Venice Questions
 

Hello everyone!

I have a few questions regarding Venice. Would greatly appreciate advice/validation for a first time traveler.

1. I have bought a "ticketless" ticket on trentialia.it for a train journey from Venice to Rome. Can someone tell me if I can board the train with the printout of the email confirmation or if I need to pick up actual tickets from the train station (something like a boarding pass)?

2. Is it true that a trip on a vaporetto costs EUR5 for a person between any pair of stops up or down the grand canal?

3. Is it true that a one-way trip to Murano from Fondamenta nuove costs EUR3.5 per person?

4. I have been reading about the bread/cover charge for restaurants in italy? can someone please explain how it works?

5. Best food and nightlife is around Campo San Margherita. True?

Let's talk about the bread/cover charge or "coperto" in Italy. Basically, it's there. It rarely exceeds 1.50 per person. If you are very concerned and counting euro cents, find out how much it is before you sit to eat. Also, this is just in sit down restaurants. Many pizza places won't have it. I hope that helps.

I recommend a pass for the vaporetti, either one day or three day, for 11 and 25 euros respectively. Saves a lot of hassle and time, I think, if you have any plans for more than one trip or two in a day.

The bread cover charge is noted "coperto" and I was charnged eu 1.50 or 3 or so -- also check to see if service was included in the bill before deciding if/what to tip. BTW, I was only charged it once in a week.

1. You should be able to bring your email confirmation with you on the train and the conductor will look at it and possibly punch it. Read your email confirmation instructions carefully to see what they recommend.

2. Yes, a vaporetto pass for a trip is 5 euro per passenger, but it is good for 1 hour. I suggest you look at buying a 3, 5 or 7 day pass.

3. Campo St Margherita is a great place! Our favorite pizza restaurant in the world is Pier Dickens and is in this campo. There is not a lot of late night life in Venice. In San Marco square in the summer months, you can listen to the dueling orchestras.
Have Fun! Laurie

Thank you all. Appreciate the responses!

I have read good things about the following as well:

Pizza Al Volo
Gam Gam
Osteria Vivaldi
Trattoria All Madonna

Boat from Fondamenta Nuove to Murano was 5 E. one-way this past April. No discount for round-trip.

Good choices for food and nightlife around Campo Santa Margherita, though not necessarily the best.

ttt

2. is almost correct. According to
http://www.actv.it/english/navigazio...iffe_vaporetto ,

"The fare for a shuttle journey from one stop to the next one across the Grand Canal, or on the section between Lido and S. Elena, or S. Giorgio and S. Zaccaria, is € 2.00."

This info makes me think that I'd be better off buying a 1- or 3-day vaporetto pass. Here's something: What's the one splurge you guys would recommend in Venice? Eating at Harry's Bar, coffee at Cafe Florian..something else?

Bear in mind that the vaporetto passes are not 1 day or 3 day, they are 24 hours & 72 hours. So we made 1 x 24 hrs + 1 x 72 hrs last 5 days, since most days we weren't using them all day from early to late.

Look at your email confirmation. Does it have a code listed on the response - something like - C99W2E. If so,you must go to the 'FASTTICKET' kiosk to acutally get a ticket. More on this if you have that code.

dhoffman,

In the email confirmation, it says "We remind you that, as you have chosen the ticketless way of delivering, it is necessary for you to print and keep this e-mail as a confirmation so that you can show it to the personnel on board the train who will issue the ticket to you."

This clearly imply that I can just board the train with the email confirmation printout.

Caroline,

Thanks for that piece of info. I was under the impression that a 24-hour pass is valid from the time you first validate it until midnight of that day. From what you wrote, it seems like it's valid for a period of 24 hours from the time your first validate the pass. Correct?

Your pass is good for the number of hours from the time you validate it. Thus, we bought a 72-hour pass, and validated it at 11:00AM on a Saturday.

We used it
Saturday afternoon and evening,
Sunday,
Monday, and
Tuesday until 11:00AM.

While one thinks of 72 hours as 3 days, we were able to use it on 4 days, though still for 72 hours.

I booked my train tickets on line on the Eurostar, Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice. When the conductor came, I showed him my email confirmation. He punched my confirmation number into his hand-held computer, then printed out tickets on his hand-held printer. All quick and easy.

As for Venice, I hate to admit it, but we lost money on our 72 hour passes. We ended up taking one of the free water taxis to Murano - that would have been our "break even" trip.

Thanks ellenem!

We reach Venice Treviso at 20.15 Assuming we take the ATVO bus and reach Piazzale Rome around 21.45, I suppose then I'll take a 24-hour pass which will be valid until 21.45 the next day.

missypie,

You mentioned free water taxis to Murano. Where do I catch one? Is this free only to go up to Murano? Or are there free water taxis to come back to venice?

Forget eating at Harry's Bar. I live in NYC and professional "foodies" I know shudder at the thought.
If the dueling orchestras are on DO splurge on a sambucca in San Marco after dinner.. ... and you can look at Florian's from the square -:) Madonna is full of tourists but fun. You may have to wait on line (unless your hotel can get you reservations.) If you like seafood and want to have the "fun" of finding a place.... try Corte Sconta. (reservations necessary... )

I would give up a meal (if I had to!) just to sit outdoors at Cafe Florian, having a drink and listening to the orchestra on a starlit night. I dream about it............

Our hotel told us that Madonna does not take reservations, and the night I was there, there were tourists (I was seated with a German couple) but also lots of Italians being greeted like old friends.
My splurge was sitting outside at Florians (be sure to see the inside, too). 33 euros for a small dish of ice cream (him) and a glass of wine (Me). I guess the potato chips were free.

Vera

Sitting outside Cafe Florian sipping capuccino listening to the dueling orchestras on a warm summer night...that's a must-do i suppose!

Perhaps a photo or two with Harry's bar in the background ;-)