The first Sunday of September is when this event takes place. There are many other Regatta’s from the various islands in the Venetian lagoon that are held all throughout the year but the true Regata storica takes place at this time.

This race is very similar in tone and shape to the Palio of Sienna. You see in this race like the Palio the boats are from their respective neighborhoods and each neighborhood turns out to root on their team of rowers who are competing for the honor of winning the race.

What is probably of interest of the tourists that visit at this time is the various processions of boats that proceed down the Grand Canal. First you have the bisonni or the 8 oared gondolas then the balotine which are 6 oared gondolas then following this is the decorative boats from the various rowing clubs. Following this procession of boats is a regatta for the children which is then followed by a race just for the women then a race of two oared gondolas which represent each neighborhood. At the regattas conclusion the whole of Venice comes alive with a city wide celebration that fills each canal and street with merchants and street entertainers.

If you are fortunate to be in Venice during this time I am sure you will not be bored with what is going on at this time. I would say that this festival would even rival the Carnival of Venice, although I may get some heat for saying this but I am willing to take it.

However the following posts should help out the average reader in saving some money on their stay in Venice. It should certainly help out those students looking for budget accommodations as well.

Budget Hotels in Castello

Budget Hotels in San Croce

Budget Hotels in Cannaregio

Budget Hotels in San Marco

Budget Hotels in Dorsoduro

For those that want a longer stay be sure to visit my post on student apartments in Venice Italy. It is certainly worth a look in my opinion.

The very first place I would look is Venice Apartments.org as they seem to have the most comprehensive listing of available flats to rent. Not only will this site help you find a great apartment but they also have some “inside” information on how not to get cheated in this wonderful city. What I found to be particularly good is the tips and tricks section of the website as the information contained leads me to some new places to eat and see. That alone was worth the visit in my opinion.

The second place to look would be the great site of Venice By.com which is another hotel search engine. However they have a great listing of apartments that may overlap with the Venice Apartments.org. This site is different in its comprehensives listing of restaurants and local attractions that is sure to keep any person busy while staying in the area.

Lastly I would check out wenicevenice.it as a place to look for an apartment. This is not a comprehensive listing of apartments and the focus seems to be apartments in the Dorsoduro district. This district seems to be particularly popular with the student crowd so I would check it out if that is what you are looking for.

Hopefully this advice will help any student looking for an flat in Venice. Budget accommodations are not really easy to find in this city as there is a scarcity and a high demand from visitors. However do not give up there are many hidden gems out there if you are willing to search for them. Just keep looking.

However since this region borders San Marco it should be ideal for those that want to see this city but not break the bank. Below is a list of some of the budget accommodations you might find in this wonderful sesteri.

Al Prava
Ruga Giuffa 4838/40, Campo Santa Maria Formosa
This hotel is quite nice with marble floors throughout and a very friendly family and staff are there to serve your needs.
Double Rates: 110 to 210 Euros
Phone: +39 041 528 5174

http://www.hotelalpiave.com/

Ca Del Dose
Castello 3801 (Riva degli Schiavoni)
This is a small cozy hotel that is better suited for an outdoorsy type of personality. Consisting of only five rooms this is perhaps one of the most intimate of hotels that you can
stay in this sesteri. Note that the bathrooms are very small in this hotel.
Double Rates: 70 to 125 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1520 9887

http://www.cadeldose.com

Casa Linger
Castello 3541, Salizzada Sant Antonin
Definitely for the active traveler or hearty student this is a no frills hotel that comes at a
reasonable rate considering.
Double Rates: 60 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1528 5920

http://www.hotelcasalinger.com/

Casa per Ferie Santa Maria della Pieta
3701 Castello, Calle della Pieta
This hotels seems to cater to the University student as the rooms are outfitted as dorm rooms. There are no televisions or pictures but there is plenty of light and room to move about.
Double Rates: 96 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1244 3639

http://www.pietavenezia.org/

Casa Querini
Castello 4388 – Campo San Zaninovo
A very small hotel with only 11 rooms this is quite an experience. Notably half of these 11 rooms look out onto the Santo Giovanni Novo square. This hotels boasts that it is only 2 minutes from San Marco square so it is definitely worth looking into.
Double Rates: 93 to 197 Euros
Phone: +39 041 241 1294

Doni
Calle del Vin 4656 San Zaccaria – Castello
Consisting of only 13 rooms this hotels is replete with narrow hallways and horrible creaky
floors. I would describe this hotel as an acquired taste.
Double Rates: 60 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 4267

http://www.albergodoni.it

La Residenza
Castello 3608 – Campo Bandiera e Moro
This is a plush 17th century palazzo that has gone through a restoration process. For those that like this type of architecture I would definitely check this hotel out.
Double Rates: 80 to 160 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1528 5315

http://www.venicelaresidenza.com/

Locanda Silva
Castello 4423 – Fondamenta del Remedio
This is a friendly and hospitable 23 room hotel that is very near to Santa Maria Formosa.
Double Rates: 60 to 115 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1522 7643

http://www.locandasilva.it

Locanda SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Castello 6401 – Calle de l’Ospeaeto
This is a traditional six room hotel run as though in a 18th century palazzo.
Double Rates: 80 to 170 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 2767

Rio
Castello 4356 – Campo SS. Filippo e Giacomo
This is a small 28 room hotel that has recently gone through a makeover. Larger than some of the other hotels on this list but still with a friendly staff.
Double Rates: 60 to 180 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1 523 4810

http://www.aciugheta-hotelrio.it

I am not trying to dissuade you from going if you are young, rather I just want realistic expectations. The best advice is to find a friend in Venice that shares some of the same interests as you do and follow their advice. Perhaps there is a club where you both can go and have a good time. For each individual this can really vary as much as the bars and nightclubs in the city.

Here is just some of the places that I have discovered in my research on the subject and through exhaustive verification.

Iguana
Cannaregio 2515, Fondamenta della Misericordia
This is a Latin club that serves Mexican food and offers dancing. There is live music on Tuesdays. They are open from Tuesdays to Sunday from 6pm to 2am with a happy hour from 7pm to 9pm.

Bacaro Jazz
San Marco 5546, Salizzadda del Fondaco dei Tedeschi
This is a jazz club that is open from Thursdays to Tuesdays from 11am to 2am. Food and drink is served at this club and you can eat until late at night. Obviously Jazz music is played in this club so if you are not a fan of that type of music stay away.

Il Caffe
Dorsoduro 2963 Campo Santa Margherita
This is a café by day and turns into a open air nightclub. This is a very eclectic place but it is not open as late as others. The hours of operation is from 7am to 1:20am from Monday through Saturday.

Piccolo Mondo
Dorsoduro 1056 CAlle Contrarini Corfu
This is a very small place that will be an acquired taste to many. The hours of operation for
this club is from Tuesday to Sunday from 10pm to 4am. Since this club stays open later I am sure there will be more drunk people around in the area.
This is just a small sample of what is available as the city has a variety of places that caters
to each and every desire that either the locals or tourists could desire. I would be extremely careful when visiting these places to start. Always be cautious and use some common sense and you should be alright.

Here is my list in no particular order of some of the top sights to see while staying in Venice.

• Doges Palace
• St Marks Basilica (and St. Mark’s Square)
• St. Mark’s Campanille
• Harry’s Bar
• Palazzo Dandolo
• La Fenice Theater
• The Accademia Gallery
• Peggy Guggenheim Museum
• Santa della Maria Salute Church
• Campo Santa Margherita

I am not going to number these sights as each and every person has their particular preference for what they want to see whenever they visit a city. However a visit to Venice will not be complete unless you go to each and every one of these places in my opinion.

Also since these are the most visited parts of Venice keep in mind there will be crowds of tourists in the area and you will not get a true taste of the city if you only hang out in these areas. Rather it is much better to find out where the locals go to for fun and see where they hang out. This is the only way to get a feel for the true city of Venice and not what they show to the public.

Venice’s peak tourist season is from June through September. Now this usually means higher priced hotels and plenty of crowds. For some this is okay as some are used to throngs of tourists when ever they visit any place.

To avoid the high crowds of the peak tourist season the best time to go is from November through March however as Carnevale occurs in February for ten days avoiding the city then might also be a good idea.

I could go to Venice tomorrow if I had the opportunity to do so. For me there is no time that I would not want to visit. I am just simply enthralled by this wonderful city.

However there are others, like myself, that would like to know a city beforehand in order not to get lost on my first trip out.In the case of Venice finding high quality street maps can be a bit of a challenge. The maps handed out at the tourist office or those you may receive as part of a tour package are not necessarily the best. It may help you in navigating around the major tourist areas of the city but should you want to venture out and see Venice as the natives do these can be a bit of a disaster.

The most highly detailed and recommended maps are those from the Touring Club Italiano map. These maps come in a variety of formats and scales however they also tend to be the most expensive.

Now a trip to Venice should always incorporate a trip down the Grand Canal on a Gondola. Many claim that this is just too touristy or too expensive however in order to get the feel of the city this is a must! Not only is this the most romantic way to see the city it is also the least stressful, just not on your wallet though. Just make sure that you have negoatied a price beforehand and check each others watches to make sure you are not being cheated. If however you feel like you have been cheated or have a complaint then please call the Ente Gondola office that regulates this service at 041-528-5075 or through their website at www.gondolavenezia.it you would not want to have this ruined by some unsavory gondolier.

There is also another way of getting around Venice other than Gondola and that is through the Vaporetto system. This is the system that connects all the sestieri together and these lines are all operated by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV) and this system can be reached on the web at www.actv.it or through telephone at 041-528-7886. The cost of a ticket can be a bit pricey as they start out at 3.50€ for a one way ticket and 6€ for a round trip ticket. However for the best deal if you plan on making multiple trips would be to purchase the 24 hour ticket at 11€ but this is only if your visit is very short. Longer tickets that are 72 hours and 7 days in length are also available for those that plan on staying and savoring the city.

Water taxis are available but these are just too over priced in my opinion and you can find more information about them through your hotel or other websites. My experience with water taxis was generally pleasant as they were not too rude and generally pleasant.

After I spend a month in this city I might have some better insights on how to really get around. I would love to know how the locals do it but since I do not know anyone from there I cannot give you any further insight.