Seeing Venice on a budget?
Our total spend in Venice (with some moderate shopping – mostly to combat the cold- and dining out only for our lunches) totalled SGD 650. The bulk of this went to sightseeing ticket prices, transport fares (including a one-time experience on a gondola) and food).
Having spent 4 days here and learning from our mistakes, I thought I'd do up a budget guide on what we'll do the next time we're back here! #dayretravels will do this up proper on the blog when I'm back.
Meals:
– Have cheap pastas for lunch.
– Pack food to go from Coop (the local supermarket) and eat in your hotel for under 10 euros a couple.
Dal Moro's fresh pastas are served in a take-out box for 5 to 7 euros each. The shop is located just a short distance away from St. Mark's Basilica, and is a great option for a budget yet filling lunch. The pasta is also cooked al-dente, and tastes much better than most of the crap sold in restaurants catered to tourists.
We tried the squid ink with calamari pasta, the pesto (both for 7 euros) and one bolgonese for 6 euros. Shared this between 2 of us and we were stuffed after!
You can have dinners like this in Venice for under 10 euros a night if you go to the supermarket and a cheap pizza takeout place.
Wine and cheese, pizza and salad, ham and fresh juicy sweet strawberries. What's there not to like?
Substitute the gondola with a local traghetto and vaporetto.
Get either a 24 hour vaporetto pass (20 euros), 2-day pass (30 euros) or a 3-day pass (40 euros) to travel around Venice by water.
Line 2 gives you a great view of the key sights along the Grand Canal. Sit up in the front for the best views.
Line 1 is also pretty scenic, and brings you around the south of Venice.
Line 12 brings you to the islands of Murano and Burano.
Line 9 brings you between Burano to another quaint island called Torcello.
To ride on a gondola, look for a traghetto, which costs 2 euros per tourist for the folks to ferry you across the opposite bank of the Grand Canal.
The ride is short (3 minutes) but accurately gives you the feel of riding in a gondola (without the exorbitant price).
We took ours at San Toma, and it was the only traghetto we found throughout our trip. A quick online search shows they're fast disappearing.
This is how you spot one!
2 euros traghetto to cross the Grand Canal on a gondola.
Seated upfront on the vaporetto.
Visit Opera Fenix.
Like a phoenix which rises from the ashes, this opera house has been through two fires and restored meticulously to its former glory.
We paid 10 euros per person for an audio guide tour and spent 2 glorious hours here. Definitely worth a visit! I didn't see too many folks recommending this, and it was only thanks to our B&B host that we heard of this exquisite place!
This magnificent opera house was truly breathtaking.
Visit San Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.
This is an absolutely gorgeous Venetian church located right next to the Leonardo Da Vinci museum, so you can kill two birds with one stone when you're in that area.
The church windows are extremely tall and look like they came straight out of an European fairytale. The whole architecture, from the exterior to the interior, is gorgeous.
Best part? It was free to enter!
Very big and absolutely gorgeous both on the inside and exterior.
Visit the Leonardo Da Vinci museum.
If you're a fan, you'll love this.
If you're not a fan, you'll be a huge fan once you're done with the museum and you've seen the extent of Da Vinci's genius mind for yourself.
Ticket prices were 10 euros and you can easily spend 2 hours here. Try replicating his arched bridge if you have time to spare!
Set aside about two hours here to enjoy this place proper.
Visit the Scuola Grande di Rocco.
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is located near the Leonardo Da Vinci museum and well, and is famously noted for its collection of paintings by Tintoretto, generally agreed to include some of his finest work.
Entrance fees are 10 euros.
Catch the sunset at Zagetta.
Mother Nature in all of its glory. Don't be surprised if you see tons of local couples in this area too.
The evening light will be magical.
Once you're done enjoying the sunset, head to the small street following the side canal and you'll find 2 bars packed with locals enjoying their spritz and cincetto (sides). Join them and eat as the locals do!
Visit the Scala Contarini del Bovolo and admire its spiral staircase.
Hidden in a small alley near San Marco square.
Buy a museum pass to visit the Doge Palace, Museo Correr and the Library.
The pass will cost you 20 euros but this is a must-do in Venice! Make sure you check out the prisons and the Bridge of Sighs in Doge Palace as well.
Also visit Saint Marks Basicilla, which is open for free unless you want to access the upper floors.
Doge Palace.
The Bridge of Sighs, so named because prisoners walked this route to their prison cells and sighed as they took their last look at freedom.
You can also go up the Bell Tower for 8 euros for a bird eye view of Venice, but we skipped this!
Visit the islands of Murano and Burano.
You'll be able to travel there on your vaporetto pass.
Watch a glass blowing demonstration for 2 euros at any factory (there are plenty so don't worry! Just walk around and you'll stumble onto a few, no need to book beforehand either).
At Burano, you can take lots of OOTDs with the colourful houses. We also took a leisurely stroll to the next island of Mazzabo, which was scenic and quiet, just the way we liked it.
Glass blowing demonstration in Murano.
Burano's colourful houses, which are regulated by the government.
The quiet but scenic island of Mazzabo, accessible by foot from Burano (or get off one stop early if you're taking Line 12 on the vaporetto once you see this sight).
Total spend on the budget itinerary I drew up for 4 days in Venice should set you back by less than 300 euros excluding accomodation and airfares! That's almost…40% lesser than what we actually spent 😨
Will update more on the blog with details when I'm back!
