Venice Questions: good attractions & maps
Hi, we are going to Venice this summer and I heard it's pretty easy to get lost in Venice. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good detailed Venice maps? Also is there a fee for Basilica San Marco? What are the good free attractions in Venice? Thanks!
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Also, is there a Venice museum pass available for purchase?
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Yes, it's very easy to get lost in Venice, but that's part of the charm. Nothing is very far from anything else. I like to know where I am, though, and after several trips to Venice and using Streetwise Venice, which didn't show all the streets, I bought a map made by Borch (I think it's a German company), which is more detailed - but there were still at least two places I remember where reality was different than the map (in one case, a street went through, but the map did not show that).
No entrance fee for San Marco. The best activity in Venice is to walk and enjoy the canals and the buildings, and that's always free! |
I wish you and I suggest you to get lost in Venice and stay far "from the madding crowd".
The charm of Venice, in my opinion, is to feel lost and one sec later can understand that you are not because you see a "bacaro" and take there the local typical finger food. Enjoy it. Vincenzo |
There is no entrance fee for the Basilica of San Marco, but there are entrance fees for certain sections once inside the basilica: Museum, Treasury, Pala d'oro.
There are passes available, Venice Cards, on a variety of levels. You need to read carefully to see if any combination will meet your needs based on what you want to see. http://www.hellovenezia.com/jsp/en/venicecard/index.jsp The major free attraction of Venice is wandering the streets. There are some churches that may be of interest that do not have admission fees. |
One lovely church that doesn't have an entrance fee is Santa Maria Miracoli. San Zaccharia is also interesting, and has a crypt level - I don't think it has an entrance fee.
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I bought a Moleskine City Guide to Venice, and the maps are pocket sized, and the street finder is good. The Hallweg map also worked well for us.
Many churches charge a 3 Euro admission fee, but you can buy the Chorus pass for about 12 Eoro that admits you to about a dozen of Venice's finest churches. The pass can be bought at any of those churches. Don't miss the Frari church - it is a knockout. Advice - everyone says that it's fun getting lost in Venice, just meandering through the streets. That is true. But it's not fun getting lost when you first arrive, so it is worth while mapping out exactly how to get to your hotel from the railway station. |
Venice is and awsome place to be lost in and it's so easy to do.If your staying near the square just map out to get to your room don't forget to note a few landmarks,I stayed in a B&B once and when i reserved the room the owner had taken pictures all the way from the square so we had street names and landmarks to follow which made finding the room much easier. than trying to follw the map.Maybe if you have a digtal camera that might helpIf you too pictures on the way to room .I was in Venice my second trip and we spent two hours one night trying to find the room .At 2am everything looks the same.Have a great time !
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Along with a good map, don't forget to take a compass!
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Thanks. Do you know where I can find more information on the Chorus pass?
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You can buy the pass at any of the participating churches, but sometimes you will have to ask for it - the attendant does not automatically offer it..
Here is some information - they quote 9 Euro, but I'm certain it is now 12 Euro. http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...horus-pass.htm |
The website says there is a Chorus Reduced Pass for students up to 29 years old, is it for students only or anyone under 29 would be qualifed for the reduced ticket?
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Just buy it at the first church you go to. If you buy on-line you have to nominate the first church that you are visiting, and you might want to change your mind.
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The Chorus pass is good for 16 churches, anyone has any recommendations on the ones I should not miss? I don't think I can go to all 16 churches. Thanks.
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Here are the churches on the pass, so other can share their recommendations:
Santa Maria del Giglio Santo Stefano Santa Maria Formosa* Santa Maria dei Miracoli* San Giovanni Elemosinario San Polo Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari*** San Giacomo dall'Orio* San Stae Sant'Alvise Madonna dell'Orto* San Pietro di Castello Santissimo Redentore Santa Maria del Rosario (Gesuati) San Sebastiano* San Giobbe I starred the ones I like, but truly the only must-see on the pass is the Frari. I'd just go into any of the others that you pass. --- Meanwhile, churches I like that have no admission fee: San Marco San Pantalon San Nicolo dei Mendicoli San Zaccaria |
You will get lost in Venice - whether you have a map or not. Our hotel was located close to St. Mark's Square, so when we need to get back to our hotel we would follow the signs to St. Mark's Square (there are also signs everywhere directing you to the Rialto Bridge). Once back at the square we could easily find our hotel. I'm sure we went way out of our way several times, but that is part of the fun of exploring Venice!
One evening we had enjoyed a lovely dinner when my DH realized he had left our credit card at the restaurant where we had lunch. Not only did we have NO idea the name of the lunch restaurant, we had NO idea how to find it! All we could remember was what the sign in front of the restaurant looked like. My husband (an avid runner) took off running the alleyways of Venice looking for the restaurant. He eventually found it and retrieved our credit card from the very nice waiter who was still there. The ironic part is that the restaurant was probably 50 yards from our hotel, but we had no idea - we had taken such a circuitous route getting there and back we would have sworn we were miles from our hotel! |
I would recommend taking some sort of map pocket that you can hang around your neck. You will feel that you may look stupid at first, and obviously a tourist - but anyone with a map looks like a tourist. But it means that you will not have to put your map (or book) down every 5 minutes as you stop to take a photo, then forget to pick it up again. You will have two hands free for eating ice creams, handling money, etc. The bigger the map, the better. A good guide book, e.g. Dorling Kindersley "Venice & the Veneto", with a map section will serve two functions, though you will find that, the greater the detail, the quicker you walk off the edge of the page, or the fold of the map, so you have to re-arrange the map or turn the page in the book, which, I admit, is tedious with a map pocket.
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Santa Maria della Salute is free to go in and is well worth a look. So is San Trovaso. The campanile of San Giogio Maggiore is almost free (it was 3€ several years ago when San Marco was 12€, I think), and you get a better view of Venice, and much less queuing than with the campanile of San Marco. If you get there before the Biennale finishes, most of the palaces used outside the Biennale area are free to go in. Even if you don't like modern art, the views of the rooms inside the palaces and the views from the windows of the palaces makes climbing the stairs worthwhile.
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Please don't do what Bert4545 suggests re the map. I know that it makes some sense, but really, does anyone need to look that stupid??
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