Venice is nowhere near as smelly as people told me it would be.
It is, however, exactly as confusing as it was rumored to be. You will get lost. I got lost… every time I left the apartment.
The upside to it, is that every road leads everywhere, so you will eventually get where you were trying to go. It just may take you a day to get there.
Houda kept repeating this mantra whenever Italy was mentioned, “See Venice and die.” I don’t actually believe that it is necessary to see Venice to die or to die immediately following a visit to Venice, but I will say the city has it’s own sense of charm. Much of which was magnified by my delightful traveling companion, Joanne.
It is easy to forget that when you are wandering a warren of tiny streets looking for some shop that you are actually walking around artificial islands built a very long time ago; islands that are slowly sinking.
The big thing to remember about planning Venice is that it is effing expensive. So expensive that if you sit down it actually costs you money. No kidding.
When you walk into a cafe and order an espresso, it may cost 1-2 euro. Sitting down will cost you and additional 5-12 euro depending on the cafe and whether or not music is playing. Yes, they actually charge you for the music too.
There are very few hostels in Venice, but plenty of places renting rooms. My advice is this; just pay for it and enjoy it. The city is fun and well worth the trip. With a few exceptions.
This museum was a terrible idea. Avoid it.
There is a gelato shop in Venice and other cities named Grom. This is the holy grail of gelato shops. All natural, all delicious. There is gelato on every corner, and I swear to you, thanks to my travel companion Joanne, I have tried them all. Grom is worth walking to; especially with this scenery.
The Venice train station is pretty easy to sort out and has regular bus service to the Venice airport. Just ask the locals, they will sort you out; just be respectful.
Wrap Up:
- Go see it, but be aware of just how expensive it is.
- Instead of taking a gamble on the badly reviewed hostels, get a couple friends and go in on an apartment or private room somewhere.
- Don’t sit down unless you are ready to pay the extra money. Fruit and vegetable stands are everywhere during the day. take advantage of them.
- Don’t worry about getting lost. It is going to happen, just keep walking and you will eventually get to where you need to go.
- Internet is expensive and WiFi is hard to come by. Take a digital break for a few days. It won’t kill you.
- Don’t sweat paying the entry fees for the churches and museums. The true charm of Venice lies in the city itself. Take a trip to Piazza San Marcos during the day, and again late at night. You will see what I mean.
