City-On-The-Sea ~ Venice
Posted on May 08 in Europe, Italy - Venice, Slideby ShelynPrint
Venice is built on one hundred and seventeen small islands, and holds one hundred and fifty canals, connected by an amazing four hundred and nine bridges, of which only three cross the main canal. The area it covers is a mere 284 miles (458 kilometres). Although the city appears small, it is really quite extensive for its size with a fair number of Venice restaurants and Venice hotels (off peak) to choose from.
The city is not that big, so you can actually walk from one end to the other in just a few hours, if you don’t get lost. Along the way you will discover marvelous art, superb architecture and breathtaking urban landscaping. Exploring the city randomly by walking is well worth it. The only sad thing about taking the tour is you don’t have ample free time to walk around, the tight schedule doesn’t allow you to.
One of the must do activities in Venice (only if the price doesn’t bother you).
Do you notice that all gondoliers wearing in stripe?
I have to crop the picture because Evelyn refused to appear in this photo.
There are two important rules to remember about gondola rides in Venice:
1) If the price bothers you, don’t do it.
2) If the price doesn’t bother you, make sure you understood the gondolier correctly. It can be a delightful experience, but only if you’re able to forget the price and focus on the scenery.
The city of Venice sets official rates for gondola rides, which started at €80 for 40 minutes (if the price hasn’t been changed). Additional 20-minute increments are €40. Up to six people can share a gondola.
It’s obviously not a place for Malaysians. Thank goodness our gondola rides were included in our tour package so I just felt hurt the moment I paid for my tour package, thereafter, I didn’t have to worry about any additional charges.
If you’re wondering why do they charge so high, in fact gondoliers invest a great deal in their boats: about €20,000 for a traditional hand-built wooden gondola with a useful life of about 20 years. They need to earn the bulk of their annual income in a few short months. Finally, a gondolier’s living costs may be higher than yours, since Venice is an expensive city in one of Italy’s wealthiest provinces.
Source from http://venipedia.org/index.php/Living_in_Venice
Food is one of the basic necessities that are more expensive in Venice than on the mainland. For example Calamari costs about 4 Euros more per kilo than it does on the mainland and beef is about 2 Euros more per kilo than it is on the mainland. The cost of the 32 food items used to calculate the consumer price index in August 2008 was 18% higher in the Historical Center than in Mestre. The increased price is due to the transportation costs of moving goods from the mainland to the island.
So if you’re planning to visit Venice, don’t be surprised of the prices, I meant, any prices.
While Venice is rated as one of the most expensive cities in Italy:
| One-litre bottle of mineral water | €1.60 | |
| 33cl bottle of beer | €2.10 | |
| Financial Times newspaper | €2.50 | |
| 36-exposure colour film | €5.20 | |
| City-centre bus ticket | €5.00 | |
| Adult Football Match ticket | From €16.00 | |
| Three-course meal with wine/beer | From €25.00 | |
Malaysia should be rated as one of the most expensive countries in the world as well. I meant if we don’t do the currency conversion, the cost of living in Malaysia is about the same as Venice, except our beers cost double compared to theirs. Malaysians don’t seem to earn that much either.
Oh… in case you’re interested, you can download Malaysia Salary Guide 2008/09 here.
This is Saint Mark’s Bell Tower located on the Piazza San Marco.
San Marco church.
We didn’t enter the church, as the visit within the basilica lasts probably just ten minutes but waiting for entry into the basilica can last up hours!! So no point lah, unless it was a free and easy tour and we had plenty of time and money to spend :p
This is my mum, posing queen. Unlike me, always hands in the pockets, that’s all.
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Jason Chan: Very informative and well written....
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Jasmond: Useful tips, i went there twice already and took t...
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Lucy: Hi Shelyn, your tips is really useful for my plan....
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maya: hi shelyn.... Thanks for your wonderful reviews...
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Shelyn: Hi Luke, 09:30 - 10:30 -> Do you prefer local b...
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When i went there it was 1st jan, the whole town is almost empty, plus it was snowing huhu..me and my frens were shaking while having our gelato, hahah..
When i went there it was 1st jan, the whole town is almost empty, plus it was snowing huhu..me and my frens were shaking while having our gelato, hahah..
Oh gosh.. I hate cold.. LOL… I was there in Oct, the weather wasn’t that bad. But I think it’s a good experience when the whole town is empty.
Wow, looks awesome! Especially the pigeons so many of them! Can bbq them or not? lol
BBQ pigeons ah… can gua, if you manage to catch them.
Too many pigeons that they are actually trying to get rid of them by feeding the pigeons with the food that will stop them from breeding.
Wah, nice romantic boat ride…..hey Romeo not in the picture leh!
Lots of pigeon……can make pigeon pie! (Aiya, me thinking of food all the time) LOL!
Shelyn,
Those gondola rides look very romantic to me!
Did you bring along your boyfriend? There is a saying “A kiss under the bridge”
Back here in Malaysia, we have so many rivers. It is high time our local council put effort to modify some sampans and organized a similar romantic journey.
You have a nice collection of pictures. I like the picture on ‘attacking’ pigeons – a candid moment
Cheers!
mylo
Pete,
You really think of food all the time man…
shloke,
My boyfriend didn’t want to spend that money.. LOL, so only me, my friend and my family members.
Where exactly is it the romantic river journey here in M’sia?
Basilica di San Marco sure looks fantastic from the outside.
I like your photos. The gondola ride looks very romantic with nice view but it’s very pricey. With 40 euro can buy many things already. Got night ride or not? Ehh, your gondolier, how’s his voice? Nice or not? Hehehe.
I like your photos. The gondola ride looks very romantic with nice view but it’s very pricey. With 40 euro can buy many things already. Got night ride or not? Ehh, your gondolier, how’s his voice? Nice or not? Hehehe.
Yeah… Euro40 is really too much. My gondolier’s voice ok lah… you can watch the video, he got sing a bit.. haha… Why night ride? At night cannot see much…
Yeah… Euro40 is really too much. My gondolier’s voice ok lah… you can watch the video, he got sing a bit.. haha… Why night ride? At night cannot see much…
I just booked a trip to Italy!!! If you are planning a trip make sure you use http://www.1000travelsites.com to find the best prices for flights and hotels. They search pretty much every travel provider on the web in a matter of seconds! Then they list the prices from all of the travel providers on one page so you definitely get the lowest price every time. I’ve tried other sites like this before, but this one aways has the most listings and the best prices. It’s like the google of travel searches.
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Terrific post. Thanks.
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That’s great that you post the prices of some typical items you may need to buy. It really helps visitors get an idea of how expensive Venice really is. Of course, the more touristy, the more expensive. Your pictures are wonderful, btw! Nice post!
Thanks Jerry, I’m glad you like the post