How to Visit Venice Without Driving the Locals Crazy (And Have a Better Time Yourself)

Some things to know that will make your visit easier and Venetians happier

A Love Letter (and a Friendly PSA)

I have had this my drafts folder for months. Adding things to the list when I think of them, noting what makes me or others grumble. Venice is a preposterous, audacious, bewitching city. Those ornate palaces on the grand canal with hand blown chandeliers that are bigger than my kitchen hanging from their ceilings were built on top of wooden posts pounded into the mud hundreds of years ago. Dashing gondoliers in their beribboned straw hats and stripey shirts, boats that sell vegetables, and all that laundry hanging on lines strung between buildings and over water. She makes you want to stop and gasp and try to take it in almost every turn. I get it. I have more than 50,000 pictures of Venice on my camera roll. But, it is also just real life. People live in those palaces, those gondoliers are rowing with one hand and scrolling Instagram with the other, I buy broccoli from the vegetable boat and I hang my sheets on one of those laundry lines. Venice can be a difficult place to live, because of all the people that come to see that bewildering astonishing beauty. Sometimes we get stuck in “traffic” and what should be a short walk can turn into a crushing slow journey!

Venice is astonishing and sometimes challenging, for visitors and locals alike. This is not a blame the visitor post. My guess is that if you have found me you are not coming to Venice to make a TikTok on the Rialto bridge about the best gelato in Venice while wearing a lemon dress. Please come visit us. I have a few things to tell you about that hopefully will make your time here more enjoyable for you. Following these tips will ensure you have a great visit and help you not make the mistakes that cause annoyed looks from locals rushing to work or to picking kids up from school.

Venice can be a bewildering at first. There is all that water. No cars. No just calling an Uber to take you directly where you want to go. Streets sometimes end at waters edge and Google maps that doesn’t always work. Now what direction is that vaporetto going?

So, welcome. Here's how to have an amazing time and make it easier for everyone around you, too.

🚶‍♀️How to walk in Venice

We do not have cars, but we do have generally accepted rules of the road. Bridges are part of that pedestrian road system. Here is your regular reminder that you can not sit on bridges or on ledges in front of stores or on most church steps. Instead, look for red benches in campos or stone benches along the Riva degli Schiavoni and the Zattere.

There are only a few big wide streets in Venice. If you are traveling with a group of more than 2 people and want to spread out you can do that along the Strada Nuova or the via Garibaldi or along the Zattere. In almost every other case walk to the right in a single file line. Venetians are attuned to the sounds of delivery and garbage collection carts and shoppers with their wheeled carelli. Listen for people coming from behind that are walking faster or need a little more space to pass. If you want to take a photo don’t come to a dead stop mid stride. Doing that is the equivalent of slamming on your brakes in the middle of the interstate. Choose less crowded spots or step aside so you don’t stop the flow or block the path.

⛴️How to ride the vaporetto in Venice

If we are not walking we take the vaporetto, a public waterbus. For years I refused to take the vaopretto. It was expensive. I liked to walk. I wanted as much Venice as I could possibly squeeze into my visits. Mark would sometime sneak off and ride the 1 up and down the grand canal. Now we have annual passes and I will happily hop on a boat, particularly to avoid the pedestrian bottlenecks and steep bridge crossing around Rialto. Here are the practicalities for how to buy vaporetto tickets. Now that you have your ticket, how do you get to where you want to go? There are more than 20 lines. You will likely only use 2 or 3 of them. Look for a yellow and white floating platform. The hard part is figuring out which direction the boats are going. Here is the trick if there are two embarcaderi, the boat you want is always farthest from the direction you are going. If there is only one platform then you have to watch which direction the boat is coming from. The easiest thing to do is ask the marinaio/a before you get on. The circular routes of the 4.1 and 5.1 go counter clockwise and are reversed on the 4.2 and 5.2.

You must wait for all of the passengers getting off at the stop before you can get on the boat. In high season sometimes there is a person and/or a rope that controls access. Watch your step as you get on as sometimes there is a big height difference or there are waves. You can hold on to the edge or the marinaio can help. Now, keep walking and find a seat. Don’t stop and block the middle. Leave this space for workers with carts full of tools or people with their groceries. Don’t stand at the edge. Even on the opposite side of the boat where you entered. These are the doors of the vaporetto and need to be kept clear for the next stop. Some boats have outside seats in the front and the back. They are perfect for picture taking and enjoying the ride. Don’t stand up and block the captains view! If you have luggage on the big boats (Lines 1 and 2) put it in the designated areas (near the cabin on big boats, at the bottom of the stairs on small ones.).

⚡Another important thing to know is that taking the vaporetto is almost never faster than walking. It’s for the experience — not speed.

Gillian Knows Best travel tips for first time visitors to Venice

A Venice toolkit

Gillian Knows Best guide to Parks and Gardens in Venice

🏨 How to stay in Venice

My number one piece of advice is stay IN Venice. Stay in places owned by Venetians. Do not be tempted to stay on the mainland by the promise of cheaper accommodation. You will spend valuable vacation time going back and forth on a train or a bus. Did you know that can stay on Giudecca or Lido or Murano or Burano? Then at least you can commute on a boat! The dumb¹ Venice access ticket thing is happening again this year. You only have to pay this if you are not spending the night in a hotel.

Stay for as long as you possibly can. A day trip to Venice simply doesn’t give you enough time. Venice is at her most magical on that late night walk home from dinner when you have Piazza San Marco almost to yourself. Or if you are a morning bird, the pre-breakfast stroll when you can watch the behind the scenes Venetian action of garbage collection and package delivery.

Bonus: Venice Rules

The city made list of things that will get you in trouble. If you are in Venice look for the book When in Venice walk in single file.

Venice is a marvel because she’s real. People live here. Work here. Raise families here.
By following a few simple courtesies, you’ll not only have a smoother trip and hopefully you’ll fall in love to.

Welcome to Venice. She’s waiting for you.

❤️

nikoeteo

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1. Fammi una domanda: April 2024