HOTEL AND RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS IN VENICE

Article by guest author Peter Brooker

Today I'm going to share with you some tips on where to stay and eat in Venice. This was my 3rd visit to Venice and probably my favourite one because we didn't book any museums or restaurants. We just turned up, ate, drank and had a ruddy good time. 

Landing in Venice

If you're flying into Marco Polo Airport, you can gran a taxi to Venice. We got a shuttle bus because we landed late. You can buy tickets from the Self-Service Vending machine outside. Two tickets one way was around 30 Euros  (sorry forget exactly). There were no taxis as we arrived late, so I recommend the shuttle which is fairly regular. If landing at normal time a taxi will cost 40 euros to Venice. 

TIP: If landing late stay with groups and follow the herd. Everyone will be going to Venice and if in doubt ask someone to help you with the tickets and shuttle info. 

Where to Stay

Hotel Gardena. This hotel is two minute walk from both the bus and train terminals. The room is spacious, but you're paying for the convenience of location especially if you have luggage and fancy doing some shopping. I've never understood why people schlepp all their big bags around the heart of Venice. Nights vary 250-350 GBP, depending on season. You can drop off bags before check-in, they also provide a breakfast to go if you have an early flight. If you want to book a taxi from the Bus Terminals, they will also assist with that. 

Where to Eat 

We ate in numerous restaurants and overall, you'll do well to find bad food in Venice. We didn't book anywhere, and lucked out really with good seats in most places. The following restaurants I recommend. 

"Ai Leoncini" - Just off San Marco Square, 30124. very enthusiastic waiter Khan will charm you in with his silvery multi-lingual tongue. Order the rock oysters, baked or grilled Sea Bass and a bottle of Soave Classico by Soraighe. 

For evening fun. The Al Gazzettinom, called di Mezzo. We were treated to great pasta and the owners father who was 80+ years old sang to the guests accompanied by an accordion player. Made for a convivial atmosphere.

Restorante Sempioni. What a find this was. We got there just as they opened around noon, and got the window seat for two overlooking the canal. Incredibly romantic and the fish was amazing. Service was also spot on, and they put us under no pressure to finish our meals despite everyone jockeying for our seats. 

Ristorante Al Columbo. Good food with outside eating. Order the seafood platter to share and then the lasagne. The owner is a rakish gent who will always be around to talk about his love of food and Venice. 

La Piazza, Calle Dei Segretari. Order the cuttlefish ink spaghetti but ensure you're not wearing your best dress shirt, that stuff will be hard to budge. Tip: avoid nailing all the table bread before your meal. It's never the best bread anyway, and we never had room for dessert after. 

PS _ Any further questions on what to do in Venice I'm happy to answer over on my blog. 

Cover Photo by Juan Martin Lopez on Unsplash