Debbie
San Francisco
I'll be spending two whole days in Venice during my Europe trip! I'll be flying into Marco Polo Airport and ferrying onto the island proper (does anyone actually have any specific details on that?). I'll be meeting up with a group of my friends there.
What are must-try foods of that region (whether it's a food stand or something nice) and what are the culturally significant sites that I should visit? We're a group of 20-30'something year olds, so if there's anything fun at night, we'd love to know about that. Also, we're not sure where we're staying yet, so any hotel suggestions would be awesome. Thanks!
I am jealous. I was last in that area in 2010 and I miss it. But anyhow, these are some of the places that you'll have to try to fit into your schedule:
Food:
Gelato:
Bars:
Attractions
Of course, you have to for a gondola ride on the canal. Have a blast!
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If glass blowing interests you at all, you should ferry over to Murano Island. So pretty! You can watch glass being blown and pick up some souvenirs.
And you HAVE to go to Boutique Del Gelato. I waited in line for it once a day. That's how good it is! I tried a bunch of different flavors and my favorite was nicciolosa, which was pretty much vanilla gelato mixed with Nutella. But you can't go wrong with anything you order there. Also, a gigantic scoop is only 1.5 euro!
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48 hours is a tight time frame, but if you're ambitious and energetic enough, I think you can definitely get a good feel for the city since it's so tiny.
Here are some of the most popular cultural attractions:
For food:
My stomach just growled writing that. Have a good time!
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Hello Debbie,
I've got a very special secret tip for you to discover a real Italian way to taste some great wine and good food. You should try out Bacareto da Lele (see here: Bacareto Da Lele on Yelp.com). It is a very small kind of wine and food place, where you get a glass of local wine for € 0.60 and really nice sandwiches for less then € 2.-. You get your food and drinks at the bar, where you also pay for them upon receipt, and then consume it outside, together with friends and family and other Venetians. This is a real Italian way of getting a tasty snack in between times. The owners are very helpful and friendly and are used to dealing with tourists not capable of the Italian language. You'll find it easily. See the walking route here. There's a big wine barrel used as a table in front of it. It's very close to the main station right across the German/Austrian consulate.
Enjoy!
Stephan
Whoever's going to visit Venice must stop at the
il Paradiso Perduto (in
Cannaregio) for lunch, dinner or just an happy hour! Happy hour with locals runs also at
Campo Santa Margherita, don't miss it! Any "bacaro" would be good after six p.m.!
If you wanna try some tipical food you gotta go to Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie (close to the Rialto Bridge).
Wanna have some party? If you're lucky try to go at PalazzinaG Hotel (in Sestiere di San Marco).
In summer, if you want to get a nice tan, go to Zattere and enjoy the panorama. :)
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I was literally at Caffè del Doge every morning that I was in Venice. They have such a great selection of coffee, imported from all over the world, and very good croissants. All their staff speak fairly good English, too, so it was easier to chat it up with them.
For gelato, Alaska Gelateria is the best! Be prepared to wait in line. Such amazing flavors.
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For a hotel, The Gritti Palace is one of my favorite hotels in the entire world, so check it out. It just recently went under a $55 million renovation.