Help calm the butterflies about visiting Venice!!
 

We've been to Italy before...even Budapest and Prague....but the thought of Venice has my stomach in knots! Why...I don't know. The transportation issue...using boats...which one do I need??...walking...yikes!!..all the photos make Venice appear to be a puzzle of tiny little streets...and it will be dark early adding to the confusion. Getting lost during the day is one thing - trying to get to a restaurant for a reservation is another....finding our way back late at night?!!!! :( Finding relatively inexpensive restaurants...we don't do $100 dinners...not on a daily basis anyway! And yes I have been researching places to eat.

We don't speak Italian...other then a few words. Do most restaurants have English menus? We're staying in an apartment so know one to make dinner reservations for us, however I will attempt them myself.

I've never been this nervous before...anyone else felt this way about Venice?

Venice is no problem for non-Italian speakers. In fact Most of the natives have moves out; it is a pure tourist venue. Enjoy and do not worry.

The boats are easy. Just think of them as a bus or subway system that any "land" city might have. A vaporetto operates just like a city bus with regular bus stops and a schedule--schedules are available. The main difference is that the bus stop is a little dock along a canal.

Then water taxis operate just like Yellow Cabs--a lot more expensive than a regular bus, but will get you closer to your destination as it has no assigned stopping points like a bus does.

Why worry about getting lost? The old city is small, so you never have far to walk till you see a sign to somewhere you recognise. I'd much rather get lost in Venezia than in any other city.

Relaxxxx - I was staying with a friend just north of Venice and her two teenagers and I spent a day taking the train down, getting the water taxi around and playing in Venice for the day - with no planning, no maps, and very little Italian. It's designed for tourists. You'll be fine!

Hi Travelfan, I can sympathize. Trying to figure out the water bus system, the maps, accepting the fact you can't hail a taxi if you're lost or tired, can all be a bit daunting -- at least until you're on the ground (so to speak) and can see for yourself that it's not that difficult. Especially if you do your homework before you leave!

For example, the last time I went to Venice three years ago, I did a lot of planning beforehand in terms of how I was going to get from the airport at 11 p.m. to my hotel on the Guidecca canal in the cheapest way possible. And it worked out fine, if a bit of grunt! I had to find the right land bus to get from the airport to Piazzale Roma where vehicle traffic ends, in order to catch the water bus to get as near as possible to my hotel. I was cursing my heavy suitcase after dragging over a couple of bridges and down the street from the water bus stop to the hotel -- but I knew that would happen and it was my own fault for overpacking.

Try not to worry -- once you get there, I'm sure you'll be fine! The streets can be pretty narrow and it is easy to get lost, but if you give yourself a little extra time and remain patient, you'll find whatever it is you're looking for.
I've been amazed in Venice at how small an area the city really encompasses. Streets can be quite short, and end abruptly, but generally speaking, it really doesn't take that long to get anywhere. Sometimes on a map, things look more complicated than they really are.

I'm returning to Venice this fall and I'm already reminding myself to be prepared to get lost several times a day; to enjoy the experience because it can lead you to surprises; and to not be too impatient when I do get lost, because that only makes me frustrated and that's not useful.

I think a visitor has to accept Venice on its terms, labyrinthian streets and all!

As for restaurants, there are less expensive options and if you do some homework, by reading reviews before you leave, you can find budget spots. This likely sounds like overplanning, but I've taken to carrying a really small notebook in my purse where I've written names and addresses of well-reviewed restaurants, broken down by neighborhood. That way, if I'm looking for a particular place and either can't find it, or it's full or closed, I can then have a few other thoughtful choices. I don't like to leave too much to chance, as far as restaurants, because in cities like Venice or Rome, where there are lots of tourists (like me) there are also a lot of bad eateries, or over-priced places and I really hate it when I wind up settling for a spot that's not very good, simply because I'm too tired to keep looking.

As for English, you'll find it spoken pretty widely, so that shouldn't be a problem. And if you can't understand a menu, you can always ask your waiter what a particular dish is or how it is prepared -- you probably do that at home anyway!

I've been to Venice twice, once solo and once with a friend. It's one of the easiest places I've ever visited. It's simple exactly BECAUSE there is no street traffic, just on foot or hoping on a vaporetto. It's a heavily touristed city so locals are well used to non-Italian speakers.

You could make your restaurant reservations in person by going to the restaurant the day before or in the afternooon. Or you could eat at casual places where you just walk in.

As far as getting lost, yes you likely will at some point! Use a map to get a general lay of the land and understanding of the major canals and areas or landmarks.

Here's a good trick... look up on the corners of buildings, at some intersections you'll see painted arrows pointing to the major spots with the name (i.e., Rialto bridge this way, San Marco that way).

Venice is the most wonderful place in the world to get lost.
Will the people that never got out of Venice all rise please?
You see, no one...

Again....not like me to feel this way but you've helped the butterflies! I know once there everything will be fine...at least, until it's time to leave! ;) Thank you everyone.

Let me just tell you...I always plan everything so I will be prepared including exactly how I will get around. I too felt a bit scared regarding Venice.

Upon arriving at the train station for the first time, I threw it all out of the window and just took it a step at a time. It was very easy and not the least bit intimidating. Actually it felt like one big enjoyable adventure. So embrace it and enjoy!

Oh, and my first trip to Venice was totally unplanned. I was visiting a friend in Switzerland and decided at the last minute to take a train to Venice. I did not have so much as a map or guidebook. It was absolutely fine.

The vaporetto is a bus on water that pulls over at certain points along the Grand Canal, or the outer side of the islands. You step onto a dock or ramp, which leads you into a floating waiting room. When the vaporetto pulls up then the passengers get off at one doorway and those boarding get on at another doorway. It will be very obvious because there are always people waiting to get on, just follow them.

You can learn about it here:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...tto_routes.htm

Ticket types/prices here:
http://www.actv.it/english/navigazio...iffe_vaporetto

and use the maps, etc. here:
http://www.myvenice.org/immagini/linee-centro.gif
http://www.myvenice.org/immagini/linee-gira.gif