Venice Frequently Asked Questions
Venice is so touristy, how can I experience the city as Venetians do?
Yes, it is a fact that Venice has a lot of tourists (and has for hundreds of years!), but you’d be surprised at how quickly you can discover quiet parts of the city with just a little effort. One way to experience the city is to actually spend the night in town. Venice takes on a whole different quality when the day trippers go home and leave the city much calmer; it’s a time Venetians take advantage of and so should you! If you aren’t able to spend the night, try exploring some of the more overlooked sestieri, such as Castello, Santa Croce, and Cannaregio. You’ll find plenty of interesting sites and chances are you’ll happen upon Venetian children playing soccer, locals mingling in the squares, and women buying fresh fish and produce from the smaller markets.
Do you have excursions to the towns surrounding Venice?
Yes, Context Venice runs private walks in many towns in the Veneto, including Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Bassano del Grappa. These are designed for both clients making a day trip from Venice and those staying in the Veneto.
What is the best way to get to Venice from the airport? Do you provide airport transfers in Venice?
We currently do offer arrival and departure transfers in Venice. You can see our rates here. There are many ways to arrive in Venice from the airport. Buses (ACTV or ATVO) will drop you at Piazzale Roma, where you can then catch the vaporetto. For those wanting to travel by water, we recommend Alilaguna, a private company that runs a ferry from the airport to many central locations. There is always the alternative of private water taxis. The City of Venice has published their fares, which you can download.
Where can you park a rental car when coming to Venice?
For parking your car, you have a few options. Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto are the main parking spaces in Venice, but prices can get high (and the lines long) during the busy season. A cheaper option would be parking in Mestre (the mainland town just over the bridge from Venice). The Garage Europa has a bus that will then leave you in Piazzale Roma (the journey takes 10 minutes). There is also the San Giuliano open air parking that has a water bus to the Rialto area. Finally, there is also parking at Fusina, which has water buses that depart every hour for Venice (the journey is 25 minutes).
Can you take me into special rooms of the Doge’s Palace?
No, this is part of the Secret Itineraries tour that is run exclusively by the Doge’s Palace. The English visits take place at 9:55, 10:45, and 11:35. Visits can be booked online through the Musei Civici Veneziani . Scroll down to “Secret Itineraries” and click on “Visits in English” at the bottom of the page to bring up their calendar of availability.
I don’t have a car but would like to travel around the Veneto. Is this easy to do?
Yes, the Veneto is quite well connected via train and many towns are closely located, making it easy to move from one city to the next. For example, Padua is just 30 minutes from Venice and 45 minutes from Verona using high speed trains. Tickets are very affordable, normally run between 2 and 12 euro depending on the speed and class of train you decide to take.
I’ll be using the vaporetto frequently in Venice. Do you recommend purchasing a pass?
Yes, if you’ll be making more than 1 trip a day on the vaporetto it makes sense to buy a pass. In 2008, a single fare ticket (good for 60 minutes) costs 6.50 euro. Depending on your frequency of use and duration of stay in Venice you will want to look into a pass, which are sold in the following denominations: 12 hour (14 euro), 24 hour (16 euro), 36 hour (21 euro), 48 hour (26 euro), and 72 hour (31 euro).
I’m really interesting in taking a gondola ride. Can you book this for me?
We cannot book gondola rides in advance. Gondoliers are highly skilled and must past a strict exam before being allow to take clients through the canals. Tariffs are set by the City of Venice, but you should establish a price before you go onboard and you should only accept rides from official stands. Some of the more central stands are located on the Molo in front of the Doge’s Palace, in Campo Santa Sofia, at Piazzale Roma, by Rialto on Riva Carbon, Bacino Orseolo on the side of the Procuratie, and outside Hotel Danieli on Riva degli Schiavoni. Daytime tariffs are 80 euro for 40 minutes and then 40 euro for every 20 minutes after. Evening prices (7 pm to 8 am) are 100 euro for 40 minutes and 50 euro for every 20 minutes after. All prices are for up to 6 passengers.
Those looking for the thrill of riding in a gondola for a fraction of the price should take the traghetto. These are old gondolas that locates use to cross the Grand Canal since there are so few bridges. The ride will cost you about 50 cents and is a good time saver when going from one side of the canal to the other.