A Day in Vvenice--Is this doable?

[ducklite]

We're on a back-to-back that has it's "turnaround" day in Venice. We should be able to be off the ship around 8:00 am, and we'll walk to the Piazzia Roma station to catch the Vaporetta along the Grand Canal. We want to first got to the Piazza San Marco and hopefully tour the Basilica before taking the "Secret Itinerary" tour and touring the Palazzo Ducale.

 

We'll break for lunch after that (suggestions of "reasonble" deli's or pizza places?) and then walk over to the Rialto Market. We'll spend an hour or two there and then take the vaporetta back to the P. Roma station to get back on our ship around 4:00 pm.

 

Does that sound too ambitious, or conversely will we find ourselves with time on our hands?

 

Any info or comments you'd like to add, please do!

[riffatsea]

The San Marco area is notorious for being expensive as a place to eat.

You could just walk to the Rialto Market and find something there or skip the market because I imagine it would be better early in the AM and wander back towards Campo Santa Margherita where there are lots of outdoor cafes like Ai Sportiva where you could get pizza/salad etc. It is in the university area in Dorsoduro so less expensive for food.

[KayAnnie]

That itinerary is absolutely doable in a day. We did all that and more, although I agree with the above poster about not eating near Piazza San Marco.

[ducklite]

I'll have to make sure my husband eats a big breakfast on the ship that morning--he gets grumpy when he gets hungry. Maybe I'll pack along a couple of granola bars to tide him over... ;-) In all honesty while I don't want to spend $120 on lunch, I'm fine with $30 on some pizza and Cokes if it's more convenient and will hold him over until we can nosh on something we find at the Rialto.

[ksps cruise fan]

It's doable, but I wouldn't bother visiting the Rialto Market if you don't plan on arriving until after lunch. The food is highly perishable yet the display practices are quite traditional -- fish/shellfish piled on beds of ice. Each vendor puts out only as much as he expects to sell and he heads home when sold out.

 

If you truly want to do all these activities, visit the market first. The market is fully under way by 8:00 a.m. so you'd make efficient use of your time. Also, if you look at the map of Venice, you'll notice that you'll encounter the Rialto vaporetto stop before the San Marco stop. I image you could be at the market no later than 8:30. Unless you stop to eat something, I doubt a visit to the market will take a full two hours.

 

Incidentally Riffatsea and I both recommend the same pizza place in the Campo Santa Margherita, however, we're calling it by slightly different names. I think the name is Al Sportivo and he writes Ai Sportiva. If you wander looking for this place be on the lookout for either name. If it's a warm day, you'll recognize the place by the huge awning that extends over the tables set outdoors in the piazza (Campo). Incidentally, there's a fabulous gelateria located nearby. I don't recall the name of the place, but my memory tells me it is not in the Campo, but in a smaller-still piazza that is attached to the Campo.

 

Finally, this section of Venice, the Dorsoduro, is more residential than most so wandering there is lovely. Among other slices of life, you'll see boats loaded with fruits and vegetables tied up alongside the canals -- a Venetian floating famer's market.

[ducklite]

Great info everyone! Maybe I'm wrong in assuming it was the Rialto I wnated to go to. I wanted to go to the market or shopping district that I'd find Murano glass and Venetian masks. Help??

[Lsimon]

I'll have to make sure my husband eats a big breakfast on the ship that morning--he gets grumpy when he gets hungry....

 

Walking through the neighborhoods of Venice there are many cafes where you can get a nice espresso or cappuccino along with a pastry or panini for not too much money. No problem finding food as you walk around between San Marco and the Rialto bridge area.

 

Great info everyone! Maybe I'm wrong in assuming it was the Rialto I wnated to go to. I wanted to go to the market or shopping district that I'd find Murano glass and Venetian masks. Help??

 

There are places all over that sell these items. Nicer items and genuine Murano are in stores along the streets. Less expensive items, probably much of it imported replicas or mass produced items, are sold on street vendor kiosks you'll find all over with lots of them near Rialto bridge and some along the waterfront of the grand canal either side a block or so off of San Marco plaza.

 

Personally, what we enjoy most about Venice is just wondering around. The sights around San Marco and all the stores and sights between there and Rialto bridge are wonderful.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thanks for the great insight. We are in Venice this Sept and are staying post cruise at the Hotel Arlecchino which is right by the Piazzale Roma. How far of a walk is it from there to the Rialto Bridge ?

We were thinking of getting a vaporetto pass and was wondering if most of the sites are within walking distance of the Piazzale Roma.

[Lsimon]

Sounds like a good tourist map is what you need to appreciate routes and distances. My favorite is the Mapeasy Guidemap series. It has a lot of popular places marked on it.