5 Things To Avoid In Venice

5 Things To Avoid In Venice

Are you planning a romantic trip to Venice? Or, perhaps, you want to buy a tour to this wonderful city to see every famous landmark with your own eyes? Get ready to be disappointed! You’ll be pushed at the narrow streets, spending long hours in lines, overpaying for coffee and lunches, not able to come close to the most popular sights to make a photo. Crowds… crowds everywhere! Well, Venice is one of the most popular and most visited places on the planet. Every day its narrow streets are flooded with tourists. Their amount can reach 60 or 80 thousand people! Of course, there are more inhabited cities in the world, but for Venice these numbers are catastrophic! The thing is: its canals and bridges aren’t designed to fit such a huge number of people.

Almost every tourist has the same standard route and the same list of sights found in a tourist guide. If you don’t plan your trip in advance and create an alternative plan, there’s a high risk to start hating this city from the first seconds. Follow our recommendations to avoid the typical mistakes, and you will be able to truly enjoy your trip and, perhaps, fall in love with this city after the first visit. We decided to create anti-recommendations. It’s a list of things that you don’t have to do in Venice. There are also useful life hacks from the people who have already been there.

 5 things to avoid in Venice

1. Don’t attempt to see all the sights of the city. Choose the most interesting ones and learn more about them.

Tourists always want to squeeze all the popular sights into a short visit. In Venice, such thing is impossible because of one simple reason – crowds of tourists are everywhere. Even during low season that comes for April and May these narrow streets are full of people who prevent you from walking fast, make a quick tour around city and see everything that’s planned. Give yourself a favor and make a must-see list of top places in advance.

Keep in mind that visiting some buildings might be impossible without tickets bought in advance. Even if you prefer to wander in the cities on your own, be sure to hire an excellent guide in Venice. Just believe us, it’s worth the money! First, all guides have special passes for their groups, and you will be able to skip the lines. Second, you won’t helplessly staring at the buildings thinking what’s so special about it. On the contrary, you will hear many interesting legends, stories about city’s landmarks and will their interiors.

 2. Don’t attempt to take photos of Venice from the famous Bridge of Sighs. It’s better to look at the city from inside the bridge.

The Bridge of Sighs is the busiest one. In order to admire the view of the city you will need to make your way through the crowd, push and “fight” for a place on the bridge with couples trying to make a perfect selfie and crowds of tourists. The popularity of the Bridge of Sighs is the so-called best view of the city. A bit from the history to understand. The bridge has gotten its name after the fact that all the criminals were walking through its inner part before being executed. On their way from the Doge’s Palace to San Marco Square they were looking at the city from this bridge for the last time and sighed bitterly. If you purchase an excursion to the Doge’s Palace, you will get a chance to make the same way and walk through the bridge, look at the city and sigh just like criminals, however, with relief that you’re not going to be beheaded after that.

 3. Don’t pay the “tourist” price for coffee (+$5). Buy it for $1.5 like locals.

f you want to enjoy your coffee at one of the cafes with a view on San Marco Square, be ready to pay for music as well. No, no one will be walking around with a hat, as you might have thought. It will be simply added to your bill. In general, you will be paying 6 euro more to your order. Yes, it might be one of the oldest places in the whole of Venice but a cup of coffee would cost you more than 20 euro. Don’t want to overpay? Well, just walk a couple of steps away from the square and buy it for 1.2 euro! However, you will have to drink it standing as all Italians do it here. At least, it’s a great way to get lost among locals.

 4. Don’t waste money on gondola trip. Take a boat instead.

Gondola trips are mentioned in every tourist guide. They are so often described that most tourists can’t imagine Venice without gondolas. If this is your dream as well, it’s very to make it true! However, don’t think that this is the only way to use the water ways.

In Venice, canals are used instead of roads. Food and products are delivered by water ways. Children don’t take a bus to go to school, they take a boat! Even an ambulance is turned into a boat! Gondolas were part of the daily life in Venice, however, in the present times, it’s mostly used for touristic purposes.

Whether booking a gondola ride or not – the choice is up to you. Take into account, however, that you might be sharing the narrow space with strangers. Moreover, the gondola moves quite fast, so you won’t see lots of things. The standard ride lasts for half an hour. Instead, you can book a boat trip.

You will be traveling along Grand Canal under the Rialto Bridge towards smaller islands. The guide will show you Prada’s Foundation House and the Old Customs House that was charging the boats coming to the city. You will the hotel where George Clooney had married and plenty of other sights! All these without pushing and tottering that are quite strongly felt when taking a small gondola.

 5. Don’t sweat while walking in the hot and noisy city. Enjoy the night Venice instead.

You might feel like a squeezed lemon after the whole day of running. Constant walking from one side of the city to another, crossing bridges, thousands of tourists around, never-ending noise and unbearable heat – all these can make your head spin. However, during nighttime, Venice calms down and changes completely. San Marco Square becomes big and spacious, the bridges are free, and the streets seem to widen and start attracting with their emptiness. You can take a walk in a night's peace and silence and feel the truly romantic atmosphere.

Or, you may a night Venice from water if booking taxi Venice at our website!

Venice is a majestic and one of the most beautiful cities. You just need to find a proper approach! Have a nice trip!