Getting to and around 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.
一家老少旅行指南:意大利七天七夜(第一部分:威尼斯)
前往威尼斯及周边地区
(一)前往威尼斯
我们一家三口前往威尼斯的经历对我们来说是一场噩梦(您可以在此处阅读更多详情)!我绝对不建议乘坐任何欧洲廉价航空公司的过境航班,因为这些航空公司不准时,会令你陷入恐慌和错过链接飞机的困境。
相比之下,从威尼斯到梅斯特 (Mestre) 火车站的机场接送服务巴士 (Airport Transfer) 非常便捷以轻松,只需二十分钟车程,就能抵达目的地。每人只需付八欧元/十二新元。您可以在机场直接购票,也可以提前在网上购票。
(二)游览威尼斯
我强烈建议您购买 ACTV 1-day Transport VENEZIA DAILY PASS(2022 年价格为 21 欧元)。此通行证的亮点是您能无限次乘坐威尼斯的水上巴士,也称为 Vaporetto。您只需乘坐三次 Vaporetto 即可物价所值,因为每趟乘坐 水上巴士的费用为7.5 欧元。如果您与长者一起同行,我会强烈推荐此通行证。
Marconi House ( €85 / S$124 for 4 Pax)
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
我们在威尼斯的住宿距离梅斯特火车站(Mestre Station) 仅五分钟步行路程,非常方便。住宿也靠近我们要前往的下一个目的地,佛罗伦萨,的巴士车站。
这个住宿的位置,设备和装潢都超乎了我的期待,令我们又惊又喜!为每人每晚支付三十一 新元,我们能享有超市、洗衣店和廉价的咖啡馆等便利设施,真是物超所值!
可是,对于特别敏感的人来说,唯一的潜在问题是住宿着落在马路旁边,所以早上可能会很吵。但是,我仍然睡得很好,因为从晚上十一点至隔天早上七点,路上没有太多噪音。如果我再次探访威尼斯,我肯定会以这个价格范围再次住在这家民宿。
另一点您要注意的是,如果您住在梅斯特而不是威尼斯,您必须考虑到平日早上七点半至十点,沿通往威尼斯的道路可能会出现交通堵塞,这可能会让您耽误一个或半小时。但是,乘坐火车而不是公共汽车去威尼斯可能会缓解这个问题。
景点
(一)威尼斯的工程奇迹
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.
在欣赏这座漂浮的城市时,人们不禁连想起为什么建筑物不会随着长时间浸泡在水中腐蚀?
事实证明,由于以下两个原因,用于建造地基的木材在 五百年内变成了非腐蚀性岩石:
(一) 将建筑物连接在一起的木杆被深深地钻入坚硬的粘土中,那里缺乏氧气保护木材不会腐烂。
(二) 与此同时,木杆不断被大量沉积物淹没,将它们石化成石头。
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/engineeringvenice/
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.
威尼斯独特的建筑风格吸引着来自世界各地的大批游客前来参观这座著名的城市。虽然这个名声振兴了当地经济,但它也导致了许多土著威尼斯人被迫离开这座城市,因为威尼斯的消费对于没有参与旅游业繁荣的当地人来说已经变得太贵了。 (谷歌“旅游业会扼杀威尼斯吗?”阅读更多关于这个问题的信息。)
冠状病毒疫情暴露了过度依赖旅游业为单一收入来源的经济体的风险。当国际游客禁止出入时,威尼斯的生意大受影响。实力较弱的业者被迫倒闭,而实力较强的企业则趁机维修或扩建设施,为下一波游客做好准备。
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.
众所周知,这座目前漂浮在水中的城市也面临着随着海平面上升而下沉的不幸危机。游客们涌向威尼斯,要赶上它沉没前,能亲眼见证与欣赏这个古老的工程奇迹,以不要错过这毕生难忘的体验!当然,对于威尼斯的居民来说,亲眼目睹自己的家园被淹没在水中将是最令人心碎的经历!
我真的很感恩我能够在二零二二年六月探访威尼斯。虽然当时挤满了来度暑假的欧美游客,但人群量仍然还算可以忍受。我无法想象当所有国家都放宽旅行限制并且游客蜂拥而至时,威尼斯会变得多么拥挤和喧哗!
(二)秘密行程(总督宫)和卡萨诺瓦越狱的故事
如果您有预算,我建议您参加总督宫的秘密行程之旅,费用为二十九欧元/四十二新元。这个私人旅游团将带您追随卡萨诺瓦如何在十八世纪逃离总督宫。您将可以进入不向其他公众开放的隐藏楼层。
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
这是我们在威尼斯一天半内所能参观的景点。我们还参观了威尼斯的学术界,但非常匆忙,对此,我对艺术家们感到很无礼与抱歉。
食物
住在梅斯特(Mestre) 地区而不是威尼斯的最大优势是消费比较便宜。根据经验,餐馆离 Mestre Station 越远,食物就越便宜。 二零二二年六月,我们可以在 Mestre 以三欧元/四新元的价格享用一顿美味的早餐,但在威尼斯的一家咖啡馆甚至连一杯拿铁都买不到。
以下是一些我喜欢的威尼斯美食和餐厅:
(一)威尼斯的米布丁馅饼
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.
这是我在亚洲没有尝过的口味。如果你在威尼斯看到它绝对值得一试。
(二) Venetian Cicchetti(我们花了 三十欧元 /四十四新元购买了十二个 Cicchettis 和 两杯酒精饮料。)
由于我们在总督府逗留了太久,错过了餐厅的午饭时间。因此,在下午四点,我们只能享用一些 当地的传统食物,Cicchettis ,填饱肚子。这些 Venetian Cicchettis 都是新鲜烹制的,每个价钱约为 1.5 到 2 欧元。我们品尝了Osteria Al Squero的Cicchettis,这家小店铺坐落在 Academia Vaporetto 车站附近的一个角落里。
3. Da Michele Pizza e Ristò ( We spent €40 / S$58 for 2 main dishes, 1 appetiser, and a soft drink.)
For dinner, we dined at Da Michele Pizza e Ristò, which was just across the street from our accommodation. I really like my Pomodoro pasta (€12-14). Unfortunately, my family had too much Cicchettis prior to dinner and we did not order much food here. The fried mozzarella balls were terrible so skip it. My dad ordered the grilled chicken and I really like the roasted potatoes on his plate. I will certainly return to this restaurant the next time I visit Venice.
Do note that if you are dining in, this restaurant charges €2.5 for each person for the table/cover charge, on top of the food that you will be ordering.
Next Destination: Florence
You can find out more about our journey to Florence here.
Total Expenditure for 7 Days 7 nights in Italy in June 2022
Expenditure Category | Per Person | % of Total Cost |
Budget Airline Air Ticket (Flying from Italy to the UK) | S$ 66 | 8% |
Flixbus Tickets | S$ 31 | 4% |
Vaporetto, Metro, Tram, and Bus Tickets | S$ 69 | 9% |
Accommodations (for 7 nights) | S$ 269 | 33% |
Food | S$ 235 | 29% |
Attractions Tickets | S$ 99 | 12% |
Insurance (7 Days) | S$ 40 | 5% |
Total | S$ 809 |
100% |
We have used an exchange rate of €1 to S$1.47 in our calculation.
If you have not read our other travel guides in Italy, do check them out here:
(三)Da Michele Pizza e Ristò(我们花了四十欧元 / 五十八新元买了两道主菜、一道开胃菜和一杯汽水。)
晚餐时,我们在 Da Michele Pizza e Ristò 用餐,餐馆就在我们住宿的街对面。我很喜欢我的番茄意大利面(约十二欧元)。由于我的家人在晚餐前吃了太多的 Cicchettis,我们没有在这里点太多的食物。我点的开胃菜,炸马苏里拉奶酪球,很干,不好吃。我爸爸点了烤鸡而我喜欢他盘子里的烤土豆。下次我探访威尼斯时,我想会回到这家餐厅。如果您在餐厅用餐,这家餐厅还会为每人收取 2.5 欧元的餐桌/封面费。
下一站:佛罗伦萨 (Florence)
二零二二年六月意大利7天7夜总消费
消费类别 | 每人消费 | 占总消费的百分比(%) |
廉价航空公司机票(从意大利飞回英国) | S$ 66/RMB 321 | 8% |
长途巴士票 | S$ 31/RMB 151 | 4% |
城市火车票和巴士票 | S$ 69/RMB 336 | 9% |
住宿(七晚) | S$ 269/RMB 1,309 | 33% |
食物 | S$ 235/RMB 1,143 | 29% |
景点门票 | S$ 99/RMB 481 | 12% |
保险(七天) | S$ 40/RMB 194 | 5% |
Total | S$ 809/RMB 3,935 |
100% |