Venice - Travel Tips

Venice travel tips with transportation

Venice is a world-famous canal city, where I always dreamed of visiting once time in my life. Maybe I do not need words to say much about the enchanting of the excellent beauty of Venice, but I think you have to see through your own eyes, touch by your hands and walk in the alleyway on your foot, across the beautiful bridge of Venice, on the glistening canals, see the Gondola boats traveling tourists back and forth to feel the exciting experience of this particular city, otherwise I would say the most beautiful city in Italy

The only thing that I find not good about my beautiful lovey Venice is that there are so many visitors, everywhere on the island is overcrowded, wherever people are and prices are far more expensive, with hotel services (except famous hotels) are not quality if I do not want to say “ low quality” accommodation . But perhaps this will not stop me from visiting Venice once in my life.

When it comes to Venice, almost anyone who has ever come here has envisioned a magnificent setting with the old town built on the sea, the interstellar canal system, the Gondola singing Opera soaring of the boatman. It is also known as the "love city" - the most romantic place to propose or the honeymoon destination of couples dream.

The idea of building a city right on the sea is very crazy, but it is the "crazy" of the ancient Romans to create such a masterpiece for Italy. For me, Venezia - a very seductive and beautiful name - was placed for the imperial maritime as well as an important commercial and artistic center during the Renaissance.

After sleeping in the host house for a whole morning, I visited Grand Canal on an midday when the sun rose, the sky was blue and the canals glittered in the sun. Before coming here, Venice in my imagination is a magnificent structure covered with green moss, soft gondolas passing through water at every corner or bridges thousands of years old. .

And indeed, my first impression of Venice at the entrance to the central railway station of Santa Lucia is that it is so magnificent, so flawless and this world will never find such a second place. So today I will share with your guys some tips for travelling in Venice. Hope that they will be useful for you to plan your trip to visit this beautiful city with cheap price. Yes, saving is very important especially in this expensive city.

Venice's city center is a collection of small islands connected to the mainland (mainland) by an artificial bridge across the sea; If you want to go from the mainland you have to take a train or car. However, do not take your car to Venice because parking is very expensive and difficult to find in high season. Look on the map can distinguish each region in Venice:

Venice island map

Source: travelpx.net

• Mainland (mainland): Favaro Veneto, Mestre-Carpenedo, Chirignago-Zelarino, Marghera.
• Main Island - Main Island: This is considered to be the center of Venice.
• The surrounding islands are (1): Murano Island, Burano and (2): Lido Island, Pellestrina.
• Public transport in Venice is run by ACTV, including a water bus system and a land bus.

Travel from the airport to the city

Bus: If you come to Venice by plane via Marco Polo Airport (located on zone 3) on the map from other European cities like Paris, Barcelona or Athens it will take about 30 minutes' bus ride to go to the city center. It has taken me 5-6 euros to travel to the town of Mestre (4), is a town close to the city center and only takes a short train about 5  minutes to enter the center. Venice Airport is very small, only a few steps away, you have to go to the hall, there are many bus routes at the door, running from 5:30 to 6 am every day. Bus tickets can be purchased directly from the driver.

If you want to go directly to the city center (1) there are always two types of buses running from the airport (remember validate tickets when boarding the bus):

• -          ATVO "Venezia Express" bus: This bus runs straight from the airport to the terminus Piazzale Roma for € 8 / way and € 15 round trip. Buy tickets at ATVO's ticket counter at the airport baggage claim area, or the arrival hall, ATVO staff in the airport lounge.
• -          ACTV Aerobus Line 5: This ACTV car also runs to Piazzale Roma but will stop at some places, running daily from 4am to 1am and fares as well as ATVO, which seems unlikely ATVO Bus. However, you can buy a combination of "Aerobus + Nave" tickets for € 14, which allows you to arrive at the terminal and add a waterbus to the hotel. This waterbus ticket is valid for 90 minutes. Also if you have ACTV Travel Card then you buy this ticket is reduced to only € 6 / pass. Buy tickets right at the airport arrival hall and watch the car run here: Line 5 timetable.
• -          Take the water bus: Another option is to go directly from the airport to the center by boat from the Alilaguna wharf. Buy tickets from the information desk right in the airport, then look at the signpost with the word "Vaporetto waterbus" to the dock. There are two types of public waterbus and rent a private taxi called water taxis, whether you go public waterbus or hire private boats, they also have to leave this terminal. Note that ACTV's waterbus does not work in Alilaguna, so ACTV's Travel Card will not be available for the airport waterbus service. Ben Alilaguna has 3 main lines of central Venice:

• -          Linea Blu or Blue Line: Airport - San Marco - Stazione Marittima
• -          Linea Arancio or Orange Line: Airport - Rialto - San Marco.
• -          Linea Rossa or Red Line: Airport - Lido Island - San Marco, this line usually runs from late April to early November.

There are two main stops in the center that you should note: Rialto Bridge and San Macro Square, especially San Macro, where all three lines run through. Ticket prices range from 8 to 15 EUR depending on the distance you go, if you buy tickets on the boat you will have to pay additional fees. Usually only one carrying case and one suitcase is allowed. Additional charge will be charged 3EUR / unit. If rent water taxi price range 100-120 Euro / visit.

 

Take the train to Venice

If you take a train from another Italian city to Venice, it will definitely pass through the town of Mestre, you can go directly into the center without having to stop at the Venezia-Mestre station if you have rented a room in the city, the last one is Santa Lucia (5-10 minutes by train from Mestre Station). Note that when booking train online (http://trenitalia.com) to find Venice, you search Venezia (in Italian) new light.

 

Travel in the city center

• Venice Water bus
• To travel in the city, the simplest way is to walk, but also a popular means of boat trips on the sea and through the canal: ACTV Water bus, also known as Vaporetto (in addition to two types Waterbus is Motoscafo and Motonave), operating as a bus system on land. This very large water bus can accommodate up to 200 people.
• You can visit the website below to see the schedule of train times and routes of the day. Using a water bus is essential in some cases as if you were on some of the islands outside the city, or want to go to some of the other islands such as Murano or Burano (see below) or simply want to stroll around this beautiful city by boat and watch from a far distance?
• http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/water-bus-service-timetable-0

 

Overview of water bus lines

Looking at the map, you can see that ACTV's Waterbus system divides more than 20 lines with different colors, interlaced between many points on the main island and satellite islands. The routes of ACTV are constantly changing so you will have to update when you arrive in Venice, so get a free map at the airport for a reference, if finding a map in the center is a bit difficult and they usually sell but not play free. Using the map, just watch the running time of the water bus (timetable) above to determine exactly the boat you want to go. Some routes that you should pay attention to as it relates directly to the tourist:

 

Central Line 1: Line 1 and Line 2 with line 1 running between 20 Piazzale Roma and Lido Island are suitable for those who wish to travel around the Grand Canal for sightseeing. Line 2 also runs from San Macro to the central station. These routes are usually crowded during holidays and rush hour.

Seasonal route: Includes 7.10 lines and 18 runs from spring to late autumn. Line 7 runs from San Zaccaria to some terminals of Murano Island, Line 10 runs between Lido and Zattere via San Macro Giardinetti. Line 18 runs between Murano and Lido di Venieezia.

The line runs through the satellite islands: Include lines 11,12,14,15, .. with line 12 to Murano and Burano, line 14 to the Lido.

• Buy tickets on board:

Actually I use the water bus in Venice is very easy, there are lots of ACTV docks as you stroll around the city. You only need to see the dock with yellow text on the ground. ACTV is aware that this is a waterbus, but note that there are quite wide berths so you look carefully at what line there through that wharf to select the boat for accuracy and select. the direction of his.

You can buy ACTV tickets or travel cards at ACTV's outlets or vending machines at major water bus stations. After you buy tickets you validate the tickets in the green (green) right at the station, if not buy tickets when you board the ship you can buy tickets from the driver to avoid fines.

 

• Water bus ticket:

The regular fare for a boarding pass is 8 euros valid for 75 '(too expensive), with one or two extra trips to get to your destination except the airport departure. Children under 6 are free. Traveling in Venice with the waterbus is very familiar to people in this country, you just step out of Santa Lucia station is seen immediately pier with a lot of waterbus already.

You should consider purchasing a travel card that allows you to go an unlimited number of times over a certain period of time, the exact time from which you validate your card at validate machines automatically. In addition to some special routes, you can take the Travel Card to the waterbus anywhere, including the Burano and Murano Islands:

 

•  €20,00  - 1 DAY TRAVELCARD
•  € 30.00 - 2 DAYS TRAVELCARD
•  € 40.00 - 3 DAYS TRAVELCARD
•  € 60.00 - 7 DAYS TRAVELCARD

 Rolling card - € 22 for 3 days for those under 30.

• For Rolling Card you will pay € 22 for 3 days on all ACTV vehicles (land bus and water bus) except for airport, if you go to airport for 1 way, round trip € 28 and € 34 respectively. This is similar to other travel cards.

• Traveling in Venice and buying tickets,

  travel card how reasonable?

• The waterbus travel experience in Venice is a two day trip that I have spent one day walking, one day traveling through the waterbus to travel to the islands to save money.  After I realiz that I can buy the travel card, with Travel card I can go to the islands from Murano - Burano - Lido and return to the main island. You should choose Waterbus Line 3 will go straight to Murano without stopping guests, after visiting Murano catch waterbus Line 12 to Burano, to Lido, go to Waterbus Line 14.
• You should also try an overnight waterbus to Venice, catch the water bus line 1 to Rialto, avoid crowds during the day and run across the Rialto Bridge to or on the shore with restaurants, shops and lights very romantic. When traveling water bus also pay attention to luggage because they only allow putting luggage up the limit, if you carry more will have to buy more tickets.

• Experience the Gondola in Venice

  

  My photo - All rights reserved - do not copy or use it for other purpose

  

One of the typical means I want to try during my time in Venice is the Gondola, a boat with ferrymen who are dazzling Italian sailors who sing and go into many literary and film works. image. However, not all drivers know how to sing so you need to consider before hiring. Going Gondola is really romantic with any couple, but the price is also extremely expensive, fluctuating around 80-100 euros / hour. You can experience cheaper rates by pairing with one or several other couples, or by asking hotels to help travelers wishing to join the group.

My photo - All right reserved

The starting price of the Gondola rental is € 80 for 40 minutes, plus 20 'for an additional € 40. After 7 o'clock the price will rise to € 100 and add 20 'extra for € 50. Maximum allowed 6 people on a Gondola. This is just a general price, besides you can pay the price, or the price changes with extra costs like you ask the driver to sing a song!

• Gondola - The unqiue transport mean of Venice

To sum up, I would like to remind you again that Venice is famous for its "waterfront" city - the city of interlaced canals. In the past, Venice people used Gondolas - an asymmetrical boat, with two headers and a pointed tail boat, or the boatman could easily control the boat with a paddle.

Over a long history, now Gondola has been "specialties" of this romantic city. Almost every visitor to Venice would like to have a seat on the Gondola, chasing the streets and listening to the sailors singing Italian songs. Therefore, even though Venice is equipped with more modern means, as well as bridges spanning the city, people still retain the Gondola as a very personal beauty of the city.

Turning back to my trip to Venice, I actually decided not to go to the Gondola, nor was it a bad decision. Instead, the decision was pretty clear.

" Because if I sit on the boat, we will not be able to see the beautiful gondola floating and moving on the water."

But if you go to Venice, I will still suggest you to try the Gondola as my thought to experience the very culture of Venice. Otherwise you can sit by the river sipping some snacks, listening to the song from the water, and watch the boat sink gradually into the darkness. I guarantee that you will not forget that scene, because that is how I put "beautiful piece" Venice into my album of Venice. :D 

Again I put here my most beautiful shoot I have taken in Venice to show you that my decision of not try Gondola is not a bad decision

Thank you a lot for reading my article!

P/s : Now is 14/10 of the erasmus competition, I have " save the best for the last".

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