Where to stay, recommended guides, travel, and visitor attraction as featured in the TV series Globe Trekker: Venice City Guide.
Planning your trip:
Tourist Boards and organisations
APT Venezia
Castello 5050
30122 Venezia
Telephone: 0039 (0) 41 5298711
fax: 0039 (0) 41 5230399
APT Cremona
Piazza del Comune
5-26100 Cremona
Telephone: 0372 23233
Venice in Peril
Unit 4
Hurlingham Studios
Ranelagh Gardens
London SW6 3PA
Telephone: 0044 (0) 20 7736 6891
The Venice in Peril fund is a British charity for the protection of Venice, restoration of Venetian monuments, buildings and works of art. For further information about the fantastic work that the charity does, or to make a donation visit Venice in Peril’s website.
Travel
Travel to Venice with Ryan Air, the low fare airline which offers cheap flights from Europe, UK and Ireland. Flights to Venice arrive at Treviso Airport, 50 minutes out of the city.
Venice Card
Venice Card is a card that allows you to use the main tourist services that the City has to offer. The card can be bought for 1-7 days and provides discounts on public transport and many museums.
Houseboat Holidays Italia
Via C. Colombo
36A Porto Levante
45014 Porto Viro
Telephone: 0039 0426 666025
For a unique way to travel around and experience Venice, hire your own houseboat. You don’t need a special licence and it is a fantastic way to enjoy many of the unspoilt islands of the lagoon.
Where to stay
In Venice
Mid-range
Casa De Uscoli
San Marco 2818
30124 Venezia
Telephone: 00 39 3497941393 or 00 39 (0) 412410669
For the more refined traveller, book a room at Palazzo de Uscoli, a beautiful crumbling fifteenth century palace in the heart of Venice on the Grand Canal. It offers luxury B&B accommodation and a family service to make you feel like you’re instantly at home among friends. There are stunning views of the Grand Canal, the Accademia, the Salute Church and the Guggenheim Museum.
Outside Venice
Budget
Venetian Hostel Città di Monselice
Via S. Stefano Superiore, 33 – Palazzo Tassello
35043 Monselice, Italy
Telephone: 0039 (0429) 783125
If you’re looking for great quality budget accommodation, book a room here in this beautifully converted palazzo in the medieval town of Monselice. The hostel offers 92 immaculately clean
Mid-range
Hotel Impero
Piazza della Pace, 23
26100 Cremona (CR)
Telephone: 0039 0372 413013
The four-star Hotel Impero is located in the medieval heart of Cremona. It offers the ideal base to discover the historical centre and the many violin workshops that make the city so famous. The hotel offers all mod cons and you can even get a discount at some of the local restaurants!
Where to eat
Mid-range
Osteria Al Bacareto
San Marco
San Samuele 3447
30124 Venezia
Telephone: 00 39 0415289336
Venice can be a bit of a tourist trap, but if you put some effort into finding places that are a bit more off the usual tourist trail you can eat well in Venice! For a family-run experience, traditional Venetian food the Osteria Bacareto offers a wide variety of tasty dishes at a reasonable price. Try the local specialities sarde in saor (typical sardine dish) and seppie e polenta (cuttlefish with polenta).
Al Gatto Nero
Burano
Via Giudecca 88
Telephone: 0039 041730120
For good value, quality food, try Al Gatto Nero located on the island of Burano (40 mins away from Central Venice by boat) To help the visitor wanting to find out about the typical products and authentic traditions of Venetian cuisine the restaurant belongs to a group of restaurateurs called ‘Buona Accoglienza‘ .
Da Romano
Burano
Also located on Burano in the middle of the lagoon is the Da Romano which has been run by the same family for generations. Here you can taste the typical dishes of the lagoon cuisine, the risottos and fish dishes, famous for their refined simplicity. The restaurant houses also houses an impressive collection of works by artists of different generations.
Cheap eats
Ai Schiavoni
Dorsoduro 1/1992
30123 Venezia
Traditional bacaro where the locals go to eat cichetti (a kind of Venetian tapas) washed down with a spritz or two.
What to do: Sights and attractions
In Venice
Palazzo Ducale
San Marco 1,
30124 Venice
Entrance for the public: Porta del Frumento, Piazzetta San Marco
Telephone: 0039 0412715911
Fax: 0039 0415285028
If you only go and visit one place on a trip to Venice, it’s got to be the Doge’s Palace. It’s where the Doge’s ruled Venice for over 1,000 years. Feast your eyes on a wonderful collection of Veronese and Tintoretto. The magnificent Great Council Chamber at the heart of the palace is one of the highlights. See Pilot Guides.com’s full article on Doge’s Palace
The glamorous Lido is the setting for the annual Festival del Cinema, which dates back to 1932. The Festival is a showcase for premiering feature films, with the Golden Lion being awarded for Best Film. The films are shown at the ’30s-style Palazzo della Mostra del Cinema. Here you can line the red carpet along with Venetians, tourists and the media to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood stars.
Venice offers a variety of colourful festivals all year round, but one of the best and most impressive is the Regatta Storica which is held on the first Sunday in September. Thousands of locals line the Grand Canal to witness the fiercely fought rowing races that run the length of the Canal from St. Mark’s Square down to the railway station. See Pilot Guides.com’s full article on Regata Storica
Day trip out of Venice
Comune di Cremona
Piazza del Comune
8 26100 Cremona, Italy
Telephone: 00 39 0372 4071
If you go to Cremona you have to visit the comune in the main square, which houses one of the most impressive collections of 18th century violins in the world including Stradivari and the famous golden cremonese 1715.
Consorzio Liutai
Piazza Stradivari 1
26100 Cremona, Italy
Telephone: 00 39 0372463503
Just a few steps away from the cathedral is the Consorzio, where you can learn about contemporary cremonese violin-making and even try out a few of the instruments.
Shopping
Fiorella Mancini
Telephone: 00 39 041 5209228
Like any Italian city, Venice offers a selection of good Designer stores, but if you’re looking for more than a Gucci handbag, try Fiorella Mancini’s colourful shop which stocks and array of wonderful hand printed jackets, dresses and shirts at an affordable price.
By Nicole Dudley
