Explore Venice's canals during the off-season

Discover the beauty of the mysterious Venice in winter, when it is not yet flooded with tourists, and at the same time, save money. You won't regret it.

Venice is one of the most visited cities in Italy, and even in Europe. And no wonder, because its beauty is unique and wonderful.

However, the tides of tourists that ply its streets and canals throughout the year can lead visitors to hate the experience of visiting it.

Today, my goal is to help you fall in love with it, without suffering the misfortunes of its worldwide fame, and at the same time save a few euros. To do this, there are three basic tips you can follow:

• Visit in low season.
• Stroll through it at nightfall and/or get up early to see the sunrise.
• Lose yourself in its neighborhoods or quartiere less touristy and more authentic, if possible.

Below, I will elaborate on these points and give you tips on how to make the most of your visit in a relaxed manner.

When to go: Low season

Venice is always flooded with tourists. No matter when you go, they will be there. But there are certain times during which the influx of visitors is so high that your trip can become a living hell .

This is especially so during the spring, as the weather is milder. In summer (June, July and August), in addition to thousands of tourists, you will find temperatures too high to really enjoy the city. So avoid, for the love of God, those months.

In October, November and December, the place lives a quieter time, although it is when it rains the most in the region and there are frequent situations of 'acqua alta', in which many streets and squares are flooded due to the rise of the water level in the lagoon. In the main areas, when this happens, platforms are set up as bridges to facilitate traffic.

Venice's magnificent masked carnival in February is also high season. It is a spectacle worth seeing; however, the company you will have will undoubtedly be too much. It is also important to avoid national holidays, such as April 25 (Italian Liberation Day), June 2 (Feast of the Italian Republic) or August 15 (Ferragosto), along with religious holidays (Easter, etc.).

My personal recommendation is to go during the months of January, February, and early March, avoiding holidays. This way, you'll offset any potential bad weather with fewer tourists and lower prices in general. To give you an idea of the weather you can expect, the photos you see in this blog post were taken during our trip in early March 2016.

What to wear in low season

During these winter months, temperatures are low and the atmosphere is humid. Although these are not the rainiest months of the year, you may encounter gray days, thunderstorms and the occasional acqua alta. Therefore, bring plenty of warm clothing, a raincoat or umbrella, and waterproof shoes (such as katiuskas, boots with Gore-Tex technology or similar).

Directions

If you are traveling from outside Italy, you may arrive by plane or transatlantic. I strongly advise against the latter option. If you arrive in a ship loaded with thousands of tourists to a city of such small dimensions, you can forget about enjoying it in a quiet and uncrowded way. Almost none of the advice I am about to give you will be valid in that case, unless you get lost in the less touristy areas of Venice.

If you arrive by plane at Marco Polo airport, you can take a bus (5) or the blue bus of the company ATVO, much faster. Both drop you off at Piazzale Roma, you can buy the tickets when you arrive at the airport and they cost about 6€. There is the possibility of taking a water bus, a bit more expensive, to 'Piazza San Marco' with the company Alilaguna. You can also take a water cab, too expensive if you do not go in large groups (about 100€ each way).

If you land at Treviso airport, much further away than Marco Polo, your best option is to buy a bus ticket on arrival with the companies ATVO or Barzi Service. Both have similar prices and schedules, but differ in the duration of the journey. In this case Barzi Sericve stands out, as it runs on the highway.

Still no flights? Then check out the offers on these search engines: Trabber, eDreams and Momondo.

I recommend you to start your search in Trabber because the price it shows you is final (including credit card and other fees). Of course, always compare the results with the rest of the pages.

You never know who will have the best deals 😉.

In case you arrive by car, you will have to leave it in the parking lot of Piazzale Roma, as Venice does not allow road traffic (including bicycles!). This will cost you 24-29€ per day depending on the size of your vehicle. You can get more information on this page.

In my opinion, the best way to travel to Venice, if you are already in Italy, is by train. If you know your travel dates well in advance you can save a lot by buying economy or super-economy tickets online on the official Trenitalia website.

This transport works very well in Italy, although you will not be spared from occasional delays. The good news is that if you miss your connection due to a delay in the train schedule, you will be assigned to the next train leaving for the same destination at no additional cost. All you have to do is go to the station office. Just put on your best smile and speak politely. Relax and remember, you are on vacation.

How to move

My personal recommendation, walk. Stroll through its streets, it is the best way to get to know this city and not miss its details.

If the idea of navigating its canals is too tempting for you, there are four options.

• The most expensive, romantic and famous option is to hire a private tour (the price will depend on its duration) in a gondola. If you are trying to travel on a budget, do not consider this option, unless you are willing to travel in a mini-group (6-8 people).
• Using a water cab is the fastest option to get from one place to another, but clearly expensive compared to the following public transportation.
• Purchase for 7€ a ticket to travel on the vaporettoan aquatic equivalent of the city bus. It is the most used transport by tourists, since with it you can not only cross the Grand Canal, but also reach other islands in the lagoon, such as Lido, Murano or Burano. You can see the vaporetto lines here.
• The traguetto is a gondola, somewhat larger than the private ones, that crosses from one bank to the other of the great canal in the areas where there are no bridges. They only operate during working hours, make short trips of 2-3 minutes and cost very little (1 or 2 € each way). They are mainly used by locals, which you can distinguish because they make the trip standing up. If you want to live the experience of going up in a gondola without spending too much money, this is your best option.

Where to stay

Accommodation within Venice is quite expensive, although prices are lower in low season. There is the possibility of sleeping in the outskirts, in a continental area called Mestre. With this option you will save money, but you will depend on train schedules to get back to your accommodation.

However, at least once in a lifetime, it is worth sleeping in the city and also enjoying the evening or early morning strolls, when the streets empty of tourists and the canals take on new shades full of mystery. If you are lucky, you will see the mist gradually rise from the lagoon bed to discover the majestic Venetian palaces early in the morning.

It is possible to find mid-priced accommodations if you book well in advance in the winter months. We stayed at the Hotel Rio Venice, in the Santa Croce district, which is quite quiet as far as tourism is concerned. In low season you can find a room for two people for 70-80€ a night, quite a bargain for Venice.

The place has been recently renovated, so it is very new, has spacious rooms, comfortable beds and the level of cleanliness is impeccable. Although they do not offer breakfast per se, they provide you with basic products (cookies, cereals, jar juices, coffee maker, rusks, etc) with which to have a fairly simple breakfast. You can complement it by buying milk, bread or pastries. They offer three rooms with private outdoor bathrooms.

Overall, it is a 100% recommendable accommodation , with a good quality/price ratio. The only negative point are the locks installed on the doors of the rooms and bathrooms, quite noisy. But otherwise it is perfect.

Our first reservation, at the B&B Abatea, located in the quartiere of San Marco, was cancelled without good reason by the owners of the B&B a month before our trip. We would have lost a lot of money if we had not made the reservation through Booking.com, as they were the ones who forced the B&B to give us a second option for the same price/conditions. They offered us for the same price the Hotel Rio Venice, although, because it was not so centrally located, we were able to lower the price somewhat. Next time, I will book directly at Rio Venice, as the attention received by the B&B Abatea could have been better, in my opinion.

What to see

How to sum up this question? I don't think even a lifelong Venetian has discovered every magical corner this city hides. My top tip:

Get lost

Of course you will want to see everything that has made Venice famous, the most touristic places, such as the quartiere of San Marco. But if you really want to marvel and fall in love with it, let yourself go.

Don't look at the map, just follow your steps, take narrow bridges, intricate streets, not knowing what you will find around the corner.

It is these walks that will make your pupils dilate, your eyes open wide and you will exclaim wow, wow, wow, wow or look!

Moments like leaving a very narrow street and seeing, on the other side of a small canal, an illuminated square over which a marble church rises to the sky, like a cathedral, of which you had never heard of before. Or when you cross a bridge and see many old palaces around you, with colors worn by the passage of time, with windows and balconies that invite you to rest and contemplation.

Some flowers here, some tapestries covering these walls, a gondolier walking a couple gets lost under the bridges further on... Small stores full of curiosities, masks, leather dyes, antique books... Everything adds to the beauty and mystery of these streets. If I had to choose the area I liked the most, I would say the quartiere Castello, little visited compared to the others and beautiful.

In short, get lost and find wonders along the way.

There are certain places worth mentioning, or curious, that you might want to look for. I have marked the most attractive ones on the map and below I list some of them.

• Basilica of San Marco. Admission is free. If you have a backpack you must leave it at the ticket office (see the map below to find out where it is) before queuing to enter. This service is also free. It is widely known, although what you may not know is that, unless it is a special day, at 11.30 in the morning they turn on the lights. Finding yourself in its golden interior when this happens is well worth it.
• Academia Bridge. Perfect place to watch the sunrise.
• Rialto Bridge and views of the bridge. At the beginning of 2016 the bridge was under construction, completely covered with plastic and scaffolding. When the works are finished, it will once again be worthwhile to stroll along the banks of the great canal admiring its beauty.
• Pugni Bridge. On it you will see some tiles in the form of footprints. They are the marks where the wrestlers, coming from opposing families, were positioned to start the bloody fights that took place hundreds of years ago. A gondola-fruit shop is positioned next to it every day to sell its products.
• Acqua Alta Bookstore. This curious bookstore is bursting at the seams with books of every style you can imagine, both first and second hand. Many of them are stacked on gondolas inside the store itself, or bathtubs, because when the water rises, the bookstore is usually flooded. If you go to the back of the store, you will come out onto a small terrace where they have set up some stairs with the oldest and dampest books, now unusable. Climb them and enjoy the view.
• The Chiodo Bridge. It is one of the last bridges in Venice without railings. I found it charming.

If you have enough time (more than two days), you may want to visit other islands in the lagoon. The following are notable:

• Murano. On this island the famous and exclusive Murano glass is produced. You can take guided tours (with transportation included) where they will show you how the master glassmakers make their works. If you are going to buy a Murano glass souvenir (quite expensive, by the way), beware of imitations. Look for the seal of authenticity.
• Burano. This is a curious island, full of colorful houses, tremendously photogenic. It will delight any professional or amateur photographer on a sunny day.

If you have followed my advice and visit during the winter, you should also know what to do in Venice when it rains. Here are my recommendations:

• Enter the restaurant/bar/cafeteria you find most appetizing as you pass by. A cup of tea, a good black coffee, a glass of Veneto wine with a homemade pasta dish or rice with seafood or fish. Find a table by the window and enjoy Venice under the water. Take your time and relax.
• Visit the dozens of churches, museums, palaces and galleries that this wonderful city contains. If you like art, you are in luck. On this page you will find the main attractions of this type. It is not clear to me that buying a voucher (Venice Card) or booking online is worth it in low season, when the queues are not too long.
• Put on your raincoat or open your umbrella; and walk. The streets empty, you can hear the rain falling on the canals, the atmosphere transforms... Don't miss it.

Where to eat

Did you know that the trendy Italian cocktail, Spritz, originated in Venice? And did you have any idea that tiramisù is also Venetian? You can't leave the city without trying both!

A place famous for its tiramisù to go is the store I Tre Mercanti (you can see its location on the map at the end of this post). If you are in the area and feel like something sweet... don't hesitate!

In Venice, restaurant prices are higher than usual, but there are several tricks to reduce food expenses.

For example, when the night falls, you can dine on cichettismall plates similar to tapas or montaditos, which cost from 1 to 2 euros each, perfect to accompany with a Spritz, glass of wine or soft drink. There are many bars that offer these appetizers when night falls (usually from 6.30 to 8 pm).

In particular, I can recommend Hostaria Vecio Biavorol, which has a top quality product, delicious and original flavor combinations (pistachio pesto and mortadella, cheese with tartufo sauce, gorgonzola with walnuts ...), and all at a very good price. In addition, they prepare a cheap and delicious Spritz, I can vouch for that! There is little place to sit (always at the high bar), so it's better if you arrive early. We dined there for 27€/couple, and we did not deprive ourselves of anything.

At noon, the restaurants offer menus at a good price, so you can take advantage of this to eat a lot and well for less money. Typical of this area are fish and seafood dishes, such as pasta with clams or mussels(vongole and cozze, in Italian), or seafoodrisotto.

The latter is spectacular at the restaurant ai Barbacani, a beautiful and cozy place where we ate both for 62€. If you can afford it, don't miss their homemade tiramisù.

Budget

• Transportation: 112€ train Genoa-Venice round trip (56€ per person).
• Accommodation: 92€ thanks to the offer (23€ per person per night).
• Meals: 164.6€ (41.15€ per person per day).

In total, during our weekend for two in Venice, we spent 368.6€; that is, 92.2€ per person per day.

All you have to do now is discover this wonderful city for yourself.

If you have already visited and I asked you which is your favorite corner, would you be able to tell me just one? Leave me your opinion below, I'd love to know what you think.

Useful Links

• Hotel Rio Venice.
• B&B Abatea.
• Other hotel offers in Venice.
• Flight search engines: Trabber, eDreams, Momondo and Vueling. 
• 5% discount on IATI insurance.
• Booking of guided activities in Venice.

You can read about more dreamy places in Italy in other posts on this blog, such as:

• A stroll through Florence.
• Weekend in Rome.
• Driving tour of Siena and Val d'Orcia.
• The Abbey of San Galgano in Tuscany.
• Route along Lake Como.
• The natural park of Maremma and its unspoiled beaches.
• Bologna, the city of arcades.
• Route through Umbria, the secret neighbor of Tuscany.
• The wonders of the Amalfi Coast.
• Discover the 5 Terre from village to village.

And remember, if you have any questions or need any more details that I haven't mentioned, write me and I will be happy to help you in any way I can.

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