Our flight from Rome was in the early afternoon. And that meant we still had almost two hours after our nice breakfast to relax in our hotel. Moreover it had been such a delight roaming around in Rome during the last three days. As we went around experiencing the top 18 Rome landmarks. And when in Rome you’ll just love to walk around from one attraction to the other. We landed at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport a bit early. Therefore we had enough time for a bit of shopping, lots of window shopping and a coffee before boarding our flight. As we looked forward to enjoying our first day in Venice.
Venice – Our first experience
As we picked up our check-in baggage, exchanged our voucher for the Three-Day Travel Card from the counter and moved towards the exit of Marco Polo airport, came this man who stopped us. He claimed to be a police officer and was dressed like one.
“Can I have your passports please? I have to check your visa”, he uttered. I immediately shot back, “Sorry can’t handover the passports to you as the visa checking is all done and we are through with the process. And please move”. We dodged him and proceeded towards the bus terminal. He didn’t attempt to stop us but immediately caught hold of another youngish couple and started repeating the same story.
I thought this was one of the many scams in Italy that a visitor needs to be careful of, as shared by other travel bloggers through their experiences. But apart from this one incident we hadn’t faced any problems in our last one week in Italy. And we had spent time in Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri and Rome.
Venice Airport to Venice City Center
To get from Venice airport to the city you could avail of one of the many options- public transport (Airport bus ACTV no.5), Airport shuttle, Airport water bus), Airport transfer cabs or hire a car without driver after depositing the required documents ( driving license of your country, passport and credit card copies). We availed of the ACTV no.5 Bus and reached Piazzale Roma bus terminus in 30 minutes.
Check out the options for public transport from airport and do your bookings in advance to avoid long queues at the dispenser machines and ticket counters at the airport departure terminal. Visit Venezia Unica, the official tourism website of the city of Venice & book. Or book with GetYourGuide if you find good options with them.
Where to stay in Venice?
Well that’s a million dollar question. Venice is one of the costliest cities in Europe. However as like in any touristy destination in Europe, it depends on how deep your pockets are. If you are a honeymoon couple celebrating in Venice, well you certainly can afford to splurge and you must. By staying in an exquisite hotel located with a view of the canals, Grand Canal or the Venetian lagoon. Also if you are on a short trip and wish to avoid wasting time on local travel too much. Here are some of the top locations for you to choose from.
San Marco
San Marco is right in the center of Venice near the top tourist attractions like St. Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace and Rialto Bridge. This certainly is the top destination in Venice.
San Polo
San Polo is yet another great locality to put up with your loved one. Right in the heart of the city close to Rialto Bridge.
Dorsoduro
Dorsoduro is close to the city center again within a short walking distance of the top attractions. The walk though is a bit longer than San Marco and San Polo.
Santa Croce
Santa Croce, the transportation hub of Venice is not exactly in the city center but just a 20 min walk. However if you wish to avoid the walk at times you could also avail a vaporetto.
Cannaregio
This area of Venice is where the locals stay. There are no important landmarks close by except a few churches. There is also a Jewish Ghetto in the neighborhood.
Castello
Castello is another less touristy place where you will find more locals than tourists. Therefore it is an ideal place if you wish to get the local flavor of Venice and abundant peace.
Guidecca
If you are looking for a completely different trip altogether, Guidecca Island is a destination to remember your honeymoon for. Because of the stunning views of the Venetian Lagoon from the comfort of your room.
Where did we stay?
Venice is a small city. And the city center not a late night destination with most places closing by ten in the night. We decided to stay a little away across the lagoon in the garden city of Marghera. An industrial hub with beautiful parks, wide streets, residential houses, trams and buses, great restaurants and some good choice of hotels at a bargain price.
We chose Hotel Roma through our favorite hotel booking site Booking.com and it turned out to be fabulous choice. Friendly owner, huge room with a street side balcony, awesome complimentary breakfast, tea coffee soft drinks and small snacks round the clock, an outside sit-out area, a beautiful neighborhood. Add to that the late night peace as we looked down on the street from our balcony before setting out for dinner in an Indian restaurant on our first day. All these at a great price. Well we couldn’t have asked for more.
Marghera is well connected to Venice with frequent buses which is the best option for travel. A two minute walk from our hotel was the bus 6 & 6L bus stop and it takes ten minutes to reach Piazzale Roma from there. A short walk and you are at the jetty terminal of Grand Canal.
Train services are also available from Marghera to Santa Lucia station which is close to Piazzale Roma. Moreover you can always hire taxis if you are in a hurry. We took bus 6 to reach Marghera, checked-in to our hotel quickly and moved back to Venice to explore the beautiful Canal City.
How we enjoyed our first day
Took a Vaporetto ride
It was a 4 minute walk to reach Tranchetto ACTV Fermata Vaporetti / Waterbus terminal from Piazzale Roma where our bus 6 left us. We then took the first available vaporetto to go for a long spin of the canal. The Three-Day Travel Card we had purchased was valid for all the rides that we took while in Venice.
Enjoyed the awesome views
Spent time at St. Mark’s Square
Walked and explored San Marco & San Polo
Watched happy travelers sail past
Took a Gondola Ride
Coffee & bites at Caffe Lavena, Piazza San Marco
Some relaxed moments in our hotel balcony
Before heading for an Indian Dinner at Namaste Venezia, Mestre
Our second day morning
After our morning tea we went out for walk to explore the beautiful Marghera neighborhood around our hotel. It was such a refreshing experience.
Morning shows the day as the knowledgeable say. With that saying in mind, we set out from our hotel after a lovely breakfast for yet another day of fun in Venice.
Venice, the city of 0.25 million residents welcome around 20 million visitors every year. Which goes to show what this beautiful floating city means to residents and travelers from around the world. And hence the name Venice aptly means in Latin, the Goddess of Beauty & Love.
If you loved this first day in Venice, PIN it for planning & your friends!
It is so important to google common scams in the city you are visiting and such a bummer if the first experience you have is negative, especially somewhere as special as Venice. Great tip to plan out airport transportation ahead of time to avoid lines. I have stayed on the Grand Canal and loved the location. My favorite thing to do is wander the narrow streets crossing the bridges, it’s all gorgeous
Yes Sherianne we too loved roaming around exploring the narrow streets.
I would have definitely fallen for that passport scam in Rome! Thanks to you, know I know better!! We spend a day in Venice a few years back and my regret is that we only had a short visit and could have done so much more. I missed out on a gondola ride and more time in Burano for photos. When I return (and I will!), we’ll definitely overnight in one of the places you recommend. The Hotel Roma looks perfect!
Yes Jackie the hotel was nice and the neighborhood very pretty in Marghera.
Your post reminded me how beautiful Venice is. It’s been a long time since we’ve been there and I miss it. Italy’s crown jewel doesn’t loose its charm with the passage of time, but it seems some things in Venice are changing for the worst. I’ve heard of scams that involve money, but someone impersonating a police officer trying to steal your passport is new to me. And it sounds really dangerous. Good thing that you didn’t fall for it.
Yes Anda Venice is so very beautiful. Do feel like going back again sometime.
I loved the tips you have shared about the different localities where you can book a stay. I like the sound of Castello – those peaceful vibes is what you need after a day out in Venice. The St Marks square is always so crowded and touristy. Did you go inside the Doge’s palace?
Yes Ami we went inside Doge’s palace. The sculptures are so beautiful in addition to the charm of the interiors. Truly worth the visit.
This blog reminds me of how soon I need to plan a trip to this place and have the time of my life. Hotel Roma looks so stunning! Also, honestly, I might have fallen for the passport scam if I were in your place. I love how raw this is, how you have shared your personal experiences and not just about the shiny things of the city.
Thanks Arnav. Happy you liked the contents on the whole.
It is great that you are making people aware of the first-hand experience with scams which are very common for the tourists to fall for, especially the first timers. It is very important that we do proper research before going to any place, especially for the first time. Venice anyways is a gem of a place and must be visit once
Thanks Swati.
It’s great that you’re on the lookout, because scammers are on the rise these days. Those seven top destinations you suggest are all gorgeous, but three in particular caught my eye: San Polo, Castello, and Guidecca. Through your photos, I’ve fallen in love with mornings in Venice – not to mention the delectable food and breathtaking scenery! Perfect!
Thanks Maria. Happy to see to enjoy.
It looks like you enjoyed your stay outside the city centre of Venice which would give you a different perspective especially at night. They say that no locals live in Venice anymore its all tourists. We visited in off season and didn’t find it was high in tourism, but looking at your photos it appears you experienced it during peak season with all the tourists in your photos. Great round up of options of where to stay.
Thanks Renee. Happy you found it useful.
Great post we stayed in Castello and absolutely loved it. We were overwhelmed by the crowds so it was nice to be there and we had lunch with a few locals.
We loved walking around the Castello neighborhood.Nice place to stay.
It seems like Venice is a great destination to enjoy on foot. Beautiful corridors and stunning bridges!
BTW, Did you found the vegetarian food easily there? :O
Yes there is plenty of veg and vegan options that you would find all around.