Venezia! Not just for Lovers

It wasn't until my second day in Venice that I realized one possible major reason why I love the city so much - no cars!! None at all. Just feet and boats.

Other great surprise for me: Italy has recently banned smoking in bars/restaurants! Woohoo! I went out to a bar and came home NOT smelling like an ashtray! What more could you want?

Quick Tips:

It's definitely a good idea to famliarize yourself a bit with the Italian language before coming.

If the tourist office in the train station is open when you arrive, stop inside. The ladies there were very helpful.

The Rolling Venice card (3€, good for 1 year) is a great deal for those under 29. It gives you discounts on restaurants, shops, hotels, etc., and you save 7€ on the 72-hour Vaporetti pass (normally 22€).

No matter how long you stay in Venice, you'll wish you'd stayed longer, so keep that in mind when making plans. This is not a city you want to do too quickly.

You might want an entire day or at least an afternoon just for wandering around the town.

Don't use your map too much; it will just waste your time. It's really difficult to find things, so it's best to just explore and come across the things you want to see. The major sights like San Marco and Rialto are marked on street corners with arrows, so you won't miss them.

Explore the islands.

Best Way To Get Around:

Your feet! It's the best way to get a feel for the city. Also, the vaporetti (water buses) are a good way to see the city from the canals without paying loads of money for a gondola. Take at least one trip on the canal to get some great photos of Venice. Also, you'll take the vaporetti to get to the islands, so think about how much you'll be riding them in case a transport pass might be a good deal.

When we got to the building, we were a little put off. Especially at night it looks a bit more like something from a horror movie. Well, it IS a 600-year-old building.

Once inside, we found it slightly shabbier than we'd expected from the website. Our four-person dorm actually had five beds (and people), you're supposed to mop the bathroom after you use it, etc. But, at only 20€ a night, it's the best deal in Venice, especially given the great location right near the Rialto markets.

The management is very informal. Two 20-something cousins work at the hostel. It's very informal when you check in, and you just kind of pay for your room whenever. Make sure you ask for a receipt because one of the employees doesn't always give one.

On the whole, though, I'd still stay in this hostel again. The atmosphere was terrific. There's a kitchen with a stove, sink, dishes, and refrigerator to use and lots of cheerful fellow backpackers hanging out in the kitchen eating and sharing wine and stories. It was great fun.

Included in price is breakfast (the breakfast is in the building next door; you get coffee and a croissant), linens, Internet (which wasn't working while we were there), a towel, and kitchen access. You must pay for your room in cash.

We chose this restaurant based on its location and the thumbs-up sign in my Let's Go book. It was a great choice.

The classical music and formal service made us feel a bit underdressed, but it didn't seem to matter. The food was excellent and the prices are very reasonable. We had lunch, and lunches were typically around 15€.

The wine menu is excellent.

There are plenty of locals eating there, but you can also tell by the extensive collection of guest books that it's a popular spot for tourists. If you sign the guest book, you can come back 10 years later and see what you wrote.

Overall, it was a great experience and a nice little treat for two low-income college grads.

This is a nice little restaurant in Murano with delicious food! Menus are available in Italian, English, French, and German. Plates from the hors d'oevre section provide cheap but hearty meals.

Welcome to the very first Jewish ghetto, started at the end of the 15th century. The word ghetto actually comes from the Italian word getto, which means foundry. The first Jews in Venice came to work in the foundry.

In order to see the synagogues, you have to take a tour.

The actual museum isn't really worth it. It tells you the history of the Jewish community in Venice, and otherwise, is just full of old items from the synagogues. Unless you're really into seeing that stuff, I'd either take the tour or skip it all together.

The tour was great. An English tour is given every hour on the half-hour. You get to see the German and French synagogues (and normally the Italian, but it's currently being renovated). We also saw the Spanish synagogue, which is the one they use in summer. Perhaps if you visit in summer, you get to see the one they use in the winter. The tour also provides tons of interesting facts about the history of the Jewish people in Venice.

It's a refreshing change from all the churches and cathedrals. I definitely recommend checking this area out and at least reading about the history if you don't take the tour. It's really cool.

First off, as the name implies, they've got great jazz tunes in the background.

Secondly, and actually, this may be the FIRST thing you notice, there are rows of bras hanging from the ceiling as you enter. If you want a free T-shirt, wear a bra you don't mind giving away to add to the collection. The idea of this really offended me at first and maybe it still sort of does, but it's all just fun and games and the staff here is really friendly. It is a great place to hangout.

Ah, San Marco, the center of tourism in Venice. It wasn't terribly crowded with tourists when I went, as it was winter and freezing, but I've heard it suggested that this is NOT the place to start your tour of Venice, as the crowds of tourists may turn you off of the city.

That said, the Basilica di San Marco is a gorgeous church. I can't tell you how much my feet enjoy walking on marble.

In the high season, the lines are said to be quite long, so making an early morning visit is probably your best bet. If you have a backpack, you can't bring it inside. I have a small daypack, though, which they let me take in.

When you enter, if you go up the stairs to the right of the entrance, you can pay 1,50€ for entrance into a little mosaic museum. This is definitely a must. You get a great view of the mosaics, as well as information and samples of some older incomplete pieces. The original horses are also on display in the museum. You also get access to the balcony above the entrance, where the horses are on display, for a nice little view of the piazza.

There are free bathrooms in the museum, but it's one per sex, so there might be a bit of a wait.

The basicila is the main attraction in Venice and boasts some amazing mosaics. For the best view of the mosaics, be sure to hit the Galleria. Try to go really early to avoid crowds, though I'm not sure it's possible to avoid the large groups of loud school children and teens.

It's 2€ to visit the treasury (to your right as you enter the church). Although there's not much information about them, there are interesting gold pieces and relics from the Fourth Crusade.

For another 1,50€ you can go up to the alter of the basilica, where the tomb of St. Mark lies.

Everything in the basilica is much more interesting if you have a good guidebook to explain the history behind it all.

Please note that the dress code requires shoulders and knees to be covered.

Murano is the island of glass-blowing. The artisans of Venice were forced to live on this island in the 13th century in order to prevent fires in the city and to help keep the secret of Venetian glass-making a secret.

The boat ride to the island is reason enough for me to go to Murano. You can even see the Alps from the boat, and there are beautiful views of Venice and the other islands.

We got off at Colona and headed left. There are glass-blowing demonstrations that you can pop in and look at for free. If you keep walking along the road (left from the Colona stop), you come to a gate directing you to a glass-blowing demonstration. This one is pretty nice, as there's a man who explains the whole process while you watch. All demonstrations have tip plates, but don't feel obligated to tip unless you really want to.

The Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum) is the main attraction on the island, but unfortunately it was closed when we went. Make your plans in advance and note that the museum is CLOSED on Wednesdays.

Churches

San Pietro Martire: A Dominican church containing two paintings by Giovanni Bellini. Open daily 9am to noon and 3 to 6pm. Entrance is free.

Santa Maria e Donato: Founded in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 12th, this Veneto-Byzantine church boasts some beautiful mosaics. The baptismal font to the right of the altar as you come in is particularly unique, so be sure to get a glimpse. St. Donato's bones were brought to the church and are kept there along with bones from the dragon he supposedly killed. Four dragon bones hang behind the altar. Open daily from 8am to noon and 4 to 7pm. Entrance is free.

This island is Venice's cemetery, established when a Napoleanic decree forbade further burials in Venice. It's amazing to see such a beautiful but crowded cemetery. There's a small, separate area where the Protestants are buried, and Ezra Pound's grave is found here marked by a plain slab bearing his name.

Open daily in summer from 7:30am to 6pm and in winter from 7:30am to 4pm. It is at vaporetti stop Cimitero.