Your tips in Venice please

[Frenchgirl]

Off to Venice next week for 5 days (Monday to Friday) with dd (6 and a half)
dh went years ago but it's my first time

so what are your tips and fab secret places (I won't tell anyone else )

Can't wait to go as we've had a sh*t two months...

bump

bump again .. we are off there in about 6 weeks

In cafes, order standing up at the bar AFAIK there's a flat rate for all coffees/snacks/proseccos ordered/consumed this way in Italy if you sit down they can charge you what they like

interesting
a good thing for dh to do
will get him to practice at home first

thanks bakedpotato

any really good cheap local eateries or bars that we should try?

robinpud where are you staying?

Venice is my favourite place in the world!!

Get a map and don't worry when you get lost, because you will. It's impossible not to!

There are hundreds of backstreet bars and eateries all serving good food that ranges from basic pizza to exotic pasta dishes, all at resonable prices. If they don't display the prices readily be wary about even sitting down though. If you are really, really at a loss there are even a couple of McDonalds! In St Mark's square if you sit down on a chair for a drink they WILL charge you about five times as much as than if you just sit on the steps, so beware. If you don't mind birds it's fun (apparently!) to buy some corn in the square and feed the (damn!) things, and they're very tame, they don't mind landing on your arms and head! (I don't like birds!!)

The Campanille tower has spectacular views and it's well worth the trip up. The Doge's Palace is rather splendid but not sure if your dd will appreciate it, though the Bridge of Sighs is something to go over and contemplate upon in a lifetime. It's also rather nice to get a can of coke and sit on the steps of the Grand Central Station and people watch as the sun goes down!

Have a great time! Let us know how you get on!

thank you girls for all the tips, am sooo excited!
Hausfrau I love the idea of dd phoning from the top of the Bell tower, she'll have to phone my brother and his wife who are mad Venice fans!
I will report back on the hotel and everything else
please feel free to add more tips

frenchgirl- haven't booked anything yet, we are having 10 days in Italy and spending the first few visitng Venice. Had been going to stay out a little bit in a cheap Novotel with the kids but if you have found something reasonable in Venice itself we would be interested. As we are going en famille thought accomodation might be easier slightly out of Venice. Had delgated this to dh but as usual he has done sod all so will have to sort it out soon.

Get the boat back to the airport. That was such a fab journey in the mist past the islands.

second the boat

Frenchgirl and robinpud, Venice was my last holiday abroad when pg with ds1.
We went in January and it was great actually, quite empty (have heard it gets ludicrously busy in summer). We thought the best idea was to buy a ticket (for a week? several days? can’t recall now) for the vaporetto (water buses) and just hop on and off as we wanted. Also this takes you out to the islands, the one with the church (torcello?) is well worth visiting. Churches in general are lovely, fabulous art eg Titian, also that family of artists, dad and brothers, can’t recall the name.... anyway, it’s all there as altarpieces etc. Even DH was impressed and he isn’t, as a rule.
Was warned that food was prohibitively expensive but in fact didn’t find it so. whether this was because it was off-season I don’t know.
Have a lovely time!

lol Hausfrau, thanks for saving dh's legs!! (he is a gentleman )

the hotel we've booked was recommended by some friends
\link{http://www.venere.com/hotel/index.php?htid=8656&ref=34385&lg=en\here it is} It's supposed to be warm and comfy, great location. Fingers crossed! My friend is actually staying there for a couple of days today!! She said it's sunny but some of hte carnival masks are a bit scary for kids

will definitely take boat from airport

have you tried the traghetti and are we going to manage them standing up like proper venetians??? I've read they're really convenient and cheap

by the way, for you venice lovers, there is a great children's book on venice, very well written, loads of info, really wonderful and unlike anything I've seen
dd adores it and has read it several times in anticipation:

\link{http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/912964559X/ref=pd_bxgy_img_a/102-8660341-3150522?%5Fencoding=UTF8\Vendela in Venice}

I've just moved from Venice - I lived there for 3 years until last October and I miss it sooo much.
There have been various threads about Venice before to which I've contributed but I can see you've already got some good info here. You are definatley going at the quietest time of year but it will still be very full of tourists. Best thing to do regarding transport is to buy your ticket as soon as you get there from the ticket office in Piazale Roma - best deal is one that lasts a few days otherwise it is very expensive if you pay per trip. But also walk as much as you can, especially off the beaten track. I found that 99% of the tourists stick to the same routes and on parallel streets there are very few people about. Half the fun of Venice is getting lost, very easily done since not one of the maps produced is entirely accurate! Make sure to eat lots of ice cream, drink lots of Prosecco (Italian champagne), visit the fish/fruit market (until midday Tue to Sat inc), best pizza is at a small takeaway just off the Strada Nove near the San Marcoula vaporetto stop called Franco's - I never came across a tourist there even though Franco has won many awards! I used to live about 5 mins walk from there and was a regular! TBH you can't go wrong really, just avoid the obviously touristy places (except the Basilica which is fantastic). OMG I'm so now and

i love it too

oh thanks Albert, was hoping you'd turn up!!
We shall go to Franco's and dd is planning on having lots of lemon ice-cream
when you say the fish/fruit market, where do you mean? Is it in Canareggio?

sorry cod you must do better than that

tips please

or memories.....

i went in 1988
dont htink my tips ( camping while interrailing) woudl eb o f interest

maybe you met dh
he went when interrailing too

anything from you is always of interest darlink

mwah mwah

The market is over the Rialto bridge, walk through (or possibly fight your way through)the bit with the tourist tat and bear towards the Grand canal on your right, it is on the banks. When you are done there get the traghetto across the canal to the other side(remember to stand, only tourists sit down). Once on the opposite bank (about 30 seconds later) you are in a little campo, turn left and the first ice cream shop on your right is one of the better ones in Venice. If you need a 'Boots' type shop (albeit very small)you are also right there, called DM I think. Just rushing out now, it's Carnival time in Brazil now as well as Venice (am I following them around?), so DS and I are off to party. Will try to get back later if you've any more Qs.

I was there inter-railing in 1989 (missed cod by a year) watching Pink Floyd playing on a special stage in the Lagoon. Was your DH there Frenchgirl?

Frenchgilr- this hotel looks excellent so we are just aboyut to book!