Affordable Europe: Venice

If you are content to merely wander the streets and absorb the city's magical atmosphere, Venice may be one of the cheapest places on earth to visit. It's quite something else if you want to do basic things like, say, sleep and eat there. Even so, pennies can be pinched.

Where to Eat Cheaply

Snack like the Venetians and head for the local bacari, where finger-food appetizers (called cicchetti) can substitute for lunch. Typically, nibbles — like polenta with whipped cod, deep-fried shrimp or toasted bread with salami — run from 1 to 2 euros each ($1.24 to $2.48). The Italian-style tapas usually get downed with an ombra (shadow) or a glass of white wine, starting at about a euro a glass. Try Venice's oldest establishment, Cantina Do Mori (San Polo 429; 39-041-522-5401), near the Rialto Bridge — only the owners have changed over the centuries. Venetians also flock to the Pizzeria Ae Oche (Dorsoduro 1414; 39-041-520-6601) on the Zattere, the quay that faces the Giudecca Island. Apart from the reasonable prices (40 euros for a pizza meal for two), it is the perfect place to bask in the sun while you lunch.

Lodging for Under 100 Euros

There may be a mathematical formula relating hotel prices to proximity to Piazza San Marco. Which explains the affordability of the Hotel Marin (Ramo delle Chioverete 670b; 39-041-718-022) in the Santa Croce neighborhood, just across the Grand Canal from the train station. The hotel has no frills (no TV or Internet) but clean doubles for 95 euros a night in high season. Check the tourist board Web site, www.turismovenezia.it, for wide-ranging options including bed-and-breakfasts.

Best Deal on a Cultural Event

The 18-euro Museum Pass will get you into nine of Venice's civic museums including the Doge's Palace and glass and lace museums on the islands of Murano and Burano. And if you can stand crowds, you can time your trip to coincide with one of several yearly festivals. During the Festa del Redentore, which falls on the third weekend in July, fireworks lure Venetians to the Giudecca Canal to participate in the city's most heart-felt religious celebration. And throngs line the Grand Canal each September to thrill to boat races and watch the Historic Regatta, a costumed recreation of the welcome given to Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, when she ceded that island to the Venetian Republic in 1489.

Best Things to Do Free

The Parco Savorgnan, a public park hidden behind the Palazzo Venier in the Cannaregio neighborhood, is a lovely green oasis where you can wind down after hours of nonstop bridge hopping. Venturing a little farther off, Venice has been known for its blown glass since the Middle Ages, and the tradition continues on the island of Murano where you can visit one of several glass-making factories and watch masters carry on a nearly thousand-year-old trade. A visit requires a short vaporetto ride on the lagoon. The best transportation bargain comes with the so-called Venice Card, a one-, three- or seven-day ticket that lets you float freely around the lagoon, and offers discounts on major exhibits, some bars and restaurants, entrance into several churches and access to toilets. Prices vary for the card, depending on the services and length of stay. Check them out at www.venicecard.com.

Best Money-Saving Tip

Instead of paying a minimum of 80 euros for a 45-minute gondola ride, pay 50 cents to take one of Venice's public gondolas across the Grand Canal. The traghetto is a far less romantic experience — you're usually crammed in and you're unlikely to be serenaded — but at least you can say you've done the gondola thing.

(πηγή: www.iht.com, 23/4/2007)