Thursday 2 December 2010

Venice €€€ on a budget...

Venice has a stigma for being inexplicably expensive, so much so that in 2010 it was named Italy's most expensive city, but it isn't as impossible as it may seem to travel to Venice on a budget.

Here are my top ten things to do in Venice on a budget:
  1. Get lost amongst the canals and churches (it's easy to find your way back, just head for the 'Vaporetto'). (Free)
  2. See San Marco's square when it's empty, either sunrise or very late at night it the best time to catch the otherwise manic square in its dormant state. (Free)
  3. See Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man in the Gallerie dell'Accademia. (A little expensive at €12.50)
  4. Try ciccetti in the local wine bars around Per Rialto. (Between 90¢ and €2 for a dish and small glass of wine)
  5. Take a gondola taxi across the Grand Canal. (50¢)
  6. Learn to shun the pushy men selling flowers of an evening. Tip: "No grazie io non voglio niente" and if they still won't go away: "Si prega di lasciarmi in pace" - a polite way of saying sod off. (Free)
  7. Visit the Rialto Market and eat roar oysters fresh from the Mediterranean. (€2)
  8. Climb the Campanile di San Marco. (€8)
  9. Try some Italian hot chocolate. (€2.50)
  10. Take a trip on the vaporetto over to Mauro and admire the glass blowers at work. (€12 for a 24 hour pass)
Cost break down we decided to go for three days and two nights:

€45 (tax inc.) for a return flight in November. (Money saving tip: fly into Treviso rather than Marco Polo, a bus transfer from the airport takes about 30 minutes and only costs €8 anytime return).
€50 to €60 per night for a hotel. 
€20 to €30 per day for food (splash out an upscale meal in the evening will cost you about €30 plus drinks).

Overall cost: €178 p/p

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