I have Venice questions.

[dailyduel]

DH and I have 2 full days in Venice later this month.

I did read about booking Doges Palace Secret Tour however, there doesn’t seem to be any availability on 25/26th that we are there. May be we’ve left it too late to book or I am looking in the wrong place. Our main plan is to take off on foot and just wander but I am a planner and usually do have something on paper and booked to do. At the moment I am thinking we will do the following;

Rialto Bridge
Bridge of Sighs
St Marks Square
The book shop
Florians for a glass of wine
Trip up the grand canal - looks like I can book this.

If you’ve been what else would you recommend? I’d love to go to Murano but that does seem a big chunk out of our time. We aren’t bothered about museums and seeing inside St Marks. We love a city break and have seen many over the years. While they are all different, we’d rather focus our attention elsewhere on a short trip. That said, if anyone can link a really good tour that does include Doges Secret Tour, please do and I’ll look at that.

I don’t want to wander just for the sake of it.

Thank you for helping.

Exactly. Get away from the crowds, get lost in the back streets and canals, find lovely places for coffee and food, absorb the scenery and the peace and quiet.

venice is small. You’ll have a map on your phone and you’ll not ever really be further than 10-15 minutes from a ferry stop.

@dailyduel just this minute checked, and there is availability, here, for the Doge's secret tour. Did you use this site?

https://muve.vivaticket.it/en/event/i-tesori-nascosti-del-doge-inglese/205015?idt=1494

apologies @dailyduel you asked about secret tour which is here, with availability.

https://muve.vivaticket.it/en/event/itinerari-segreti-inglese/157031?idt=566

Thank you all for your help and thanks for the secret tour link. I’d been looking at places such as Viator and Booking.com. Going to get the tour booked. Will stay in a Venice I think rather than heading further afield.

@dailyduel if you book anything in Italy at all, always double and triple check you are on the actual museum/municipality website.

There is so much selling on and scamming and it's always cheapest on the official websites than even reputable tour sites like Viatour.

The Doges Palace tour is well worth it.

@crumpet and @CharlotteStreetW1 are spot on. If ever on this earth there was a place to wander (and wonder) without purpose, Venice is that place. Especially late at night and early in the morning. Do that!

We were there in mid October last year. Agree with a pp about cicchetti, at All’Arco they take this concept of tasty things on little toasts to a new height. All’Arco is the one you see on foodie travel programmes by Stanley Tucci or Rick Stein. It shuts early, at 2.30. Cicchetti are often washed down with spritz, which is sold everywhere with a choice of Aperol, Campari or Select. It is a gorgeous city for strolling, or when your feet are sore, to admire from a vaporetto.

Agree with those who say Venice is made just for wandering for the sake of it. A stunningly beautiful place full of secret corners and nooks and crannies you could probably not find if you set out to look for them, but stumble across as a complete surprise.

And definitely go in St Mark’s, if only to see the original horse bronzes - one of the most beautiful set of statues I have ever seen, and with a great story behind them. You can climb out onto the roof of the cathedral too, and just sit and watch St Mark Square from above, although if you want an even loftier viewpoint for that you can go up the Campanile and see for miles, all the way out to the other islands.

The Doge’s Palace can be done several ways. If you want a whistle stop tour and someone to explain it all for you, then go ahead with the tour. If you want to stop and read the very extensive history of Venice as told through the story of the Doges, then you will need to be in there without a tour. I don’t know, some people like just following a shouting person with a pompom on a stick, I am not one of those people. The underpalace here is essential, don’t just take the short route, head deep down and see the prisoner’s graffiti, very evocative. You see the Bridge of Sighs from the inside here. Also make sure you duck through the unassuming looking archway to see the original famous fresco painting of St Christopher by Titian.

Give Florian’s a swerve unless you like being ripped off, likewise don’t drink anywhere in St Mark’s Square where a reasonably priced coffee will suddenly have so many extras added to it (charge for listening to the house string quartet? Didn’t you know that was extra?) you will wonder if you did in fact have a 3 course dinner instead and just didn’t notice it.

For boats, get the vaporetto along the Grand Canal. Pennies, and worth every one. Gondolas are pricey wherever you get one from, but if you do one cheesy tourist trap thing in Venice it should be this.

Eat on the back streets, not the Grand Canal - you pay extra for the address there. There are lots of lovely small squares and side streets with delicious food served, still atmospheric.

Venice is fab, just don’t waste your time there by filling it with tours and organised excursions - just wander, and find treasure!

I went to Venice for the first time in December and it wasn't particularly busy out of season so the most touristy places were fine. I would advise wandering aimlessly as everywhere is spectacularly beautiful. Do go into St Marks - it's absolutely fantastic and also go up the Campanile opposite - there's a lift and the views are fabulous if it's a fine day. We didn't book anything in advance and didn't need to queue more than 10 minutes to get in anywhere.

@dailyduel Re Secret Itenaries tour, there seems to be availability on at least one of your dates on the following website:

https://muve.vivaticket.it/en/event/itinerari-segreti-inglese/157031?idt=566

Ooops! I see you’re already on track to book a tour! (I should have finished all of your posts before posting mg message!)Enjoy!

After Peggy Guggenheim, be sure to walk down to Santa Maria della Salute - it's just amazing and the views are awesome. You can then get the #1 vaporetto from Salute and see all the fabulous buildings going up the Grand Canal. It can get quite busy so be prepared to squish on/stand up until a seat becomes free.

I stayed in Cannaregio, just past Campo di Ghetto Nuevo, which again is a really interesting area. A little off the beaten track but still a lot to see. Lots of ancient little alleyways that don't even look like a person could fit into them and a good number of cafes/bars by the canals.

I'd agree with all that. I wouldn't bother with Murano, Burano etc if you only have 2 days. We felt a bit underwhelmed. The Doge's Palace was amazing and we just turned up and guided ourselves(!).
Venice is stunning and unique.

The Leonardo Da Vinci museum is absolutely fascinating. DH looked sceptical when I suggested it (he's not one for museums) but I had to drag him out in the end. The exhibits are working models of Da Vinci's inventions which visitors can touch and try out.
https://www.turbopass.com/venice/leonardo-da-vinci-museum-.html