It was an impromptu trip, my partner and I only decided to go and booked our flight less than 2 weeks before departure. Therefore we didn't get to book the accommodation and train ticket at cheaper price. However, this didn't make the trip any less interesting. In fact, it was one of the most amazing holiday we've ever had!
Rome - Florence - Venice - Rome
Click here to read my post for Florence and Rome.
Getting into Venice
Venice is easy to get to and from, by air, by rail or even by ferry. Venice has a small airport, Marco Polo Airport, that serves flights from Italian cities and other parts of Europe. Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Swiss, KLM, Qatar Airways and SAS fly to Venice. For something more adventurous, you can opt for the ferry from Greece, Croatia or Slovenia. Check out Venezialines, Greek Ferries.
It took us 4 hours train ride from Roma Termini station to Venice Venezia Santa Lucia station. Train ticket was not cheap, about 140€. Need we say more. It's Venice, everything is expensive in Venice. Venezia Santa Lucia station is located on the Grand Canal bank. Do not get off the train at Venezia Mestre station which is on the mainland. Some high speed trains do not continue to St. Lucia after Mestre. You can buy your train ticket from Trenitalia or ItaliaRail.
Accommodation
We stayed at Locanda Orseolo boutique hotel. Venice is a very romantic and beautiful place. So does this hotel. We took 45 mins water bus ride from train station to the hotel. It's located a few meters from St Mark's Square. Room was clean, big and nice. The breakfast was awesome! Omelette, crepe, sausage etc. Room rate was on high side, maybe because I booked it too last minute.
Venice is easy to get to and from, by air, by rail or even by ferry. Venice has a small airport, Marco Polo Airport, that serves flights from Italian cities and other parts of Europe. Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Swiss, KLM, Qatar Airways and SAS fly to Venice. For something more adventurous, you can opt for the ferry from Greece, Croatia or Slovenia. Check out Venezialines, Greek Ferries.
It took us 4 hours train ride from Roma Termini station to Venice Venezia Santa Lucia station. Train ticket was not cheap, about 140€. Need we say more. It's Venice, everything is expensive in Venice. Venezia Santa Lucia station is located on the Grand Canal bank. Do not get off the train at Venezia Mestre station which is on the mainland. Some high speed trains do not continue to St. Lucia after Mestre. You can buy your train ticket from Trenitalia or ItaliaRail.
Accommodation
We stayed at Locanda Orseolo boutique hotel. Venice is a very romantic and beautiful place. So does this hotel. We took 45 mins water bus ride from train station to the hotel. It's located a few meters from St Mark's Square. Room was clean, big and nice. The breakfast was awesome! Omelette, crepe, sausage etc. Room rate was on high side, maybe because I booked it too last minute.
This hotel is located beside the Orseolo canal, some rooms come with view overlooking this charming canal.
What to do in Venice?
Piazza San Marco, St Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and Grand Canal are the major tourist attractions in Venice.
To visit Grand Canal, you can board a vaparetto which will cost 6.50€ for a single trip. If you want something more leisurely then of course the traditional gondola ride is a must. Gondola ride is the number 1 in Venice must do thing. Taking a gondola ride through Grand Canal can be romantic but can be expensive too. A standard ride lasts 40 minutes, you may end up with shorter ride if you negotiate for lower price. A gondola can hold maximum 6 people without additional charges, it will save you a bit of money by sharing the ride with others. Taking gondola at night is more expensive than during daytime. Most gondoliers speak English. Gondola fare is set officially at 80€ currently. Here is the latest gondola fare.
When you visit Venice don’t just go for a day trip (which quite a number of guided tour groups from Singapore do), you will miss out a lot of fun from staying overnight in Venice. We spent only 1 night in Venice and we arrived Venice quite late at night, so we didn't get to do much in Venice. If I had to choose only one city to revisit in Italy, it would be Venice.
1 comments
Interesting article about Italy trip. I've always dreamed about Italian trip, and especially Venice. When it is not under water, there should be in a hurry.
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