Venice Practical Tourist Information
From:
Venice Links
ABOVE: A water bus on the Grand Canal.
General Advice
Introducing Venice
veniceforvisitors.com
Our
three-page orientation article is designed for first-time visitors to Venice,
Italy.
Top 11 Tourist Mistakes in
Venice
veniceforvisitors.com
(And how to avoid them.) Our illustrated article isn't
just a list--it's packed with useful tips and links to related articles at
Venice for Visitors.
Weather/Climate
Venice Weather
veniceforvisitors.com
Check current conditions or click for a 10-day forecast in metric or English
units. This page also has links to month-by-month climate averages,
sunrise/sunset times, and the current time in Venice, Italy.
Accessible Travel
Accessible Venice
veniceforvisitors.com
This detailed article has photos and a map excerpt
that shows wheelchair-accessible portions of the historic center. It also
mentions guide services and agencies that cater to disabled travelers.
Baggage
Baggage Storage - Left
Luggage veniceforvisitors.com
Here's a list of places where you can store suitcases before or after
your arrival or departure at the airport, railway station, bus and taxi
terminal, or cruise terminal.
Casino
Venice Casino
Venice has two municipal casinos that are open year-round: the Ca'
Vendramin Calergi on the Grand Canal, and a newer mainland
branch beyond the airport.
Currency and Credit Cards
Money in Venice
veniceforvisitors.com
Here's what you need to know about getting cash, exchanging currency,
and using credit cards.
Discounts
Venice Connected
This pass from the tourist office, formerly the Venice Card, may be useful
if you need its services and can figure out the frustratingly complicated
pricing scheme. Also, if you're between the ages of 14 and 29, you can buy a
"Rolling Venice" youth discount card for several euros at any
Hellovenezia ticket counter or branch of the Venice tourist office.
Ethnic Travel
Jewish Venice
veniceforvisitors.com
Read about the Venetian Ghetto, the Museo Ebraico, and kosher hotels and
restaurants.
Family Travel
Venice for Families
veniceforvisitors.com
Churches, art museums, and walking tours may not be to every child's
taste, but Venice does have its share of attractions for very young tourists.
Flooding
Acqua Alta
veniceforvisitors.com
High tide, low atmospheric pressure, and a scirocco wind can make Venice
feel like Atlantis. Our illustrated article tells what to expect and how to
prepare for "high water."
Gay/Lesbian Venice
Gay Venice
This small site lists a handful of gay-owned or overtly gay-friendly clubs and
accommodations in Venice.
Internet Access
Venice
Wi-Fi Network
veniceforvisitors.com
The Comune di Venezia has
hot spots along the Grand Canal and in many campi. You can use them
for a small daily or weekly fee.
Cellular Abroad's MiFi Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot
veniceforvisitors.com
Rent a pocket-size device that includes unlimited Wi-Fi bandwidth for up to
five smartphones, tablets, computers, etc. at once. (Unfortunately, it's
available only to residents of the U.S. and Canada.)
Venetian Navigator
Venice has many Internet points these days, but Venetian Navigator was one of
the first. See our article for more information.
Language
Foreign Languages for
Travelers
Use the search windows to generate an online English-Italian phrasebook with recorded
pronunciations. (We would have linked directly to the Italian page, but this site's URLs
change so often that you might find yourself studying Icelandic or Afrikaans.)
Istituto
Venezia
Learn Italian just around the corner from one of Venice's
liveliest squares, the Campo Santa Margherita. (The language school operates
year-round and can help long-term students find housing.)
Laundry
Venice Laundromats
veniceforvisitors.com
Self-service laundries are a rarity in Venice,
but our article will help you find them.
Maps
See our Venice Travel Planner: Maps page.
Miscellaneous
Walking in
Venice
veniceforvisitors.com
How to
find your way with directional signs, street signs, and maps.
Venice Street Signs
veniceforvisitors.com
Local place names don't always correspond to map and guidebook spellings, so
know how to interpret signs in Venetian dialect.
Helpful
Hints About Venice
In Italy Online offers tips on
getting an early start, entertaining your children, and touring the Venetian Lagoon.
Money
Money and Currency
europeforvisitors.com
This two-page section of our
Europe Travel Planner at Europe for
Visitors has information on using ATMs, currency-exchange machines, credit
cards, traveler's checks abroad--including tips on avoiding the hidden
"currency conversion" fees that many banks and credit-card companies are
tacking on these days.
Opera
Gran Teatro La Fenice
Venice's opera house was gutted by a fire in 1996, but performances moved to
other venues during the theatre's restoration. The theatre is again open for
business, and you can buy tickets or take an audioguide tour.
Shopping
Venice Gifts and
Souvenirs veniceforvisitors.com
Carnival masks and glow-in-the-dark gondolas may be hard to resist, but don't
ignore practical purchases--especially if you're on a budget.
Fines for Fakes
veniceforvisitors.com
"Let the buyer beware" has a new meaning in Italy, where purchasing a Prada
knockoff or a pirated CD could cost you an extra 3,333 to 10,000 euros.
Carnival Masks
veniceforvisitors.com
Whether you're headed for Carnevale or enjoying it vicariously at home,
you can learn about Venetian Carnival masks--and even order them online.
Murano,
the Glass Island
veniceforvisitors.com
In 1296, the glassblowers of Venice moved to an island called Murano. Seven
hundred years later, their descendants are still turning sand into gold.
I Tre Mercanti
veniceforvisitors.com
This may be the best Italian wine and food shop in Venice. If you're
buying wine in bulk, ask about VAT-free shipping with customs duty prepaid.
Venice
Supermarkets veniceforvisitors.com
In recent years, supermercati have spread throughout the city. Here are
several brands to look for, with tips on how to shop.
Illegal Street Vendors
veniceforvisitors.com
Phony designer handbags are the main stock in trade for the vu compra
(immigrant Senegalese peddlers who sell from blankets in the street).
Venice
Master Artisans
veniceforvisitors.com
If you buy just one coffee-table book about Venice, make it this one. The
large-format, 272-page book has 210 color photos and 30 profiles of artisans
who use traditional techniques to make everything from glass to footwear to
metal castings. (There's even an American-born gondola maker.)
Bentley's Guide to
Shopping in Italy: Venice
Name-brand boutiques like Fendi and Missoni are hard to miss in Venice, so Logan
Bentley and Barbara Lessona concentrate on quality shops that you might not find on your
own.
Spas
Hotel Cipriani's 'Gondola Massage' veniceforvisitors.com
Pressed for time and stressed by a tight vacation schedule? Get a soothing
spa treatment and see the sights in one two-hour session.
Time zones
The Time Zone Converter
In addition to a "What time is it in..." window, this site has a
time-zone reference card, lists of time zones for specific countries, and
links to other time-related pages.
World Time
Zones
Check the current time in 1,000 places around the world, view a map of world
time zones, etc. From ConvertIt.com.
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