Venice solo in October

[LunchPoems]

Ive never been, so looking for advice!

Would a week be too long?

Thinking a little apartment

It is and was a favourite of ours when we stayed there. Lots of nice restaurants and bars but more locals and less tourists.

We stayed near Arsenale, only a 10 minute walk to St Marks Square which we found helpful to orient us on the first few days. After that we found more direct routes from our hotel. Murano is great for a day trip. Burano is very pretty but is small and gets massively busy. We booked a restaurant there and all the time people were walking up asking for tables but the restaurant was fully booked.

IIRC we bought a pass for the water buses which was handy and saved money.

The amount of tourists that arrive each morning from the cruise ships will blow your mind. If you want to visit the Doge's Palace for example, I'd go early before it gets too crowded.

I'd highly recommend finding a rooftop bar and watch the sunset over the lagoon.

I'd also join a Facebook group called I Love Venice - Travel Tips, Secret Locations, Accommodation. Very helpful tips and insider knowledge.

I'd love to do this too, looks amazing - would love to be there during the Biennale

(have been to Venice a few times, including on my honeymoon, but never alone -think it would be a good place to visit alone).

Sounds like bliss. There is an amazing 1950s guidebook called Venice for Pleasure by JG Links (I think) and it’s just a collection of walks incl plenty of stops at cafes and bars to sit and observe what you can see while having your spritz. Would totally recommend. Have a fantastic time OP. A week will fly by!

Stay in Venice itself - not on one of the other islands.

Cannareggio, San Polo, Accademia, Arsenale.

Look on Airbnb.

abnb.me/TfY5tHicOrb - Arsenale - walking distance to everywhere but quieter.

abnb.me/M4yIE2lcOrb - Canneregio - again, quieter area but walking distance.

I LOVE Venice and have been many times.

This is it. Although you can buy new too.

PS: make sure the apartment has good air con.

Would hope not to need air con in October!

I think we went in April, just opened the windows.

Castello is nice - 5min out the back of San Marco in the direction of the Arsenale but 99% of the tourists have disappeared, some very very nice restaurants. Convenient for everywhere.

Would hope not to need air con in October!

Early October but we did definitely need it!

Hell yes, do it. I'd return to Venice in a heartbeat, we stayed in an apartment in Dorsoduro, less busy but very accessible & with good neighbourhood restaurants. Being solo would be a bonus!

Thanks so much everyone for all the links and tips. It’s so helpful to have this information 😊

I’ve not been on holiday alone for a long time, but just want to be able to relax and wander with no moaning or responsibilities!

Book ordered @lal17 !

Yay!

also go and see the carpaccios if you can. Usually v quiet. And magical…

A week is definitely not too long.It is very hard to get a grip on a place in just a few days.Will the biennale still be on? I think it is an excellent time of year to go as there are less tourists.Stay in the centre if you can but it is quite small so any where that you can reach on foot would be fine

Only thing to note is that Venice
often floods in October. so make sure your luggage if light enough if you need to carry above flood waters.

Yes, wet weather garments are needed.

Stay centrally. A week is perfect. Being solo even more so 😂

Venice is beautiful! Four days is ample time to explore. I’m not sure I would recommend October though, we went in October and there was horrendous flooding - everything closed (including anywhere to get food) and ruined all our clothes! Google it to check as it is becoming a yearly occurrence around October time with global warming.

Dorsoduro was a great place to stay. We were there in February for a week pre Covid and it was wonderful. Do some research on where to eat as there are some terrible tourist traps. An amazing place to wander on your own. It might flood - but it might not.

Absolute bliss! You can walk round it for days. Oh to buy food in the Riato market and cook it in a little apartment!

You can go out to the little islands too on the Vaporetto, have Frito Misto overlooking the water.

Look at restaurants off the beaten track a little- just one canal.back and prices are very different!

The possibility of flooding has been greatly reduced by the installation of the flood barriers last year, though these are still in a testing phase (I think they weren’t raised early enough at one point last winter and St Marks still flooded.)

You are living MY dream, OP! I've promised myself a few days solo in Venice for years and was planning to go in March ... 2020. Obviously that didn't happen. I still hold out hopes, and that all the price inflation hasn't made it hopelessly expensive for me to go for a few nights.

Do you like art history/history/heritage sites? My own plan was to spend 4 days solid just drifting around, getting a bit lost, walking loads and veering off into churches etc as I passed them, without having to worry about complaining DC. And galleries and museums. And concerts. And eating. I would definitely stay central - the Arsenale area is still quick to walk into the very centre but a bit less on the tourist track. I had thought about maybe staying on Burano or Murano so it's interesting/helpful to see others not recommending that.

I've not been since the early 90's and I hope I'm as much in love with Venetian life as I was then.

@LunchPoems was the book Jeff in Venice?

This year's Biennale is great. There's also an amazing Marlene Dumas exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi which is unmissable.

Yes, @Puffykins ! Thanks, could not remember the title