I have long wanted to visit Venice and experience the famous Carnevale – one of the world’s oldest Carnival celebrations. Having just returned, I can definitely say it did not disappoint.
How to get there
We flew into San Marco airport – and what a smooth process getting through this airport was. To get from the airport to the main island you can take the water taxi Alilaguna. We took the blue line and got off at its Fondamente Nove, which was a 5-minute walk to our accommodation.
There are other water taxis that will take you to other areas of Venice. This transfer is €15 one way or €27 return. Line Maps | Alilaguna. There is also the main train station, Santa Lucia, where you can arrive if you are coming in by train from another city in Italy.
Where to stay
There are thousands of places to stay while in Venice, so choosing a place can be difficult. My recommendation would be to stay outside of the busy areas of San Marco and San Polo – good luck hauling your luggage through this extremely busy tourist hub if you do stay here!
Carnevale
Carnevale in Venice starts in early February and lasts for three weeks. The origins of Carnevale in Venice can be traced back to the Saturnalia festival of ancient Rome, when the elite social classes were overturned, and slaves and free citizens poured into the city to celebrate. Venice transformed this ancient Roman festival to meet the needs of the Venetian Republic, which promoted the Carnevale to give to the people, especially the lower classes, a time to celebrate and have fun. Masks were worn to provide anonymity to all people, removing the division of social classes. Costumes and masks became a fixture of Carnevale during the early Renaissance.
Today you can see Carnevale revelers still wearing the same costumes they would have worn during Renaissance times. And it’s these Renaissance style costumes that make the Carnevale in Venice so distinct and famous. Some of the costumes we saw were so intricate, extravagant and ornate! And these costume wearers just parade around Saint Marks Square and pose for the thousands of tourists taking pics of them or with them. And yes, I made sure to do both! I mean these costumes were truly a sight to behold! Besides the endless amount of gawking at people in costume, there are also Carnevale masquerade balls, open air theatre productions, parades and other events to take part in. We stumbled across musicians and actors performing on stages throughout the city.
Things to do
As amazing as the costumes were, checking out all the fancy dress certainly wouldn’t fill an entire 3-day trip, so of course we enjoyed some of the other sites that Venice has to offer.
Venetian islands
An excursion to the Venetian islands of Murano and Burano is a lovely day trip, and some might say a must do when in Venice. You can buy a water taxi pass for €9.50 for 75 minutes or €25 for all day. As we were going to both islands and wanted as much time as we liked to visit, we opted for the all-day pass. From Fondamente Nove you can take Line 12 to both islands. We stopped off at Murano first as it’s a quick 10-minute ride. That and if you want to check out any glass blowing demonstrations you need to go in the morning as they stop doing them in the afternoon. Murano is famous for its Murano glass and there is no shortage of shops to buy any manner of Murano glass souvenir. Burano is a further 30-minute water taxi from Murano. The island is famous for its colorful houses found along every canal.
Ride a gondola!
One of the most iconic things to do when in Venice is to take a gondola ride. I would suggest getting one near an area you would like to see more of. The price for a gondola ride is set at €80, but if you are lucky and it’s a quiet day you may be able to haggle to get that a little bit lower. The ride is generally about 30 minutes so you might not think its worth the price, but I would have to argue that it is. In the end, you only live once and it would be a crime to go all the way to Venice and not take a gondola ride.
Bridges and photo spots
There are three large bridges that cross the Grand Canal – The Rialto, Ponte dell’ Accademia and the Ponte degli Scalzi. The Rialto is the most famous, being the oldest bridge across the grand canal and widely renowned as an architectural and engineering achievement of the Renaissance. This makes it one of the main tourist attractions and subsequently is always extremely busy with tourists. So while pretty, it’s not necessarily a pleasurable experience trying to cross it. My favorite is the Ponte dell’ Accademia mainly because the view from here is beautiful and I think the most iconic spot to get an amazing picture of the canal, and the Santa Maria della Salute (English: Saint Mary of Health).
St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)
St. Mark’s Square is a must see while in Venice with the Basilica, the Campanile tower, and the Doge’s Palace. All three of which you can go inside and tour, with the Basilica being free. You can purchase tickets for the Doge’s Palace and the Campanile tower online, and in fact purchase fast track tickets as well that will allow you to skip the lines. However, St. Mark’s Square will undoubtedly be very busy with hundreds of tourists, so I would recommend getting up early and heading here first thing. This will provide you with the opportunity to take some great photos and really stand back and enjoy the view of these historical sites in all their splendor. It also means you can be one of the first visitors to explore these sights and probably do so with fewer people.
Getting lost in the side streets
One of the great things to do in Venice is to simply wander aimlessly and get lost in the maze of streets. You will find many small niche shops as well as some great barcaros (Venetian tavern) to stop in and enjoy local chichettis and a drink.
Walking tour
Food
Barcaros in Canneregio Restaurants
- Da Alvise – Fondamenta Nove
- Osteria Mocenijo – Santa Croce