T i f f a n y H s u

1. Stay for at least one night, I can't stress this enough.  I know it's an expensive city, but if you've dreamed about visiting Venice, do yourself the favor and stay overnight.  Why take the time to go to Venice and only do a day trip, this only ends in heartbreak and yet another pseudo travel expert lamenting about the terrible experience of Venice.

Early Morning

I've helped numerous friends plan trips to Italy including time in Venice and I always tell them the same thing, Venice will be their most expensive hotel experience in Italy, but it won't necessarily be the nicest hotel you stay in.  Know that from the beginning and you can plan how to split your budget accordingly.  A 2 or 3 star hotel will cost about the same as a 4 or 5 star hotel elsewhere. If you are going as a solo traveler or a couple, I recommend staying at a hotel, but if you are going as a family you'll find much more value staying at an apartment rental.  The last time I was there I went with my family, we stayed overnight at a rental I found and our train didn't leave until 6 pm the next day, we lucked out when the owner let us stay as long as we wanted on the day of check out.  This worked out well since my parents like to rest in the afternoon and take a nap.  Essentially we were able to rent the apartment for two days for the price of one, or about $125 per day for a family of 4.  Even if we didn't get the extra day $250 for one night for a family of four is still a steal.  

If you really are on a tight budget and can't afford a hotel, then schedule a train departure for as late as possible.  This isn't ideal since by the later part of the day you'll be wishing you had somewhere to go to get off your feet and take a quick break, but if you have more energy than money, it's worth considering.

2.  The Vaporetto is your friend.  Yes, the best way to explore Venice is on foot.  No question about that, but after many twists and turns feet get tired fast.  This is a guarantee especially for those who only want to spend a day in Venice and still see as much as possible.  The Vaporetto seems expensive when you don't plan on taking it only to break down when you realize you're too exhausted to walk from the Rialto Bridge to St. Mark's Square and just want to ride the Vaporetto once.  7 euro for one ride is expensive, but if you plan your day out knowing you'll take the Vaporetto you'll find it's well worth paying for a 12 hour, 24 hour, or longer pass.  18 euro for 12 hours, 20 euro for 24 hours, 25 euro for 36 hours, etc... are great deals.  Keep in mind, unlike some parts of Italy where a day pass expires at midnight the day of validation, the passes for the Vaporetto go by hour, which means if you buy a 24 hour pass and start using it at noon, you can use the pass until just before noon the next day.  

My parents loved the Vaporetto.  We arrived in Venice at 10 AM, walked around and explored all the side streets we could stand before taking a rest in the afternoon to avoid the day trippers.  By 5 pm we bought and validated our 24 hour Vaporetto tickets and were able to travel comfortably all over Venice for the evening and the next day even fit in trips to Murano and Burano because we had extra time since we planned against the crowds.  Our 24 hour pass didn't expire until 5 pm, which gave us plenty of time to go back to the apartment rental via Vaporetto, rest for a quick moment, then walk to the train station.

3.  In every tourist destination there are certain places that everyone flocks to, in Venice this includes St. Mark's Square, Bridge of Sighs, and Rialto Bridge. This means you have to put up with crowds at some point while in Venice if you want to see these sights, right?  Wrong.  My next tip is to stay away from St. Mark's Square.  I don't mean never go to St. Mark's Square, it's really too beautiful to miss, but don't book a hotel there and do not visit in the afternoon.  The shops and restaurants around St. Mark's Square are the most expensive and usually the most mediocre on the island, which means if you choose a hotel in the area not only will you have to deal with crowds, but you'll deal with mediocrity even when the crowds disappear for the day.  Choose instead any of the countless places along the Grand Canal and near a Vaporetto stop for line 2.  I can't recommend Cannaregio enough.  I have an absolute favorite apartment rental right next to the Guglie Bridge that will always be my apartment of choice whenever I visit.  There are some sites that suggest the Cannaregio neighborhood is too far, but I really wonder if those writing that have monetary motives for suggesting tourist stay in and around St. Mark's Square.  The reality is Cannaregio is far enough from the maddening crowds, but an easy 15 minute walk to St. Mark's Square.  Factor in the fact that it is also walkable to and from the train station, this means not having to drag around luggage traveling in and out of Venice.

4.  Plan your visit differently than a day tripper would.  If you've been taking my suggestions to heart so far you'll be staying at least one night in Venice in a less touristic neighborhood while planning on a 24 hour Vaporetto pass.  That means you're not limited to the time constraints of a day tripper, so why would you go the same route as one? If you're staying somewhere less touristic spend your time exploring by foot your neighborhood or a neighborhood that really catches your interest.  This is the absolute best part of visiting Venice and most day trippers don't have the time to enjoy what makes Venice really special.  Most day trippers are gone by 5 pm and do not show up until after 10 am, which means heading to the main tourist sights between 10 am and 5 pm equals feeling like a sardine.  The day you arrive in Venice will probably be after 10 am, if you plan on exploring different neighborhoods and taking a siesta before 5 pm, by the time you head to St. Mark's Square or the Rialto Bridge you'll have each location practically to yourself.  Keep in mind photography is the best during these hours as well, worst in the afternoon.  The next morning you can decide how to use your time, either going back to St. Mark's Square or use the time to go to another island.  Just remember, avoid the route a day tripper would plan their day and you have most places either practically empty or with more manageable crowds.  By the time the crowds start forming you'll be ready to go explore a few more nooks and crannies before needing to head to the train station.  

5.  Restaurants are expensive in Venice.  Decide if the specialties in Venice are things you are interested in trying.  If they aren't, you may well end up at a restaurant ordering overpriced carbonara and wondering why its not as good as carbonara from Rome  or ordering pizza and wondering why it's not as good as pizza from Napoli.  Liver, squid ink pasta, fried seafood, and other seafood dishes are what Venice does really well.  If you aren't interested in these things then rethink how you dine in Venice.  If you are on a budget consider heading to the markets.  Restaurants are more expensive in Venice, but I've found the food in supermarkets are some of the best priced in the major cities of Italy.  Take full advantage of what makes Italy great, in other words, Italy is known for fresh and tasty produce and access to tasty high quality meat (the type of food us Americans pay a premium for at specialty shops).  Cook your own food if you have access to a kitchen, otherwise try out the deli or precooked food in the markets.  We were surprised how cheap it was to buy steak, pork chops, beer, wine, etc... in the markets in Venice and ended up eating a much tastier home cooked meal than the food we had at a restaurant the next day.  We had some really good food in Italy, but my parents still rave about how great the quality of meat we found in Venice was.  We kept it simple, letting the flavors of the quality steak and pork chops shine through.  Going to the market, cooking lunch, and hanging out in our neighborhood while the day trippers squished together at St. Mark's Square gave us a much more enjoyable experience while still making it to all the major sights during off peak hours.