VENICE

The very first time we were in Venice was 2002.  I absolutely fell in love.  Yes it was love at first site.  There were several of us traveling and we all loved Venice.  Since then we have been back 3 additional times and I have watched the Venice we first met change.  When we were there in 2002 it was the first summer after 9/11.  The US Dollar and Euro were almost equal (the US dollar was worth more).  American's were not traveling international so much due to 911 so the crowds were minimal.  When we went back in 2004 there were definitely more Americans.  By our 2006 trip the Americans were back in full force.  Venice had way more crowds and yes it did seem dirtier.  In fact that trip we were traveling with my brother-in-law, bonus daughter, her sister, and a friend.  Heather's sister and my friend were not impressed with Venice at all.  We had started in Austria and they had loved Austria.  (PS - I did love Austria too.) 

I know not everyone is going to love Venice the way I do.  Venice moves my soul.  I could easily live out the remainder of my days there.  With that said I found this article and I think it is worth a read. 

http://indianajo.com/2015/05/alternative-venice-what-to-do-in-venice.html

You might love Venice and you might not.  I just ask that you keep an open mind.  If you are looking for the bad you will find it.  However on the flip side, if you are looking for the good you will find that instead.  Regardless of your destination it is about the journey.  I always look for the good.  I haven't always done that but I find I enjoy myself more and I have a much better time. 

I hated Venice the first time I visited. I felt cheated, hustled, robbed (some of Venice’s prices should be criminal) and utterly underwhelmed. I couldn’t get close to the sights I wanted to see thanks to the crowds and at €16 for a Bellini in Venice’s most famous cocktail bar, I’d have expected fresh peaches. As I packed up my bag, I vowed never to go back. Venice wasn’t the Italy I loved. It was an anomaly to be written off to bad experience, not to be encountered again.
But the thing is, every city deserves a second chance so 5 years later with a fresh set of eyes and a lot more experience at getting under the skin of places, I tried I again and although I didn’t become spellbound by the city (and I probably won’t be visiting a third time…probably…) I definitely had a more enjoyable experience this time because I chose to see Venice a different way.

Alternative Venice: 10 Things NOT To Do (and 10 To Do Instead)

In this article I’ll share with you what to do in Venice but it won’t include your standard itinerary – that’s where I failed last time. Instead I’ll be sharing 10 alternative ways to see the city while still enjoying the main sights and experiences. Here goes…

1. Don’t attempt to see all the sights – pick a few and see them well

I’m all for cramming as many sights into as short a visit as possible (Florence: 72 hours, 72 museums and the €72 museum pass: GO!). Venice is an exception to that rule. Why? The crowds. Even in shoulder season (late April/May), the crowds in Venice are so vast that it’s impossible to speed around the city – a pace that’s required for maximum sightseeing.  Do yourself a favour: take the pressure off, pick a couple of must-sees and see them properly.
St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge Palace were top of my sightseeing list and although it would have been nice to cram in a bunch of museums, I opted to take a locally guided tour of my top choices and see them properly.
A good decision, it turned out because instead of queuing to get into the sights, the guide had pre-ordered priority access (part of the ticket) and took the group straight up to the terrace in St Mark’s Basilica (usually €5 but included in the tour cost). Up there, I got to see the gold mosaic basilica pretty damn close (it’s a mosaic because Venice is too humid for plaster and frescoes), but, above all else, I got a thick slathering of history. So many times I’ve stood in a place of significance, looked up at something quite clearly of interest and thought, “what the hell is it?”
Venice has history in spades and it’s best explored with an insider to take you through the stories that make up city’s history. For example, did you know that the copper horses at the top of St mark’s Basilica are replicas?  The real ones, which are thought to be the oldest on earth at about 2,000 years old, are located inside the terrace. Life size, it’s hard to imagine how these four horses have moved over the centuries from Constantinople to Rome and Paris (where they sat on top of the Arc de Triomph after Napoleon stole them). You can read more here.
How to do it: I took a 3 hour walking tour (Legendary Venice, €64) with Walks of Italy. The tour included a guided tour of St Mark’s Basilica, the terrace at the top of the Basilica and the Doge Palace.

2. Don’t stare across at the Bridge of Sighs – Go INSIDE the bridge and stare out

If only Venice could triple the size of the bridge opposite the famous Bridge of Sighs, the congestion along the waterfront in Venice would ease around 50%* (*random guestimate). But clearly, that’s never going to happen and in order to get a good look at the Bridge of Sighs you’re going to need to battle with the tour groups, selfie-stick wielding couples and people who are otherwise simply trying to squeeze by.
But what bemuses me most about the fracas to get a shot in front of the Bridge of Sighs is that the whole significance of the bridge is the views it gives out over Venice. In case you didn’t know, the bridge is so named because prisoners inside the Doge Palace would walk through the interior of the bridge on the way to their execution in St Mark’s Square. The bridge and the tiny lattice gaps gave prisoners their very last view out over Venice before they died. And that last view is thought to have induced a final sigh at Venice’s beauty, hence the name: Bridge of Sights.
So, dear tourists – YOU’RE LOOKING THE WRONG WAY!
Instead of sticking with the crowds, take a tour of the Doge Palace and the prisons. Wander through the Bridge of Sights, take a look out over Venice (ignoring the crowds gawking in), sigh and be grateful you’re not off to be beheaded!
How to do it: A visit to the prisons and a walk inside the Bridge of Sighs is included in the 3 hour Legendary Venice walking tour with Walks of Italy (see above).

How not to be beheaded in Venice
Prisoners were once executed between the two columns crowned with St Mark’s lion and St Theodore in St Mark’s Square and superstitious locals won’t walk between the two columns through fear it will lead to an ugly death.

3. Don’t pay tourist prices (+$5) for coffee – spend under $1.50, like the locals

A friend warned me about the coffee and drinks prices in St Mark’s Square before I visited. “You have to pay for the music.” I laughed. She was joking, right? She wasn’t.
Sit yourself down for a mid-sightseeing coffee at Cafe Florian overlooking St Mark’s Square and you’ll be charged €6 for the music. I’m not talking about a collection hat that comes around. I’m talking about an actual €6 cover charge. That’s in addition to your coffee price (€3 for an espresso,  €5 for a cappuccino and €7 for filter coffee). Sure, it might be the oldest café in Venice, but nearly €10 for a hit of caffeine and some accompanying music? When you consider it costs only €20 to see an entire recital in Lucca, home of Puccini, that doesn’t feel like a great deal.
Walk a few paces to the right of Cafe Florian and the coffee price plummets to €1.20 for an espresso. You have to shuffle in among the locals and drink your coffee standing (which is how the Italians do it anyway) but for a quick caffeine fix while still enjoying being in the square, this is a much better option.
How to do it: ask for a caffe (espresso) at Ai Do Leono just to the right of St Marks Clock Tower, €1.20.

4. Don’t take a Gondola ride – take a boat tour instead

Read almost any article about Venice and it will tell you to take a Gondola ride. I get it. They’re iconic and compelling and some people feel entirely unable to go to Venice and not get in one – so do it, fulfil the dream and enjoy. But don’t think that’s where the waterways of Venice start and end.
One of the biggest appeals of the City of Canals is the water and how everything is conducted on it. Deliveries are made, commutes occur, children travel to school and even ambulances take the form of a boat. Once upon a time, Gondola’s used to be nothing more than a reality of Venetian life. These days, with more tourists than locals, the gondolas exist largely for tourist purposes. What’s more, unless you spend big, you’re going to be sharing a small boat space with a lot of strangers for a very short (30 minute stint) on the water.
Instead, take a 2-hour board ride down the Grand Canal, under the Rialto bridge and out towards the smaller islands. Let the guide point out the old custom house that used to tax every boat coming in to trade with the Merchants of Venice; see where the house of Prada sits; and sail past the hotel where George Clooney got married.
And all of this without the bumps and jolts felt by the much smaller Gondolas.
How to Do it: I took the Venice Boat Tour with Grand Canal and Tower Climb with Walks of Italy, 2hrs, €98.

5. Don’t climb San Marco Campanile – ascend San Giorgio Maggiore for the best views in Venice

A bit like looking towards the Bridge of Sighs instead of out towards Venice, the best views of the San Marco Campanile aren’t from the top of the San Marco tower they’re from across the water, looking at the campanile.
Instead of climbing up the San Marco campanile, head over to the small island of San Giorigo Maggiore and climb the bell tower there instead (I say climb – it’s actually a lift/elevator and there is no climbing option). By ascending the bell tower across the way, you get panoramic views across the whole of Venice island, including the famous campanile.
How to do it: a visit to San Giorgio Maggiore island is included in the Walks of Italy 2 hour Venice Boat Tour with Grand Canal and Tower Climb tour (see above).

Got a few days in Venice? Why not visit Prosecco?

Most of us are familiar with Prosecco, the Champagne of Italy, but did you know that the Prosecco region is just over an hour away from Venice? If you have a day or night to spare, why not spend it tasting a glass (or two) while enjoying views over the rolling vineyards. In my article How to Plan Your Own Prosecco Tour you’ll find a complete itinerary for visiting the region including which vineyards to try as well as bonus tips on finding an osteria (inn) where you help yourself to cheese and bread on an honesty basis and, best of all, a hidden Prosecco vending machine with some of the best views in Italy (picture above).

6. Don’t linger around San Marco – head to Canareggio for crowd-free Venice

Don’t miss Ponte de Chiodo – one of only two bridges in Venice without a parapet.

The few locals left in Venice’s historic centre tend to spend most of their time in the Canareggio district and if you make the effort to head away from the water and the highlights of San Marco, where most of the day trippers tend to linger, you’ll see the crowds thin significantly. As though another part of Venice has opened up, with a modern shopping street but also the history of the Jewish Ghetto, in Canareggio you can spend a few hours getting to know real Venice without the crowds.
How to do it: Take a vaporetto to Ca’ d’Oro and head to Strada Nova (New Street). Continue on to Via Emanuele and ultimately onto Rio Tera S. Leonardo (it’s all the same street but the names change as you cross the bridges). Look out for a tiny sign above an alley written in Hebrew, which will take you into the Jewish Ghetto. You can loop back via Misericordia. Canareggio is a great option for food and drinks without the tourist uplift.