Getting to and around Venice

1. Getting to Venice

Flying from Basel Airport to Venice via a transit flight was a nightmare for us (which you can read more about it here)! I will absolutely not recommend taking any transit flights with any European budget airlines because of the lack of punctuality by these airlines. 

In contrast, the airport transfer from Venice to Mestre Station was an absolute breeze and delight at a cost of €8/S$12 each person. You can purchase the ticket directly at the airport or in advance online. 

2. Getting Around Venice

I will strongly recommend you to get the ACTV 1-day Transport VENEZIA DAILY PASS (priced at €21 in 2022). The highlight of this pass is that you are entitled to unlimited rides on the water bus, also known as Vaporetto, in Venice. You will only need to take 3 rides on the Vaporetto to maximise the value of this pass as every single ride on the Vaporetto costs a tourist €7.5. I will highly recommend this pass if you are travelling with elders.  

Accommodation in Venice

Our accommodation in Venice was just a 5 minutes walk from the Mestre Station. It was really convenient getting around in Venice and en route to our next destination, Florence, via Flixbus. 

To my delight, the accommodation turned out to be better than what was advertised on booking.com as the owner had just renovated the place during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It was really good value paying S$31 for each person a night for the convenient location and amenities like a supermarket, laundry shops, and affordable cafes in the vicinity.

The only potential issue for someone really sensitive is that the accommodation is located right next to the road so it may be noisy in the morning. I still had a good night’s sleep as there was not much noise on the road from 11 pm onwards to 7 am the next day. Else, this accommodation certainly deserves a 10 out of 10 rating for the price we paid. If I am travelling in groups of 2 or more, I will certainly want to stay at this accommodation at this price range again. 

Do note that if you are staying in Mestre instead of Venice, you have to take into account that there may be traffic jams on weekdays morning from 7.30 to 10 am along the road to Venice which may set you back for an hour or half. However, this problem may potentially be mitigated by taking a train to Venice instead of a bus. 

Attractions

1. The Engineering Marvel of Venice

While admiring this floating city, one can’t help wondering why do the buildings not corrode in the water over time?

As it turns out, the wood that was used to construct the foundations became non-corrosive rocks over 500 years due to these 2 reasons:

1. The wooden poles that hold the buildings together were drilled deep down into the hard clay where a dearth of oxygen protected the wood from rotting. 

2. At the same time, the wooden poles were constantly inundated by a high volume of sediments which petrified them into stones. 

The unique architecture in Venice attracts throngs of tourists from all over the world to visit this renowned city. While this fame had vitalised the local economy, it had also pushed many indigenous Venetians to leave the city as Venice had become too expensive for locals who do not have a stake in the tourism boom. (Google “Is tourism killing Venice?” to read up more about the issue.)

The Covid-19 pandemic had exposed the vulnerability of an economy that depends heavily on tourism as a single source of income. When tourists were confined to their homes, businesses in Venice suffered. The weaker businesses shut down while the stronger ones took the opportunity to upgrade their facilities to prepare for the next wave of tourists. 

This city that currently floats in water is also known to be at dire risk of sinking with rising sea levels. Tourists flock to Venice for fear that the city may sink before they witness this ancient engineering marvel. If Venice were to sink, it would be interesting to see if Venice could be preserved and accessed by submarines. Of course, for the residents of Venice, it would be the most heartbreaking event to witness their homes submerging into the water! 

I am really grateful that I was able to visit Venice post-covid in June 2022. It was pretty packed with European and American tourists enjoying their summer vacations but the crowd was still tolerable. I cannot imagine how crowded and unpleasant Venice would be when all countries ease their travel restrictions and tourists are flooding back in!

2. Secret Itinerary (Doge’s Palace) and the story of Cassanova’s escape from the prison 

If you have the budget, I will recommend joining the Secret Itinerary tour in Doge’s Palace which will set you back by €29/S$42. This small group private tour will take you along the journey of how Cassanova escaped from the Doge’s Palace in the 18th Century. You will have access to the hidden floor that is not open to other members of the public. 

These are the only 2 attractions that I had time to enjoy over 1.5 days in Venice. We also visited the Academia in Venice but it was a really hurried visit which was unfortunate and disrespectful to the artists. 

My apologies that I have not done much justice to Venice with my write-up as a beginner travel writer. Do check out this in-depth travel guide in Venice by a seasoned travel writer for more inspiration! I really love how the author describes Venice in her introduction. 

Food

The biggest advantage of staying in the Mestre area instead of Venice is the affordability of the food. As a rule of thumb, the further away the eatery is from the Mestre Station, the cheaper the food. We can get a good breakfast for €3/S$4.4 in Mestre but not even a cup of Latte in a cafe in Venice in June 2022. 

Here are some food and restaurants from Venice that I like:

1.Rice Pudding Tarts in Venice 

This is something interesting that I have not tasted in Asia before. Definitely worth a try if you see it in Venice. 

2. Venetian Cicchetti (We spent €30 / S$44 for 12 Cicchettis and 2 alcoholic beverages.)

After a long tour at the Doge’s palace, most of the restaurants were closed and we had no choice but to fill our stomachs with some Cicchettis at 4 pm. These Venetian Cicchettis were all freshly prepared and each cost around €1.5 to 2. We had our fills at Osteria Al Squero, a petite shop tucked away in a corner near the Academia Vaporetto station.

3. Da Michele Pizza e Ristò ( We spent €40 / S$58 for 2 main dishes, 1 appetiser, and a soft drink.)

For dinner, we dined at Da Michele Pizza e Ristò, which was just across the street from our accommodation.  I really like my Pomodoro pasta (€12-14). Unfortunately, my family had too much Cicchettis prior to dinner and we did not order much food here. The fried mozzarella balls were terrible so skip it. My dad ordered the grilled chicken and I really like the roasted potatoes on his plate. I will certainly return to this restaurant the next time I visit Venice. 

Do note that if you are dining in, this restaurant charges €2.5 for each person for the table/cover charge, on top of the food that you will be ordering. 

Next Destination: Florence

You can find out more about our journey to Florence here. 

Total Expenditure for 7 Days 7 nights in Italy in June 2022

We have used an exchange rate of €1 to S$1.47 in our calculation. 

If you have not read our other travel guides in Italy, do check them out here: