When in Rome do as the Romans do, but when in Venice do as the tourists do. This was clear to us after 3 days and nights in Venice. Why? Well the tourists have taken over Venice from the Venetians and will explain further as you read on.
There are many flight options to get to Venice from Malaysia. The many Middle Eastern airlines and the highly connectable Turkish airline offer great connections from their individual headquarters hubs. Prices range from RM2900 to RM3500 return. We decided on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt and then a short one hour flight to Venice airport.
You land at an airport still expanding to cater to the growing tourists arrivals in many ways and it is crowded. It is the holiday season and Venice never fails to attract tourists from every corner of the globe. From the airport exit it is short pavement walk to the water taxi jetty. Just buy a ticket (prices are fixed) and the water taxi will take you on a 30 minute journey to a world heritage city sitting on the water.
Venice is made out of 118 islands interconnected by 150 or so bridges. There are no roads, just walkways. No cyclists or any form of any wheeled transport. This island city is about the size of PJ old town. The main lagoon is divided into two with a central waterway being the highway of choice by all who live, work and holiday in Venice. A few large bridges connect the two and it’s the easiest way to see the whole city when on foot. Venice was built on a foundation of large tree stumps piled into the ground. The original swamp land was piled with thousands of tree stumps and then brick and stone was built on top as the base of the city. A city was built with dozens of churches, palaces, government offices, schools, houses and shops. Venice was the trading hub of Europe and so financial institutions, shipping insurance, customs and warehousing was founded here. Trading ships sailed into Venice and from the start of the lagoon the customs office building (now a museum) greeted them with taxes. The venetians were rich and powerful.
The traders soon become super rich and the built palaces and housing for their servants and staff adjoining their palaces. Today most of these palaces have been sold and converted to 4, 5 and even 7 Star hotels. These waterfront hotels offer the best experience of Venetian living for the tourists willing to pay 500-800Euros a night. Their individual facades may look dowdy with unpainted walls with peeling cement and cracked brickwork, but these are heritage protected buildings and they cannot be modernised on the exterior. Step inside any of these dowdy buildings and you will be surprised how grand and opulent the interiors are. Staff service is great with English speaking staff and facilities as complete as they come.
It is a walking city and you need to come ready with track shoes/walking shoes. You can easily get lost in the narrow alleyways and tight cobble stones walkways. But you can easily find your way with available signboards and friendly locals who will point you in the right direction. We decided to take a water taxi tour which is in a classic looking gondola. Cost per head is 100Euro and it must be done. The tour takes 30 minutes and you see, hear and feel the city. Then you walk the rest of the city experiencing the history. Maps are free and if you connect to goggle maps on your smart phone you can navigate your walking journey.
Time to eat and try and avoid the many waterfront restaurants. They look great and offer a great ambience but the food gives Malaysian Italian restaurants gourmet status. Best to walk away from the main tourists areas and into the back streets and you will find small quaint little eateries with good food and prices to allow to have 3 courses. An average seafood meal with desert will cost between 35-45Euro per person. A bottle of decent Italian wine between 12-15Euro and table water 2-3Euro. Venice is a little more expensive when compared to Rome or Milan, but the extra costs comes from the 35million tourists that insist on visiting Venice every year. Local inhabitants number less than 550,000 and they have to eat also…..but they earn accordingly from the tourists and so they can pay.
We suggest you stay off the main tourist’s area like we did. Find a secluded hotel. Get a better room with no view. Spend the savings on drinks when you hang-out at the many waterfront cafes as they can’t go wrong anywhere in Italy with coffee and wine. Eat at the hidden restaurants and walk around and enjoy the many little historical sights and take all the pictures you want.
You need to visit Venice just once and all you need is 3 days and 2 night. Then Venice can be left as a memory as it will not change for the better in coming years.
