First trip to Venice in September, any top tips please?

[HelpMebeok]

Off to Venice in September and we've never been before. We haven't booked yet. Going with friends. Thinking 4 nights.

top tips please?

Buy vaporetto passes so you can just hop on and off. IIRC the best place to do this is the main station at the top of the Grand Canal.

Get away from St Mark's Square and things get a lot quieter.

Get a decent map from the tourist information office.

Expect to spend more than you're planning, and to be ripped off at least a couple of times.

The Madonna dell' Orto church is stunning and as off the beaten track as anywhere us in Venice (not very!).

Marvel at the weird names. There's a little square called St Giovanni e St Paulo In Olio (in oil).

It's worth getting up early to do the big stuff when it opens.

But a Venice card which covers all the ferries and major attractions. Wander off the beaten tourist track and there are still things of beauty and interest. If you have time take a trip to Torcello, and try to see the Arsenale very interesting museum. Have a lovely time.

The Vaporetto no 1 is a fantastic trip along the Grand Canal. You have to see St Marks Square and the basilica. Then pick out some quieter areas and go into a few churches. Eg the Frari or San Zachariah. Wander off down side canals and find little cafes and hidden squares. See if you can find the exquisite Palazzo Contorini del Bovolo. It’s beautiful. So many hidden gems as well as the renown ones. The Grand Canal never fails to be amazing but try the Peggy Guggenheim gallery for superb art and great views. Maybe take a trip out to the islands but we have always found plenty to see in Venice.

Take good insect repellent, I got awful mosquito bites

Agree about vaporetto passes

Yes, to vaporetto pass. We went for a week and used it loads. Including to Murano, burano and the lido! And for a trip round the grand canal etc when our feet were tired.
We never got ripped off once. Things are as expensive or as economical as you want them to be as well.
One of our favourite things to do was a walking food tour. It was great!
Not sure if you still can, but we booked a time slot (free) on top of the Fondaco Dei tedeschi shopping place. We went at sunset, and the views over the Rialto bridge were amazing!
Arsenale area and we did a free self guided tour of the Jewish quarter.
We were there for a special occasion and booked at the Venice jazz club, which was nice.
If you like planning for stuff, join the Venice FB travel groups. I gleaned info off there.
Be prepared to feel yourself moving 😄. It still blows my mind how Venice is built. It's my favourite holiday ever. 😁

Take cash if you cam.- all the waiters asked for.it although theu do of course take a card.

Erm, beware of seagulls if eating your cicchetti by a canal. Yes, I learned this the hard way...

If you pick only one activity, it should be the Doge's Palace- but as you're there a few days, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is not to be missed. And for me the slightly hidden gem was the Jewish Ghetto.

Yes to the Vaporetto Line 1. I couldn't personally be arsed with a gondola when this is faster and a fraction of the price, but opinions on this are divided!

Take the vaporetto 1 all the length of the Grand Canal and across the lagoon to the Lido at sunset, and stay on it and be right at the front all the way back up the canal. Peggy Guggenheim, the Ca’Pesaro, the Punta della Dogana, and the Accademia (which has a lovely cafe/bar right on the canal) for art, but lots of masterpieces are in churches, and there’s a beauty around every corner. Get a traghetto across the Grand Canal. I liked the Isola Di San Michele (the cemetery is,and) more than Torcello, Murano or Burano. Diaghilev, Nijinsky and Ezra Pound are buried there.

The museum at the end of St Marks, the Correr has a lovely cafe with windows overlooking the square. It was very cool and quiet, with lovely decor.

Totally agree about insect repellant. I got bitten on the face and had a bad reaction. It was January so totally unexpected.

If you are going to visit St Marks Basilica, pay the extra for the museum and loggia. You get great views of the interior from the museum balcony and the original horse statues are there. Then go out to the loggia for views over the square and canal

Yes, those things are the size of turkeys and have to potency of rattlesnakes.

We enjoyed this place for a light bite.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1009506-Reviews-Al_Merca-Venice_Veneto.html

here for a lovely evening meal. Must book as only small.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1508607-Reviews-Ostaria_Antico_Dolo-Venice_Veneto.html

If you can afford it, get a water taxi from the airport. Absolute highlight of the trip. It was €120 last time I was there but I'd do that over eg a gondola trip.

Wear comfy shoes. You walk much more than you think.
Drink spritz at 5pm - very civlised.

Or drink Spritz at any time! Wondrously cheap! One of my nicest memories of last time I was there was ditching DS and DH and having a drink by myself after a day of looking at paintings in the bar of the Accademia , looking out onto the Grand Canal.

If you are into art then research the galleries and their works beforehand. Pick out a max of 4 paintings per gallery and learn about them then concentrate on them. If you just wander round randomly you get cultural indigestion.

I went round with DD who had been studying art history in Venice and she honed in on the best and talked me through.

Have a crossbody bag and make sure someone has got your back at cashpoints.

Do a ( small group or private ) walking tour with a local guide early on and you will learn about a quieter neighbourhood and get recommendations for restaurants etc for the whole trip. My friend and I were given loads of restaurant recommendations that were off the beaten track and not expensive. I will
link to the guide I used if you’re interested.

if you’re visiting the Doges palace there is a secrets tour which is behind the scenes and visits the cells etc. Twice I’ve been and twice it’s been sold out so if you’re interested book well ahead.

Peggy Guggenheim is a great gallery if you’re into contemporary art

My DD gets travel sick and we took the vaparetto into Venice and this was a mistake! I do think it’s a great way to enter Venice but it’s pretty long and it didn’t go well. In hindsight we should have booked accommodation at the top of the city nearer the train station and get the bus in which is much more practical.

We stayed in an Air BnB on a canal which I thought was lovely but we did get attacked by mosquitoes and this was in October.

There is a drink called a Select Spritz and I personally find it nicer than Aperol.

The film festival is on in early September, so accommodation prices shoot up.

The one essential is to book a water taxi from the airport to your accommodation - it's €150+ but SO worth it.... you will never forget your first view of Venice, and it's the perfect way to arrive.
Definitely wear comfy shoes - also take mozzie spray and a waterproof or umbrella.
Be prepared to pay top dollar for a drink sitting in St Mark's Square, but the big cafes have live music, and won't hurry you, so think of it as a concert with a drink thrown in.
Wander around the back streets, and get a bit lost - it's compulsory!

Google maps is genuinely helpful, it’s definitely not the easiest place to navigate round

Ooh yes. I tried those. And one called cynar spritz. They are more Venetian I think.

I love Venice, although I probably wouldn't go back as just being there felt like part of the problem. It's so beautiful though.

Walk and walk. Early in the morning and late at night when the day trippers aren't around.

Well, they’ve stopped large cruise ships entering Venice now, which has cut down on one part of the environmental problem.

If you're interested in interior design the Palazzo Fortuny museum is beautiful, about 10 mins from San Marco