- Venice
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Italy
I asked the guy at my hotel for a good restaurant, a place where locals go to, and he sent me to this place. It's near Rialto.
To be honest, we saw the queue and for a while we thought of not going in, but we waited (not for long, the service is very quick, maybe too quick) and the place was great. fantastic food, good prices and a lot of locals.
Calle d. Madonna,San Polo 594
www.ristoranteallamadonna.com/
A haven of a bar near the Rialto in Venice! Happy hour between 5 and 7.30pm makes the delicious cocktails very affordable.
This was actually recommended to me by another traveler and the fact that I'm passing on the tip says it all!
There may be tourists here but they are mostly backpackers and young people, giving the bar a fun international flavor.
The owners are super-friendly too and seem genuinely interested in their visitors, particularly those from elsewhere in Europe so be prepared to engage in some lively conversation!
San Marco 5546, Venice
www.bacarojazz.com/
Popping into this cheap little Venice restaurant near the train station on the way home bought an unusual surprise.
I've been told since that it's a chain but it's not like places in England. The dishes are simple but tasty and my pasta was cooked fresh to order while I watched.
The salad was also good quality and (another surprise!) we had a reasonably priced beer to accompany it too.
Lista di Spagna, Canneregio 124
I don't know what to say about this Venice hostel except that it's everything a good, cheap hostel should be.
The location is unbeatable, a five-minute stroll to Piazza San Marco and even closer to the Rialto Bridge. You really get the feeling that you're staying right in the heart of the city and on a typical Venetian street.
It's very reasonable for a private room – and a room that's nice and sunny, too!
They said they do special last minute deals that work out even cheaper, but, it's such a great place I can't imagine they've spare rooms all that often.
San Marco 3358, Salizada San Samuele, Venice, 30124
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/italy/venice/25275/
I would definitely recommend a look when you visit Venice. It's inside the Church of St Mark (Basilica di San Marco) and as well as the fantastic ceiling mosaics, offers has a great view of the piazza.
Go up the (steep!) staircase on the right as you go from the narthex into the main body of the church. It's worth the effort, though.
The real horses of San Marco are up here too – the other ones are only modern replicas.
San Marco, Piazza San Marco
A Venice restaurant with a proper city feel! This eatery is trendy and fun – and a welcome change from the tourist haunts that dominate the city.
The food was interesting - as well as the usual pasta there were dishes like beef with nuts and plum - and also quite reasonable. I think it was about 30 euros for three courses.
We ended up staying here all night (with another bottle of wine, of course) as there was live music and were surprised to find ourselves staggering back to our hostel at nearly 1am!
Fondamenta de la Misericordia, Cannaregio 2540
You are sent photos of a beautiful modern apartment "newly refurbished" and when you get there you are conducted to a completely different flat filled with cheap and nasty reproduction furniture, artificial flowers and glass tat.
On top of this there is a lovely view from the balcony of major building works in progress in the street opposite. The 'owner' Andrea Scarpi tells you that the 'other flat' is unavailable but still expects you to pay the same price you were quoted for the smart one. The breakfast is not worth having - all long-life products, nothing at all fresh, and three people share coffee from an espresso maker for one. A complete rip off.
e-mail:bbmestrina@fastwebnet.it
www.bbmestrina.com
photos & video: www.picasaweb.google.it/mestrina/MESTRINA
We loved the apartment we rented in Venice through Houses in Venice. This was our first apartment experience while in Venice. We know that you value input from travelers and here is ours.
The apartment we rented was central to all our activities in Venice and the accommodations could not have been better. The apartment was clean, warm, and accommodating with a full kitchen.
In making the advance arrangements, Housesinvenice.com was very helpful and cooperative. More economical than a hotel stay.
Venice is my most favourite city in the entire world, but when you are fed up of being jostled and barged into, when you become invisible to the ocean liner troupe let loose in the city for a few hours, where can you go?
Take the vaporetto or ferry from the Fondamente Nouve stop on Venice’s northern shore and travel 10km north-west across the lagoon to the tiny, windswept island of Torcello.
Deep channels run between the mud-banks and are marked by bricole, wooden poles lashed together and emerging from the water. The channels are busy with all sorts of craft - rushing water taxis, vaporetto ploughing along full of city workers, huge dredgers keeping channels clear and fishermen looking for shrimp.
The landscape opens out as you enter the lagoon. It’s often misty, often mysterious. The sky and water merge. Brine laden winds caress you. All at once the quiet of the lagoon becomes unearthly. A feeling of deep relaxation is within you, which can be strangely energising.
This silent island was the first in the lagoon to be settled by Veneti after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and Germanic invasion. It was virtually impregnable and became an attractive refuge for merchants and tradesmen. The population once exceeded 20,000 but by the 12th century the lagoon had silted up and Torcello became inaccessible and malarial. The inhabitants left, and literally took their fine residences with them, leaving a littering of architectural debris.
Just a handful of residents remain in this tranquil backwater. The two churches of Torcello stand in magnificent isolation around the overgrown piazza - the church of Santa Fosca alongside the oldest building in the lagoon, the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta founded in the 7th century. Its exterior is devoid of splendour, yet within are Byzantine treasures - the 13th century Madonna in the apse and the west wall decorated with a huge 12th century mosaic depicting the Last Judgement. The massive stone shutters of the windows turning on huge rings of stone cause the whole building to resemble a retreat from the enemy rather than a house of God.
The roughly crafted campanile is to be climbed in the early evening, up strangely sloping ramps. The throat catching beauty and loneliness of the lagoon becomes apparent. John Ruskin called it, “a waste of wild sea moor of a lurid ashen grey”. The mudflats and marshes are choked. The silted-up waterways are now homes to herons and egrets. Trees, reeds and broom grow over what was once a settlement. With imagination, this place is timeless. Just rest and sigh. Enjoy this place with an open mind and a willingness to get lost.
As you speed back to Venice for your evening meal, take a moment, turn, and catch that ‘Turneresque’ light. Watch the buildings of the island melt into the lagoon.
Torcello is the perfect antidote to glamorous Venice. There’s time for quiet contemplation, which too often nowadays can elude you in Serenissima.
All I wanted was the five Cs
Cheap – in Venice that’s almost impossible, but this was very reasonable.
Cheerful – fabulous smile from the receptionist on arrival and every time we returned.
Cosy – ask for an attic room at the back so you can spy down into the locals' gardens below, and see the ocean liners berth in the distance. The breakfast room overlooks a local canal.
Clean – room was spotless and cleaned every day.
Convenient – 50 metres from Piazzale Roma bus station and car park, 250 metres from vaporetto number 1 stop, and 5 minutes from the railway station.
A fabulous 'garden' restaurant with a varied menu and some lovely people. We ate the best fish dishes in the lagoon here.
www.villa600.it
villa6000@libero.it
tel.e fax 041 52 72 254
This small hotel (about seven rooms) has a spectacular location on the Grand Canal, right by the Rialto bridge. Our room (junior suite) had a breathtaking view right onto the Grand Canal. Excellent service from the charming owner made us feel like royalty - a really special place.
The last time I flew to Venice, an air hostess announced 'For those of you on the right-hand side of the plane you will shortly have a wonderful view of Venice in the sunset. For those of you on the left, you really should have sat on the right!'
Do Mori is simply not to be missed. It's a little hard to find, but is near the Rialto market, and worth the hunt. You should only find locals here - it's where the market traders go from mid-morning for their 'ombra' - a glass of wine and perhaps some ciccheti (little snacks).
There are no tables here and no waiter service, so simply go up to the counter of the little dark bar, choose your wine, choose some snacks and enjoy a taste of real Venice. Don't expect service with a smile, but do expect to feel part of the real city.
San Polo 429 - Entrances on Calle Galiazza and Calle Do Mori, In San Polo, Venice
Venice is magical, there's no denying it, but space on the main islands is at a premium and therefore accommodation tends to be very pricey. On our last visit we chose to stay on the island of Murano, and rented an apartment from a local there. It cost us less than £30 per night (for the apt, not per person!) and it was fabulous. For a start, the vaporettos (water buses) run all night, and it only takes 15 mins to get to Venice on the boat, on the most beautiful route you could imagine, past the stunning cemetery island. Secondly, although it is home to plenty of tourists during the daytime, (visiting the glass factories), they are absent in the morning and evening, and you really feel like a member of the local community. There are lovely grocery shops, a supermarket, and a fruit boat - to buy all your fresh food. And there are some great local restaurants to eat in should you not feel like venturing over onto mainland Venice for dinner. It's also really easy to get to from either airport, as the boats run straight there from Piazzale Roma. It's the perfect counterpoint to the chaos of Venice's main islands. Finally, it's also closer to Burano, the beautiful island nearby, which is home of the amazing restaurant Il Gatto Nero. Do it. You won't regret it.
Murano next to venice - go hunting on google, you'll find accomodation!
For quality at a fairly affordable price in Venice, simply stay outside of Venice itself. The Hotel Bologna has been recently refurbished in a modern and tasteful style. But its real beauty is that it's over the road from Mestre railway station and just 10 minutes from Venice station and the Grand Canal.
It's also just over the road from the bus stop that will take you to (Venice) Treviso airport for your budget flight home.
Via Piave 214, Venezia, I-30171, IT
Phone: 39 041 931000
Literally opposite Venezia Mestre railway station
Want to go to Venice but afraid of the hotel prices there? Stay in Mestre and commute to Venice each day. We did and found it fascinating to jump on a bus each morning and go to Venice with the workers. The view of Venice from a bus on the causeway is certainly different.
If you're arriving at San Marco airport, do splash out the 12 euros to get the blue line Alilaguna boat to your nearest stop. Day or night it's the only way to arrive, but once you're there, enjoy Venice most by just walking and getting lost in the quieter backstreets, and seeing a glimpse of what's left of the life of a diminishing non-tourist resident population. Small shops, bars, galleries and markets will welcome you.
Try Arsenale or around Campo Santa Margherita and the beautiful Del Frari Church for a start. If it's raining or misty, so much the better. If it's December, the Christmas market near Accademia Bridge will warm you up. For half a euro cross the canal by shared traghetti gondala and stand like the locals.
www.alilaguna.it/
Then have a map handy for use in emergencies only
La Caravella is a historic restaurant in Venice, the decor recalls the famous vessel, but with an elegant touch. In summer the restaurant serves its delicious dishes in a typical Venetian courtyard. It's a first class restaurant with great dishes (turbot, filet of beef, risotto, pasta) and wide selection of wines. Cost is not obviously on the cheap side, however it is among the less expensive, considering restaurants of the same level, or even of a lower consideration! Remember to make a reservation especially on weekends.
La Caravella is on via XXII Marzo,
refer to its website
www.restaurantlacaravella.com/
One of the best bar-restaurants in Venice at San Marco.
Rio Tera degli Assassini
San Marco Venice
0039415287986
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