A Month In Venice

If you have ever visited Venice then you are surely aware that the area around the Rialto Bridge is the shopping hub for tourists. However have you ever wondered about where the locals go to shop? I know I have and fortunately I have discovered a few places where you can pick up the necessities of life while you are staying in this city.

For instance if you want to get robbed by buying your bags from the various street vendors feel free. However most Venetians buy their clothes from the COIN department store where the prices are three times cheaper. If you do not know how to find this store simply ask one of the hotel workers or a local where to find it I am sure they are willing to help you out.

If you are into looking for leather goods such as jackets, hand bags and the like the best place to go is called Kalimala which is in the Castello sesteri. And if you shoe should happen to break and want to have it repaired then the best place for that would be Risuola Tutto di Giovanni Dittura which is in the Dorsoduro district. Either store will be surely cheaper then if you bought near the Rialto or St. Mark’s Square.

If you are looking for a place to buy your coffee the most recommend store would be Caffee Costarica which is in the Cannaregio sesteri. For the wine lovers I would recommend the store Cantinone gia Schiavi which is one of the oldest wine shops in the Dorsoduro neighborhood.

Perhaps you are more in the mood for some kitchenware. For that particular need I would recommend L’Arca which is on the island of Santa Croce. Of course most of the other shops that offer glassware are on the island of Murano as that is to be expected. However if you do choose to go to the island I would recommend only shopping at CAM and Carlo Moretti because both have a great reputation for quality and service.

What if you are looking for the genuine Carnavale masks? There is really one or two places that make traditional Venetian masks. One store that still makes the masks the old way is Giorgio Clanetti which is in the Castello sesteri. Since these masks are so rare it is best if you call ahead at the following phone number 041-522-3110. For costumes during Carnvale the only place that I know of is Tragicomica which is in the San Polo neighborhood.

I hope that if you do go to Venice that you check these stores out. They are surely worth a visit as I am sure they will help your wallet out by not catering exclusively to tourists. Since the locals use these stores this is yet another way to soak up the culture of Venice and perhaps even get yourself a good deal as well.

If you want to eat in Venice on a budget then you must be a bit creative. As I have stated many times in this blog Venice is an expensive place. Many Italians will scoff at your idea of trying to survive in that city on a small budget. They should know as they are the experts in their hometown. However it is possible to save at least some money when trying to see all that Venice has to offer.

Here are some few tips and tricks to save money while in Venice. First be sure to visit the various baccari that are all throughout the city. These are the wine bars that serve what would be approximate to Spanish Tapas. If you want to find a good wine bar I would ask a local that you trust. If you can tell ahead of time if the restaurant you want to go is a pizzeria, a trattoria or ristorante then this will surely save you some money. The least expensive of the three is the pizzeria and the most expensive is the ristorante while a trattoria fits somewhere in the middle of the three classifications. There is really no sure way to tell from the outside but it is a safe bet that if there is linens on the tables then that is most certainly a ristorante and if you are on a budget I would only go to those sparingly.

Fortunately I did find a few good recommendations of some more notable restaurants to eat in Venice that will not break your bank account or cause you to open a second mortgage.

The first restaurant that I would recommend would be Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni which is perhaps one of the best examples of classical Venetian fast food. It is a cafeteria style establishment that is well known for their fresh salads that seem to be the favorite to the American crowd.

Secondly I would visit Osteria a la Campana which is quite a find in Venice. The fine wood paneling of the place does not match the inexpensive yet high quality meals that are served here. There is no menu as the waiters come to your table and tell you what is available for the day. It is a real experience that a traveler should experience and hopefully the tourists will keep away from as that would surely wreck the place.

Lastly the final restaurant I would recommend Vini da Pinto which is best known for its fresh seafood. This place is just right off the fish market so it should be easy to spot but overlooked by many tourists. If you enjoy seafood at all I would definitely go here to experience what would be a real Venetian lunch with the locals.

There are a few more restaurant recommendations I could give but this should keep you busy on your stay in Venice. Not spending an enormous amount of money in Venice can be difficult but with the help of some locals you are sure to find the gems that this city has to offer.

Finding cheap accommodations in Venice Italy is not an easy task. Let’s face it the words budget and Venice Italy are not usually mixed in the same sentence together. It is certainly not what the town is best known for that is for sure.

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 San Marco neighborhood is the virtual heart of the city. Containing St. Mark’s square it contains some of the most visited destinations by tourists. This district or sesteri contains the Rialto Bridge which has many shops and expensive boutiques that not the average tourist can afford to shop. If you want a calmer part of this neighborhood then head towards the southern part of San Marco as that is visited by fewer tourists and is conveniently located near the Accademia bridge which leads to many other of Venice’s hot spots and must see destinations.

Below are five of the best budget hotels in San Marco although there may be many others if you are willing to look.

Al Gazzettino
San Marco 4971 - Calle de Mezo
A very small but cozy hotel that is run by a very friendly family. The décor is a mix of modern and antique with a not so surprising Italian flair.
Phone: +39 04 1528 6523
http://www.algazzettino.com/

Caneva
San Marco 5515 - Corte del Drio la Fava
A larger hotel with 23 rooms this is a must see! You see 17 rooms in this hotel face the canal and are available if you ask ahead of time. So how about that ? A budget hotel with canal views. Does it get any better then this?
Phone: +39 04 1522 8118
http://www.hotelcaneva.com

Hotel Riva
Ponte dell Angelo, 5310
On the corner of two canals this hotel is bound to suit anyone with a desire for a canal view room. Small but with air conditioning and quaint decorations this is a hotel that is ideal for those that want to explore the city and not watch television as there is none in any of the rooms.
Phone: +39 04 1522 7034
http://www.hotelriva.it/

Locanda Fiorita
San Marco 3457/A - Campiello Novo o dei Morti
This hotel is of course housed in a 15th century Palazzo. It is a charming hotel that is full of flowers during the height of tourist season hence the name.
Phone: +39 041 523 4754

Noemi
San Marco 909 - Calle dei Fabbri
An eclectic hotel by Venice standards you will find yourself surrounded with both Murano and Asian inspired decorations that surprisingly work together.
Phone: +39 041 523 8144

Staying in Venice is an expensive venture. However I hope my recent series on budget hotels in Venice have helped some of my readers. Alas this is really only helpful if you wish to stay for a couple of days or perhaps a week. What are you going to do if you wish to stay in Venice for an extended period of time? I have many friends who are artists and would love to stay in this city just to absorb the atmosphere and to hone their craft. What options do they have as students to stay in Venice? Well fortunately there are many good search engines and directories you can use to find ideal locations to stay and that will hopefully fit into a tight budget as well.

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.