11 Tips for Visiting Venice

I'm not telling you anything new if I tell you that Venice is a unique city in the world. Being built on water, it has a series of characteristics that differentiate it from any other tourist city on the planet. These peculiarities are part of its charm, but they can also hinder our trip if we are not prepared.

To prevent this from happening and to make the most of Venice, here are some tips that can help you. How to get around the canals, what to pack in your suitcase and the opening hours of monuments and shops are some of the things I will help you to discover below.

The first thing to take into account and that will condition our choice: The weather and the influx of tourists. Taking these two factors into account, we can choose the best time to travel to Venice.

Regarding the weather, the climate in Venice is purely Mediterranean with cold temperatures in winter and very hot in summer. And always with the humidity factor present. In this sense, the best time to visit Venice is in the spring months, as temperatures are very pleasant and there is less risk of rain as in autumn. This way you are sure to be able to take the typical gondola ride around the city, which you can book in advance.

The weather also influences the other factor to take into account; the influx of tourists. Venice's high season coincides with the warmer months. In summer, especially in July and August, Venice is packed to the rafters. There are long queues at monuments, more difficulty finding accommodation and restaurants and higher prices due to high demand. In winter, the city empties out and is much quieter, although the temperature is not as warm, especially for the coldest of the cold.

Once we have decided on the date of our trip, it's time to organise our itinerary according to the number of days we are going to spend in the city. There is a lot to see in Venice, but if you are only going for a few days you should prioritise the most important monuments and organise your itinerary to optimise your time.

For example, if we go for two days we will prioritise seeing St. Mark's Square and its monuments first, such as St. Mark's Basilica or the Doge's Palace, you can book a tour here andleave the second day to see the rest of the monuments or visit the islands of Murano and Burano.

My recommendation is that you travel a minimum of three days to see Venice properly. If you only have a day or two, don't worry. Here are two itineraries designed to optimise your trip to Venice in one day and Venice in two days.

Venice is one of the most touristic places in the world and, also because of its small size, it tends to be a crowded city. If we go on an adventure without booking we find that there is no accommodation, it is mission impossible to find a table in a restaurant or that we have to queue endlessly to enter a monument.

If we want to avoid this we should always book in advance. Especially in the summer months coinciding with the high tourist season. This applies to everything, but especially to accommodation, as prices are inflated due to high demand. This also applies to entrance tickets for monuments such as:

• The Doge's Palace: for which you can book your guided tour and save queues.
• St. Mark's Basilica: a must on your visit for which you can have your tickets in advance as well.
• The Palazzo Mocenigo: a must-see, book your tickets in advance.

We have already chosen the date and the days we are going to Venice, now it's time to pack our luggage. Here's a list of the essentials you should pack for your trip to the city of canals:

• In winter, take plenty of coats and cotton clothes as well as hats, scarves and gloves. Also waterproof clothes for rainy days and an umbrella.
• In summer, avoid dark clothes and don't forget sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. Don't leave out some warmer clothing either, as the temperature can drop considerably at night with the humidity and wind.
• Comfortable shoes are a must for getting around Venice's cobbled streets. And if it's waterproof, it's best in case you get caught in the high water.
• Bring a suitcase without wheels or with rubber wheels, as these are the best for getting around Venice. Also, there is a rule against dragging and making noise with suitcases.

and you can be fined if you do. No kidding.

• There are churches such as St Mark's Basilica that don't allow you to wear braces or mini-skirts. Keep this in mind when choosing the clothes you are going to take with you.

Tourists usually arrive in Venice at the Santa Lucia train station and this is likely to be the case for you. When you arrive, the first thing you should do first of all is to go to the tourist office in the station and ask for a map of the city. In the same office they will kindly give you all the extra information you need.

I know that Google Maps exists, but these maps show the Vaporetto lines in great detail and are very useful for getting around Venice. In addition, in many streets and due to their narrowness, GPS does not always work properly. I don't recommend leaving everything to google.

Venice is unique even in its transport. If you want to get around the city, you can buy a transport card. There is no metro, buses or taxis. They are replaced by the Vaporetto and the gondolas. The latter are designed more for sightseeing, but the Venetian transport par excellence is the Vaporetto. These boats are the equivalent of buses or the metro but on water. Knowing how they work is vital for getting around Venice, and for this you have this complete guide.

It is also advisable to know which lines are of most interest to you from a tourist point of view. The most important ones are:

• Line 1: It runs along the Grand Canal from the Piazzale Roma bus station to Lido Island, stopping at some places of interest such as St. Mark's Square or the Rialto Bridge.
• Line 7: Connects St. Mark's Square with Murano Island.
• Line 10: The fastest line to get from St. Mark's Square to Lido Island.
• Line 18: It runs between Lido Island and Murano Island.

The price of a Vaporetto ticket is 7.50 euros and is valid for one hour. If you want to make a short trip just to cross the Grand Canal, for example, there are the traghettos. These are small boats that only cross from one bank to the other for about 50 cents each way.

Wherever you travel to, it is always advisable to choose accommodation close to a station or method of transport. But in Venice this is vitally important. Getting around the city with luggage can be a pain. Its streets are almost all cobbled, there are many bridges to cross with ups and downs and there is a regulation that does not allow dragging suitcases that make noise.

Therefore it is highly recommended that our hotel or accommodation is always near a Vaporetto stop to save us the ordeal of carrying luggage through the streets of Venice.

Venice is generally an expensive city. So is the restaurant scene. However, there are always good value for money options. To find them you only have to move away from the most touristy spots, especially St. Mark's Square.

This square is the nerve centre of tourism and the restaurants and cafés in and around it are perfect if you want to empty your wallet in one go. The further we get away from this point, the cheaper we can eat without giving up good food. Here is a guide to the best restaurants in Venice for cheap eats.

You may have heard of the acqua alta in Venice. This phenomenon occurs when the tide rises slightly and partially floods the streets of Venice. Don't worry, it's generally more annoying than dangerous. It happens most often in the autumn months, as it is a rainy season.

When the acqua alta appears, walkways are installed in some parts of the city, such as St Mark's Square, to prevent pedestrians from getting their feet wet. However, it is always advisable to pack waterproof footwear in your suitcase just in case.

Venice's shopping hours are more similar to those in Europe than what we are used to in Spain. Shops open early, at 8:00, and close at 12:30. And in the afternoon, from 15:30 to 19:30. Restaurants start their lunch shifts at 12:00 and their dinner shifts at 19:30. Restaurants closer to tourist attractions have more flexible opening hours.

Monuments also open early, around 8:00 or 8:30, and can be visited until 17:30 in winter and from April to October until 19:00. This is a general rule, as each museum, church or monument has its own visiting hours, but they are always in a similar range.

Due to the overcrowding and the immense number of tourists visiting Venice, some 30 million a year, the city was forced to impose a series of rules related to tourism. The most important ones to know are:

• In Venice it is forbidden to carry wheeled suitcases dragging along its streets. To safeguard its heritage and to avoid noise, only hand luggage or suitcases with rubber wheels are allowed.
• Tourists have to pay a tourist tax of 10 euros which will be applied when booking accommodation.
• It is forbidden to swim in the canals, eat in public spaces, throw rubbish into the canals, ride a bike, go sightseeing in swimming trunks or stop on a bridge if you obstruct traffic. Any of these offences can result in heavy fines.

Fines for breaking these rules can be up to 500 euros or even triple the amount if it's not the first offence.