Venezia Travel Tips
Flights and Airports:
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Hotels:
Restaurants and Cafés:
Number one, of course, is my Dad’s restaurant only two minutes walking distance from the
Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge):
Osteria “Il Milion”
Corte Prima al Milion
San Giovanni Grisostomo, 5841
Tel. 041-522-9302
It is a very nice typical Venetian restaurant. Actually, it is the oldest Osteria (restaurant) in
Venice still in existence. The complex of houses where the restaurant sits is where Marco
Polo's original house used to be (Il Milione is the title of the book that Marco Polo wrote about
his trips and adventures to the far east)... great food! My Dad's name is... Roberto.
Harry’s Bar
http://www.cipriani.com/cipriani/Locs/ven.htm
It is one of the most famous restaurants in the world, classic and high end. Check out the
website for its history. Just one minute walking distance from Piazza San Marco.
Tel. 041.5285777
Making Phone Calls To and From Italy (the best deals):
How to reach Venice by plane:
The Marco Polo Airport is located 12 km by land and 10 km by water from Venice and is well
connected to the city by public transportation lines (water and land) and to the rail station in
Mestre.
Get to Venice by Bus:
Exit the airport, across the street there are two kinds of Buses you can take to get to Venezia
that leave every 20 min:
N. 5: Public bus, 1.5 Euros - will get you to Venezia at Piazzale Roma (only place for cars in
Venice), but it will stop at every single bus stop along the way.
ATVO Bus: 3 Euros - (buy tickets inside the airport) it goes directly from the airport to Piazzale
Roma, no stops, (make sure to get the one that goes to Venezia Piazzale Roma, as they all
look alike!)
Get to Venice by Speed Boat Service:
From the airport, you can catch a speed boat water taxi to get to Venezia for no more than 90
Euro. Expensive, but comfortable and beautiful.
Call Lele: +39-340-2278357
Lele is a friend of ours and a crazy golfer. If he is not available with his water taxi, he will be
more than happy to contact one of his partners and help you (always mention the van der
Steen wedding or Paula Parmeggiani).
How to reach Venice by Train:
You just have to make sure that the train goes to Venezia Santa Lucia, which is the Central
Train Station in the heart of Venice. Important: Do not get off at Venezia-Mestre. This is the
city on the other side of the only bridge that connects the mainland to Venice.
How to reach Venice by car:
Getting to Venice by car is easy. The directions to reach the city are clearly marked with road
signs.
The only way to access Venice is through the Ponte della Libertà, a bridge 4 km (2.5 miles)
long. Respect the posted speed limits, as the bridge speeds are radar enforced.
Parking areas in Venice are located in Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto. The other option is
parking in Mestre, which is the first city outside of Venice on the other side of the bridge. So…
Parking in Venice: I suggest parking in Piazzale Roma, which is just at the end of the bridge.
To get there, just follow the indications (Piazzale Roma) written on the asphalt (I think it's the
left lane). Parking in Venice is more expensive, but definitely more convenient because it puts
you right in the heart of the city, but be careful not to park where you don't have to pay... the
Police WILL tow you!
a. First parking structure on your right: Autorimessa Comunale - 19 Euro/day flat rate
(approx.). Good if you stay for a day or more.
b. Second private parking on your right: San Marco - I don’t remember the fees, but I know
this works if you pay hourly and you stay for less than one day.
Parking in Mestre: Follow the directions for the Train Station. In front of the train station
there are two public parking lots to choose from. Fees should be around 8 Euro/day. Then
either take a taxi (tell them to go to Piazzale Roma) or take the first train that goes to Venezia
Santa Lucia (remember, you are in the Station of Venezia-Mestre). There should be a train
every 5 to 10 min. The ticket is 1.50 Euro (I think).
Important: Train tickets CANNOT be purchased on board. You have to purchase them prior
to boarding at the ticket offices or the news stand. The train will bring you right to the heart of
Venice.
Ahhhhh, no more cars! Once you are in Venice, there are three kinds of transportation to get
around:
1. Vaporetto: The water bus that runs only on the Grand Canal with many stops.
2. Water taxi: These are smaller motor boats that function as a taxi (more expensive).
3. Your feet: Great exercise and fun. You will want to wear comfortable shoes as you will
most likely be walking a lot to see all of the beautiful sights of Venice.
Roby’s Suggestion: Call your hotel for the best way to get there. Obviously the water taxi is
the easiest way to go, but it's also the most expensive. If you want to save money, ask your
hotel for the closest vaporetto stop.
To call Italy from here...
1. Sign up for an account with http://www.enjoyprepaid.com. They have very good rates.
or
2. Buy a phone card at 7-11 or Costco, etc. (rates aren't as good as #1 above).
To use your cell phone over in Italy...
You'll need to call you service provider to coordinate, but you first off need to have a tri-band
phone that works on the frequencies over there. If you're not sure, your service provider can
tell you if it will work in Italy.
Your service provider should give you 2 options…
1. Sign up for their international calling plan (usually $1 to $2 per minute plus the cost of
the upgraded service plan – expensive)
or
2. Buy a new chip over there to put in your phone (approx. $13) and charge up an account
with $$$. The only trick to this is that you need to ask your service provider to supply you with
an “unlock code” though, so you can use your phone over there. When you put in the new
chip, your phone will ask for this code to unlock it. I know that’s how Cingular works for me.
By the way... I just got to Italy, Sept. 11th, and it took me less than 5 minutes at a cell phone
company booth (Vodafone) at the airport to get it setup. It was the easiest thing to do. I highly
recommend this solution if you would like to have a cell phone while in Italy. The number of my
cell phone, should you need it, is 39-349-347-7314.
To make calls to the United States and within Italy...
You can just buy a phone card at a Tabacchi store (it has a big "T" on the sign outside)
(cheap rates to call US). A good card is "Happiness". The card explains how to use it, but for
the most part, you just dial a number they supply you and then enter the passcode that you
reveal by scratching off that silver stuff with a coin. You can also use your phone card from a
cell phone to call the U.S., but keep in mind it just costs you more because you're using you cell
phone minutes as well. And I forget how they work when you use them from an Italian pay
phone, but the minutes may cost you a little more as well (the pay phone service takes their
cut).
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