Venice: the city of romance, or a tourist trap?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the first week of the Easter holidays I got to fulfil one of my travel bucket list ambitions – I went to Venice, the ultimate city of romance.

I knew it would be expensive, so to justify the cost of going I decided to ask for money towards the trip for my 21^st birthday. I’ve wanted to go to Venice for so long, and so I was extremely excited, but when I talked to some friends beforehand who had been, they warned me that it wasn’t actually as great or romantic as it is often considered. They warned me about the numerous street sellers and tourist traps, and so I went prepared to be a bit disappointed. I was actually pleasantly surprised. For me, Venice really did live up to its expectations.

We managed to pack a lot into our two days in Venice; splitting our time between doing some touristy things, and discovering some more hidden spots. My friend knew that there was a church where Indiana Jones was filmed so we went to see that, although it wasn’t in our guide book or on any of our maps. It was so much more peaceful being away from the main tourist streets, and you felt like you were actually getting a taste of the ‘real’ Venice. We also visited St Mark’s square – the main tourist centre of Venice, with Doges Palace, St Mark’s tower and the basilica all in one place. We wanted to climb the tower, but the queues were unbelievable, so rather than waiting around for hours, we hopped on the water bus and went over to the small island of San Giorgio where we climbed a tower at the monastery there for a much cheaper price and with hardly any other people. I reckon we had a better view of Venice, as we could actually see St Mark’s square, rather than being directly above it.

It was so much more peaceful being away from the main tourist streets, and you felt like you were actually getting a taste of the ‘real’ Venice.

I can understand why many people don’t like Venice, thinking it’s just overpriced with too many tourists. On our first night there, we went to a restaurant only to find when the bill arrived that we’d been charged four euros each for sitting under a covered area – not a mistake I’ll make again! Even if it was a bit ridiculous, I didn’t really mind too much because I was paying for the experience, and who knows if I’ll ever get the chance again. I was also really looking forward to going on a gondola, no matter how clichéd it is, but some quick searches before the trip showed that a gondola costs 80 euros for 30 minutes, so that idea went out of the window before we even arrived! Instead, we used the vaporetto (water bus) to get around, which was a lost cheaper and you got exactly the same views as you would have done on a gondola. They offer special tourist tickets for 24 or 72 hours which is definitely worth it if you plan on venturing further out.

I was paying for the experience, and who knows if I’ll ever get the chance again

My favourite part of the trip was actually a tour that we booked beforehand that took us round some of the islands near Venice. We visited Murano, where we got to watch a glassblowing demonstration, Burano – famous for its colourful fishermen’s houses and lace – and Torcello. It was nice to get away from the hectic centre and visit some of the lesser known places surrounding Venice. The tour was a guided one, and we only had 40 minutes on each island, so it was a bit of a rush at times, but it was still great to get a taster.

I read Venice by Jan Morris before I left, which I would recommend to anyone planning to go. The book is considered to be one of the classics of travel writing, and according to my edition “one of the best travel books ever written”. Although written in 1960, the book is still a great introduction to the history and atmosphere of Venice. Back in 1960, Morris suggested that Venice was effectively a “residential museum”, and this is even more the case today, as with tourism being its main income, and many residents moving to the mainland, it does feel more like Disneyland than a place where people live. I still haven’t decided how I feel about this, but I agree with Morris when she says: “Nobody will deny that tourism is part of the Venetian mystique”. Venice might not be for everyone, but I wouldn’t let worries about its tourists and popularity put you off. If you look hard enough, there are still hidden treasures in Venice that are left to discover.