A Guide to Saving Money in Venice, Italy

Italy

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By Ryan Gargiulo

Venice owes much of its tourist numbers to its reputation of being one of the most romantic cities in the world.

But the magic of a romantic getaway or even a family vacation in Venice can put a serious damper on your wallet if you fail to do your research prior to arriving.

Coincidentally enough, preparing for a trip to the floating city isn’t always as easy as one would think.

Especially since sorting through all of the resources and information available on the Internet can be a daunting task.

Tips for Saving Money in Venice

TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY IN VENICE

Instead of wasting your time gathering up a bunch of information from less than reliable sources, do yourself a favor and begin your planning by checking out some of my best tips for saving money in Venice below.

ACCOMMODATIONS

It is no secret that accommodation prices in Venice double and triple during the high season. 

If possible, I highly recommend you book your stay well in advance.

Your best bet when it comes to finding the best deals on hotels in Venice is to keep an eye out over on Booking.com.

They’ve got a huge inventory of accommodations and they update it often.

I use them every time I head to Europe as well as other parts of the world and I’ve yet to have a bad experience or an issue with a reservation.



Booking.com

In the meantime, here are some Venice hotel recommendations that you might want to take a closer look at.

Hotel Sant'Antonin

Hotel Sant’Antonin

This well reviewed, 16th century hotel is conveniently located just 10 minutes walking distance from Saint Mark’s Square.

As far as location goes, this is going to be one of your best bets in Venice.

The Sant’Antonin offers free Wi-Fi throughout the entire property and all rooms come equipped with a private ensuite bathroom, safe, air conditioner and LCD television.

While this hotel is a little on the pricier side of the spectrum, it’s a beautiful place to stay and visitors continue to rave about how clean and how centrally located it is.

Book your stay at the Hotel Sant’Anonin now

Hotel Al Codega

Hotel Al Codega

This family run hotel is conveniently located just 5 minutes walking from Saint Mark’s Square.

All rooms come equipped with air conditioning for those hot summer days. Rooms at the Hotel Al Codega are decorated in an old fashioned, elegant Venetian style.

Some rooms have incredible views of the city so be sure to ask if there’s any rooms with a view available during check in.

A daily buffet style breakfast and free Wi-Fi is included in the room price.

Book your stay at Hotel Al Codega now

Hotel Locanda Herion

Hotel Locanda Herion

This Venice bed and breakfast is easily accessible from both the airport and the train station.

One of the features that many visitors tend to highlight is the beautiful courtyard available for reading, drinking and dining during your stay.

Note: This is not a high end hotel by any means. It’s a well reviewed, affordable B&B that will get the job done for those of you who are interested in visiting Venice on a budget.

The Herion is located just 15 minutes from the Rialto Bridge and rooms feature private bathrooms, free toiletries and a hair dryer.

Wi-Fi is not free but is available in the public areas of the hotel.

Book your stay at Hotel Locanda Herion now

In conclusion, if you’re looking to save money and do Venice on a budget, you’re going to want to try to book your trip in the off season (January or November through the beginning of December).

Doing so can save you up to 40% in flight and accommodation costs. 

Although the temperatures are on the low end, the city will maintain its magic and romance.

But be advised to bring some rain boots because Venice does experience flooding from time to time between October and January.

Tip: Check the Fare Calendar over on Skyscanner to find out when the cheapest time to visit is.

Special Deal: If hotels and B&B’s aren’t your cup of tea, you could always use Airbnb to find a great deal on a little home away from home in Venice. Speaking of great deals, if you use this Airbnb invite, you’ll save yourself $25 off your first stay of $75 or more.

AFFORDABLE TOURS IN VENICE

If you’ve visited Venice before, you’ll know that failing to book your tours ahead of time can be costly.

While it’s generally best to book most tours and activities in person in many destinations around the world, it’s quite the opposite in Venice.

Price gouging happens more often than not here and if you book ahead, you’ll be sure to avoid all of the stress and time involved in negotiating deals on the street.

If you’re looking for a reliable and reputable tour company that offers the best tours in Venice, do yourself a favor and book through Viator.

Venice in a Day Tour

Venice in a Day Tour (Walking / Boat tour)

If this is your first visit to Venice, you’re going to want to make sure you don’t miss any of the major highlights of the city.

These highlights include a visit to St Mark’s Square, Palazzo Ducale, St Marks Basilica, home of Marco Polo, the Rialto Bridge and more.

This three hour tour is a combination of a walking tour and a boat tour.

The two hour walking tour portion covers all of the famous monuments and landmarks in the city.

Finally, after lots of walking and learning on the go, you’ll board a water taxi that will take you on a relaxing cruise along the Grand Canal as well as some of the more minor canals.

Last but not least, the best feature about this tour is that you get a VIP pass of sorts to St. Mark’s Basilica, one of the busiest attractions in Venice.

You won’t believe your eyes when you see the line of people trying to get into this place.

Fortunately, for you, you get to skip the entire line and head straight inside.

Note: This tour would be best for first time visitors and would serve as a great introduction to the city. The walking tour portion of the tour will really help you understand the layout of the city and help to get your bearings so that you don’t get too lost once you decide to go off an explore on your own.

Book the Venice in a Day Tour here

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice Gondola Ride and Serenade

A gondola ride captures the true essence of the city and let’s face it, one of the most popular things to do in Venice is to take a gondola ride.

Unfortunately, because of the high demand and the flocks of tourists that want to hitch a ride on the canals, the prices of a gondola ride in Venice are astronomical.

The only way to cruise the canals with a Gondolier on a budget is to find another couple or two that will share the ride with you.

But, even then, you’re going to have to be ready to haggle.

If you’re looking for a cheap and stress free way to take a relaxing gondola ride in Venice, you’re best bet is to book your ride through Viator using the link below.

Book your Gondola Ride here

TRANSPORTATION IN VENICE

The cheapest way to explore Venice is to use the Vaporetti, or water bus.

The Vaporetti is the equivalent to a public bus service in most major cities, only this one floats and uses Venice’s waterways to take people from one location to another.

A single ticket for the Vaporetti is still relatively expensive compared to most public transport systems at €7 Euro per ride.

Fortunately, the vaporetti ticket offices in Venice also sell 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hour cards at deeply discounted rates.

If you’re staying longer than 3 days, you might want to purchase the 7-day vaporetti card as it will be the cheapest way to get around the city.

Vaporetti Ticket Prices:

  • Single Ride – 7 Euros
  • 12-hour travelcard – 18 Euros
  • 24-hour travelcard – 20 Euros
  • 36-hour travelcard – 25 Euros
  • 48-hour travelcard – 30 Euros
  • 72-hour travelcard – 35 Euros
  • 7 days – 50 Euros
  • 3-day youth card (ages 14 – 29) – 18 Euros

You can purchase your tickets at a ticket office or purchase them online here.

DINING IN VENICE

If you want to eat out the best thing is to stay away from the big touristy areas such as the Piazza di San Marco and also to put away the tourist guide book that will recommend places.

Those are the big tourist traps. If you are going on a walking tour discovering the hidden corners of the city you will sure find a good place to eat with reasonable prices.

Another alternative would be to cook your own meals in apartments in Venice.

You can get everything you need at the markets or in super markets and it wonメt cost you as much as eating out at a restaurant.

Here’s a few places where you’ll be sure to find great deals on food in Venice:

  • Pizzeria ae Oche – Great pizza for between €5-10 Euro
  • Pizza al volo – This place sells huge slices for €1.80!
  • Brek – Meal, Drink and Dessert for around €5 (cafeteria style food)

In conclusion, while most people tend to spend far more money than they need to, a trip to Venice can be done on a budget.

Have you been to Venice before? Do you have any other tips on how to save money in this expensive city?

6 thoughts on “A Guide to Saving Money in Venice, Italy”

  1. Not exactly major savings, but you can use the toilets at cafes and restaurants for free instead of the public toilets. Every euro counts!

    Reply
  2. Heading to Venice in May…thank you for the tips! We’re staying two nights at the front and end of our cruise to Greece. One of our hotels booked is on the Grand Canal on the western start of the canal…wondering where we should book our last night in Venice?

    Reply
  3. My advice – just walk! Explore the quieter areas such as the Canneregio and San Polo. Use your vaporetto tickets to go to the islands, although I personally avoid Murano. Torcello is amazing and Burano is full of brightly coloured houses. If the weather isn’t good, just take the vaporetto and go along the Grand Canal and La Giudecca for the views. A vaporetto ticket for your length of stay is well worth it!

    Reply

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