ahiddenbird

Hi, everyone!

I'll be arriving in Venice mid morning on October 12th, and I'll be staying until October 18th (leaving by train around 9 PM that evening).

1. I'm looking for suggestions for a low-key way to spend my first afternoon.

A few pertinent details:

I'm assuming that by the time I arrive at my accommodations, shower, settle in, etc., it'll probably be mid afternoon.

I'll be jet lagged (which for me means I'll be a bit stupid), and I'll be by myself.

I'm staying in Dorsoduro, right on the Zattere.

I was thinking of just having a random wander around the area where I'm staying(with a map of course), and maybe visiting the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (think this will be super busy?). I want to have at least one specific thing planned so I don't become overwhelmed, and have something to put my mind to.

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2. I'm also a little uneasy about walking into restaurants and eating by myself. I never dine out alone! Any tips for feeling a bit less awkward about this? Specific to Italy?

Thanks!

- Sabrina

greg

>>> I'm assuming that by the time I arrive at my accommodations, shower, settle in, etc.

You can be too early for your accommodation to be ready. Be ready to hit the city with whatever you were wearing or a change in a restroom. If hotel, you can leave your stuff at the reception.

>>> I'm also a little uneasy about walking into restaurants and eating by myself.

Go to a cicchetti place once. You see business people eating with colleagues or alone for a simple ”meal"/snack.

vincenzo32951

I like your plan. Wandering the Zattere waterfront is a nice, low-key activity, as is visiting the Guggenheim.

As for dining: I'd try to pick a place that has outdoor seating, weather permitting. That's a bit more relaxing in less self-conscious than sitting (or standing at cichetti) by yourself inside. You watch the world go by and no one cares if you're alone.

There are many restaurants with outdoor seating, but there is one in particular right outside the Accademia, just a short walk from the Guggenheim.

Sassafrass

Eating alone is fine. However, for dinner, find a restaurant you like or one that is recommended that appeals to you and either stop in or call and make a reservation. Even a reservation made an hour ahead will get you a warmer reception and better table.

In Dorsoduro, there are also some little sandwich stands that have great sandwiches.

I probably would save the museum visit for when you are not so tired.

Since you are in Dorsoduro, which is a lovely part of Venice, you are right. Just explore that area. Take a walk over to Campo Santa Margarita and have pizza (no reservation necessary for that) for dinner in the Campo. Look for the location of the fruit and vegetable and flower boats to see on your walk, if not too far out of your way.

Follow that with an evening stroll along Fondamente Della Zattere where you are staying, and a gelato. There are also restaurants there if you prefer that over Campo Santa Margarita. If you see one you like, make the reservation, take your walk and return.

One other easy and lovey thing to do on your first evening is to visit Santa Maria Della Salute, especially if there is a concert, which is sometimes free. It is on the opposite side of Dorsoduro from you, but still an easy walk.

thursdaysd

I eat alone a lot. A slow, multi-course meal is often my evening entertainment when I'm traveling. Just take a book, or listen to an audio book on your phone. I prefer the latter, as then you can look around at the same time, but if you feel self-conscious an actual book may be better. Some people write in their journal, but you can't do that and eat at the same time.

Getting a reservation, even if just on the same day, is a good suggestion.

ahiddenbird

Thanks guys, theses are really helpful tips!

I'm going to try and learn how to ask for a reservation in Italian before I go

massimop

I would have a sunny day plan and a rainy day plan.

Small museums and churches are sometimes the least crowded spaces in Venice, so if jet lag makes you irritable about having to deal with other people or crowds,

I've been to Venice more than once, and I didn't arrive jet lagged, so it's hard for me to put myself in your shoes exactly. But now that I've been, it occurs to me that something I might be tempted to do were I arriving jet lagged is to do something on my check-off list that I know is touristy/silly, and just get it over with. On a nice day, jet lagged, I might actually enjoy a gondola ride. Confronted with rain, I'd go ahead and curl up in a corner of Harry's Bar and have something stronger than a Bellini.

ellenem

With so much time in Venice--and if you are interested in churches--you might invest in a Chorus Pass and make your first stop the Church of San Sebastiano, quite close to Zattere.
http://www.chorusvenezia.org/en

vincenzo32951

Museums were built for rainy days.

For me, alcohol and jet lag don't play well together.

massimop

Funny, but I often find a drink perks me up, or at least makes me more cheerful. The worst effect jet lag has on me (other than make me oversleep the next day) is hypersensitivity to irritations, like grating music or people blocking my way, motor vehicle pollution. One martini and I don't care.

jane1144

We arrived jet lagged as well. We dropped our stuff at our hotel, had lunch and then took a vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal to help get oriented. We had an early dinner in our neighbourhood.

annhig

Just take a book, or listen to an audio book on your phone. I prefer the latter, as then you can look around at the same time, but if you feel self-conscious an actual book may be better. >>

Your kindle is your friend in these situations, IMO - so light to carry around, compared to a book.

I agree about the vaproetto ride being a good idea, but if you fancy a museum, IME the Academia is very empty towards the end of the afternoon.

thursdaysd

Note: you don't need an actual Kindle. You can download the app to a tablet or phone. Same with Nook. My library also has an app for ebooks and audio books. I didn't think I would be happy reading books on a phone, but my dated Samsung Galaxy5 is fine. And of course for audio books it doesn't matter.

annhig

thursdaysd - I like the feel of a Kindle and find the screen of my iPhone too small to read a book comfortably. I do have Audible on my phone but I like to hear what's going on around me in a restaurant so the Kindle suits me well.

But different strokes for different folks.

NYCFoodSnob

For goodness sakes, you're sitting alone at a restaurant in Venice! DON'T be an uncreative, personality-less bore by sticking your face into some stupid electronic device. What common, lonely behavior is that?

Keep your eyes wide open and watch every detail around you. Have a dictionary handy and try a few new words on your waiter. Make sure you practice the pronunciation.

By all means, take notes during your meal, even while you're eating. The restaurant staff will think you're writing a review, and wait until you see what surprises they bring you.

Most importantly, wear your most inviting facial expression as you look into the eyes of the people who pass or hover near you. You just can't imagine the lovely people I've met while dining alone in Italy. I've made so many new travel friends through the years. I've had a few love affairs, too.

Whatever you do, don't think like a bore. Enjoy yourself and try to live outside your box. The goal is to have fun! For goodness sakes, you're alone. Who is there to stop you?

ahiddenbird

@NYCFoodSnob > I'm a pretty reserved person by nature, but I will try to take your advice! The results sound ideal. But I may bring along a book just in case I wimp out.

Leely2

1. Depending on your level of interest, Ca' Rezzonico can be a slow or a quick visit (I guess the same can be said for all museums). In any case, should you decide that you want to be fully focused for the Guggenheim, you could save that for when you don't have jetlag and visit Ca' Rezzonico instead. It is an easy walk from you and a very pretty museum. However, if 18th-c Venetian art is your thing, you might want to come back when you're not tired.

I was in Venice for a week this July, and while certain parts of Venice were packed, I had this museum almost entirely to myself. In fact, even Accademia wasn't crowded when I was there.

2. I like eating by myself while on vacation. I tend to splurge on dining/food, so I might not be the best person to ask if you are on a budget. But I had done some restaurant research before arriving, and tended to just wander by my chosen restaurants at lunch time. I did reserve a couple of dinners; if you are worried about feeling awkward upon arrival, having a reservation can alleviate this. But I enjoyed my leisurely lunches more, perhaps because I don't like feeling locked into anything.

Have fun! I hadn't been back Venice in 10+ years when I returned this summer. It is a fantastic destination for a solo traveler. I went jogging in the mornings on the Zattere--some beautiful sunrises.

tuscanlifeedit

I'm searching my memory for a visit to an art museum in Venice that was crowded, and I can't remember such. I think you'll be OK wandering through a museum.

Sassafrass

Lunch and pizza places are different.
For dinner, you do not have to reserve far ahead for your welcome to be different. We sometimes walked by and reserved for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes later. On return, we were treated like friends or regular patrons. They had a table waiting. We certainly did not get the same warm when we just dropped in, and they looked around for a vacant table.

ahiddenbird

I'm glad that my tentative plan of wandering and a museum seems to make sense to everybody. I guess I'll decide what kind of art/atmosphere I feel like on the day.


@Sassafrass > I was actually a little concerned about having to call a place up and make a reservation over the phone in my basically non-existent Italian. I would much rather just drop by in person, that seems less intimidating somehow. So thanks for sharing your strategy!

Maybe I need to try and not be so easily intimidated, though.