2020 was not the best year for us travel enthusiasts. But there were also places that were perfect to travel just because of the pandemic (at least for the short time it was possible without restrictions). One such destination was Venice, because this year you had Venice all to yourself – without enormous tourist crowds. But it's still worth traveling to Venice in the coming years before it is further damaged by rising sea levels or. disappears.
Parking
Parking in resp. Venice is not cheap and you always hear horror stories of cramped parking garages. We spared ourselves this experience. We used the Tronchetto parking lot in the harbor. This is directly on the right side shortly before Venice. easy to get to and you can park your car by yourself and you don't have to leave your keys or anything like that. By the way, the toilets are not in the parking garage directly but just before it.
If you are in a hurry and only want to make a short trip to Venice, you can transfer directly to one of the boat lines from there. With the "People Mover" you can get directly to Piazzale Roma for 1,50 €. We walked directly from the parking garage to our hotel Palazzo Veneziano.
Getting Around
Venice is best explored on foot, so just walk on it. In the narrow streets around every corner is something to discover. Also pay attention to the great details on the doors.
Gondolier
The famous gondoliers can be found eig. in all known places. There are also signs with the usual prices (min. 80 €). However, the gondoliers sometimes charge considerably more when there is a lot of traffic. Since there was nothing going on in September, we could have even gone for "only" €50. The ride in the gondolas is so expensive because these "boats" are still made and maintained by hand. At Squero di San Trovaso you can admire such a shipyard. In addition, the license to operate a gondola costs depending on the district quickly times 350.000 €.
Vaporetto
Vaporetto is kind of like the bus – only this one travels along the canals. One ride costs 7,5 €. (route no. 2 passes by the Tronchetto parking garage).
Water cab
There are also cabs in Venice, they also move through the canals.
Highlights
Bridges
Highlights in Venice are for me the many small and large bridges.
The most visited bridge in Venice is the Rialto Bridge, which crosses the Grand Canal. This was one of the first stone bridges in Venice and many at the time considered it a misconstruction, as the weight of the bridge is enormous and everything has to be supported by submerged logs. These are regularly maintained. But until now the bridge is still standing and more stone bridges followed.
Insider tip: Directly next to the Rialto Bridge is a shopping center, with enormously chic stores in it (Fondaco dei Tedeschi). The special? You can get on the roof of the department store for free. But you have to register online before. Unfortunately, the roof remains in the rain or. Wetness wg. Danger of accident closed. You can book this here.
And then there is the Ponte dei Pugni. This bridge is actually like any other at first sight. But here in the old days many fist fights took place. White footprints on the bridge are to remind of its bloody past. Right next to the bridge you will find a floating fruit stand.
Another special bridge is the Bridge of Sighs. This is actually more a passage between two buildings (the Doge's Palace and the prison). This passage is completely walled up. Only through small windows could the prisoners catch a glimpse of Venice and freedom, often for one last time, and sigh towards it. This one is right next to the famous St. Mark's Square.
St. Mark's Square
The most famous square in Venice is St. Mark's Square, this is located in the district of San Marco. A highlight is that this is only a few meters above sea level and therefore regularly under water. So you have the chance to catch cool reflections with the camera.
Food Tour
We love food tours🙂
We can also recommend one in Venice. Since, as mentioned in the beginning, there were not many tourists in the city, we had a tour just for us. On the tour you also learn a lot about the history of Venice. Like how Venice was sort of the playground for rich people. So there were restaurants that had a hole in the ceiling above the door, through which could be checked who is in front of the door.
At the fish market, a column specifies the minimum size for fish and shellfish. So in the old days it was already ensured that the stocks can recover and not too small fish / shellfish were already fished.
At the market place exists the biggest and oldest clock of Venice. This served in former times for all to the time orientation, since there were otherwise still no clocks.
In the Bar Basego you get not only the famous Aperol Spritz but also other versions of this drink, which are usually a bit more bitter. There are also very good small snacks.
A favorite food of the Venetians is Baccala, this is a special fish roll. We were warned that this tastes very intense and most tourists do not like it. But we found it delicious.
Another small store (Acqua e Mais), which specializes in deep-fried delicacies with polenta, is highly recommended.
Fun Fact: Leaning towers are not only in Pisa in Italy. In Venice almost all towers are also crooked. Watch out for this when you are in Venice.