar I visited a couple of times with a very good and cheap Aperol Spritz, worth around three euros – is
the Barcollo, near Rialto Mercato. In the evening, the square is the place people meet, chat and drink. I do not recommend eating ice cream in Venice. From my own experience talking, it is quite expensive, and the scoop is very small.