I don’t really like to burst that bubble, but with well over 20 million tourists thronging to maui on a yearly basis, Venice is not really serene or relaxing. Sure, it is an engineering miracle, encircled by calm lagoon waters, however it is also the priciest city in Europe for tourists as well as a royal pain inside ass to get around. However, there’s no denying it’s magical allure that needs to be experienced at least one time in the lifetime.

I visited Venice to find out if it lives as much as the hype and look around the epicentre of your Venetian Empire that thrived through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Here’s my handy 2 day itinerary that covers Venetian museums, icons like Rialto Bridge and Doge’s Palace, and then spends a day out from the maddening crowds touring nearby islands Murano and Burano.

Getting Around Venice

Even though it has come about as not surprising that boats are alter the go around Venice, I couldn’t help thinking the general public transport system was more complicated than it necessary to be.

Water taxis and gondolas charge over the top so I recommend avoiding those towards a water bus (vaporetto). Tickets cost a flat rate of €7.50 for 75 minutes validity (in any direction, single trip) and can be bought with cash or credit/debit card from automated ticket machines near all ferry terminals. The touch screen interface enables you to change the words to English, חדרים לפי שעה במרכז therefore it is fairly simple to follow. Just be sure and validate your ticket by holding it against a validation machine and חדרים לפי שעה במרכז anticipating saving money light (next on the small gates), otherwise you could find an on-the-spot fine of €60 or more.

We stayed from the most central sestieri (zone) of San Marco, which is on the market via water bus from Santa Lucia radio station – where most (non-cruise ship) tourists arrive. Our Airbnb host instructed us to find the red “line 2” water bus and disembark at San Marco – Giardinetti (not San Marco – San Zaccaria). What we should didn’t know is there are 2 different “line 2” water buses. Well, particularly, one “line 2” water bus including a “line 2/” water bus with separate boarding platforms and different stops. Even though it may appear to be “line 2” is one water bus line, it truly is not. You are unable to reach the same stops on each similarly named line. Seriously, חדרים לפי שעה במרכז who designed this?

To stop confusion, I propose downloading the AVM Venezia app (iOS, Windows Mobile). Sorry fellow Android users, we’re out inside cold. That way you can buy and validate tickets online, search timetables, and חדרים לפי שעה במרכז schedule your route by entering the exact departure and arrival points. The schedule produced with the app is much simpler to grasp versus the printed spaghetti-inspired maps at the ferry terminals. Alternatively, Google Maps does a good job on the public transport when it comes to directions, but I uncovered the timing isn’t particularly accurate.