Barbara_2

Earlier this month we visited Venice (from the UK) and I thought it would be useful if I outlined our itinerary as there seems to be so much discussion about how long to stay there. We had 5 nights, 4 full days, just about right for us.

Firstly, we are a couple (60-ish). Like sightseeing, art, not too keen on shopping. Not food snobs. We like pleasant little restaurants but not too bothered whether the clientele is local or tourist. A reasonably tight budget.

Planning via the various forums and tripadvisor. We decided to go out of season (less tourists) and take a chance on the Acqua Alta. We were lucky, there was lots of water about the week before and the week after, but we have to stress that the Venetians take the water levels totally in their stride. On with the boots or waders. The water taxis can't get under the bridges on the smaller canals but everyone just waits for the tide to go down in a couple of hours.

In advance we booked our accommodation (Sandra B&B in Canareggio). Look at this on Tripadvisor - it was just what we needed/wanted. A quiet residential area but only 5 minutes walk from Ca' d'Oro vaporetto stop and all the action on the Grand Canal. We also bought the Museum Pass online.

So the itinerary (will not go into too much detail, happy to answer questions).

Saturday. Easyjet from London to Marco Polo. Travelling light, with one wheeled carry-on case each. AVTO bus to Piazzale Roma. 20 minute walk to the B&B following their directions. Too late to do much except eat. Trattoria Misericordia on Fondamente Misericordia.

Sunday. Raining. After great B&B breakfast, set out to walk. Had plastic map, also yellow signs to main sights made direction-finding fine. Walked via Rialto Bridge to Scuola Grande de San Rocco. I think this was the best building we saw in the whole of our stay, a must-do. Wet walk in Dosoduro. Landed up in Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Very busy - everyone getting in out of the rain. Lunch at Foscarini pizza restaurant by Accademia Bridge. Had already decided to omit Accademia Gallery (expensive, under renovation, loads of art elsewhere). Walked across to St Vidal Church, bought tickets to Interpreti Veneziana concert for Tuesday. Next we went to La Fenice, no operas on but took guided audio tour. On to St Mark's Square for a quick look. Starting to get dark. Bought 72-hour vaporetto passes, they will last till 5 p.m. Wednesday. First vaporetto trip up Grand Canal to C'a d'Oro. Dinner at Trattoria Alle Lanternin just off Strada Nuova.

Monday. Much better weather. Rest of the trip sunny and warm. Vaporetto right down the Grand Canal to St Mark's. Tide already quite high and people walking on the boardwalks. First stop the Basilica. Went to St Mark's Museum - another must do, you see the building so much better from above, and get out to view the square. Then crossed square to Correr Museum, using Museum Pass. Quick lunch in their cafe. After lunch, whole square now under water, but no problems in the rest of the city. Next we went to the Doge's Palace (museum pass again). Surprisingly uncrowded. Amazing building, another must do. Finally, across on vaporetto to St Giorgio Maggiore, went up the Campanile for an amazing view. Finished the day with a long vaporetto ride right round the western side past the cruise ships. Dinner at Restaurant Diana, again on Fondamenta Misericordia.

Tuesday - day on the lagoon. No more high tide issues. Do try and do this if you get time, it gives you a totally different perspective. From Fondamenta Nuova to Burano. Quick hop over to Torcello, then back to Burano to wander and explore. Picnic lunch bought from delicatessen. Lace Museum (Museum Pass). Small but interesting. Then back to Murano, Glass Museum (Museum Pass), larger and quite interesting. Shopped for glass and bought a nice little vase. Back to the city, quick pizza dinner in thie Strada Nuova before popping on the vaporetto again to Accademia for the Interpreti Veneziana concert. Vivaldi's Four Seasons, superb.

Wednesday - another sunny day. Started at Rialto Market to see the fruit, veg, meat and fish. Then a quick walk to Ca' Pesaro (Museum Pass), Italian modern art and quirky Oriental Art museum in the attics. Coffee in their cafe overlooking the Grand Canal, then another vaporetto ride to Ca' Rezzonico (Museum Pass), another canalside palace, sumptuous rooms, the largest and most ornate chandelier ever. Enough of the art now, we enjoyed a walk through the canals and ended up at the Zattere, excellent pizza and wine by the waterside. Then a vaporetto ride back to St Mark's (dry today) and walk along the waterfront and around the neighbourhood. A quick trip to La Salute Church and then back up the Grand Canal before the 72 hour vaporetto pass ran out. Finally a stroll through our own neighbourhood of Canareggio before final dinner - back to Trattoria Misericordia as it was our favourite restaurant, good food and lovely staff.

Thursday - leisurely morning walk back to Piazzale Roma to catch the bus back to Marco Polo airport. Warning - allow plenty of time at the airport, very long security lines. Made the gate in time, uneventful flight back to Gatwick.

I know this is just a list of things we did but hopefully it'll be helpful. I can provide more details if necessary. We LOVED Venice!

annhig

nice report, Barbara. glad you loved Venice so much - looks like it was a fun and well-paced trip.

LuvToRoam

We stayed at Sandra B&B in Canareggio several years ago as well. Her breakfast was simply the best we have ever had Anywhere! Cannot recommend her place enough, it was just perfect. She and Leonardo are the perfect hosts (and he saw to it we got off in the middle of the night to the airport on a water taxi!). Sounds like you had a great time. They say you either love Venice or hate her. We loved her too and hope to get back before she floats away! One of our favorite pictures is from Burano and one of my favorite table clothes was from Murano. Nice report.

jelopez33

Thanks for a useful report(Venice is again on our radar after many many years).

willowjane

I liked your report - right to the point. I am marking things down for our trip in June. Thanks!

Holly_uncasdewar

Nice report. Thanks for posting it. Now tell us what you had at the Trattoria Misericordia, if you would, please!

Barbara_2

Thank you all,glad you found it useful. LuvToRoam, I'm pleased to report that Sandra B&B is just the same as when you stayed there. As to what we ate at the Trattoria Misericordia - well, we went there on our first night and had the menu of the day (tourist menu). I had spaghetti with mussels, followed by baked fish, then pannacotta (I loved the pannacotta!). Can't remember what my husband had, except he had a tiramasu everywhere we ate! With their house wine. On the final night, we shared an antipasto of cold meats, then I had fegato (liver and onions) and he had a lovely steak. Grilled vegetables (aubergines, zucchini/courgettes, yellow pepper). Then a final tiramisu and pannacotta! And a mezzo (half litre) of house red. Nice touches at Trattoria Misericordia - prosecco and a little appetiser "on the house" to welcome you, and a grappa to finish. No cover or service charge. They have some tables outside on the canal - didn't try them on a chilly November evening but they must be great in the summer. Trattoria Misericordia and the Diana are next to each other. We ate at the Diana too and that was good, but we preferred the people at the Trattoria.

Holly_uncasdewar

We looked at that menu at the Misericordia last spring, and I thought it looked pretty good, but the guy out front (owner?) hawking for business was so irritating, that we decided to move on. I may have to take another look in March.

Barbara_2

Both the Trattoria Misericordia and the Diana next door had guys out front. We didn't much like the Diana man, very persistent - but we found the Misericordia man much more polite. Like you we moved on initially, but after looking at a couple more restaurants we agreed we liked the Misericordia menu best so we went back. Don't let him put you off going in, the staff inside are lovely.

Ackislander

I am so jealous!

annhig

Generally i avoid restaurants with touts outside, and the place we succumbed to this in Venice turned out to be a tourist trap par excellence - poor food and extras offered which turned out to be a rip off.

OTOH we were enticed into a restaurant on Burano by the very jolly patron outside and had a terrific meal, and in Tivoli, the only way we found the great place we had lunch was because of a tout on the main street.

so there are nohard and fast rules, IMO.