Venice

You have landed in Venice, now what?

January 8, 2019

Water taxi outside the Venice airport

Venice- Marco Polo (VCE) is 12 km (7.5 miles) from the city of Venice (Venezia). As you may already know, no cars can enter Venice. This is not because they are prohibited, but because they cannot physically fit in the city. Venice is on the water and is made of bridges and small pedestrian streets (called calli). All cars must be parked directly outside the city, in Piazzale Roma, where there is the main parking lot (parcheggio). This is also the arrival point of all buses and taxicabs.

However, if you need to reach Venice from the airport and would like to experience something really unique, consider these options:

The public boat to Saint Mark’s Square (or other Venetian destinations) for €15 per person. You can buy the tickets either inside the airport or on board.
The water taxi. If you choose this solution, then budget around €100 (for up to 5 people).

The official website of the Marco Polo airport in Venice gives you information on all means of transportation from the airport to the city.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 1 “General transortation” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

Using a luggage cart at the airport in Italy

April 17, 2018

Instructions to unlock the luggage cart

In many airports, luggage carts (carrelli) are free to use, but others require a deposit of €1 to unlock the cart from the rack. If this is your first trip to Italy, you may find it convenient to have a few spare coins (monete) available ahead of time.

You could inquire about Euro coins at your local bank or maybe try asking for a couple of spare Euros from friends who have recently come back from Europe. Having not only some change but also a bit of Euro cash with you can save you the time and hassle of looking for an exchange office right away.

Fortunately, things have improved in recent years. At the Malpensa airport, for example, luggage carts accept US quarters while exchange offices have been installed within the airports’ baggage claim areas. This is the one in Venice, where we usually land coming from the States:

Currency exchange at the Venice airport

Along with exchange offices, now you can also find exchange machines to obtain your Euro coins. This one, located in the Venice airport, accepts British and US currency:

Exchange machine at the airport

Front panel of an exchange machine

The machine gives out €3 when you insert a $5 bill (or €4 when you insert a £5 bill).

Warning: Check the little green window before making any transaction, because – like in this case – the machine could be out of order (fuori servizio).

Fuori servizio message

So, now you have your Euro coins and you are ready to leave with your luggage.

Unlocking a luggage cart with a 1 Euro coin

{This is an excerpt from chapter 1 “Transportation” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

The two faces of the Italian carnival

February 13, 2018

Photo by my friend Roberta

Sunday, when I learned that my friend Roberta went to Venice to see the carnival, I asked her to send me some photos of the event, one of which I’m now sharing with you. Il carnevale di Venezia is an experience that everyone should make at least once in a lifetime. I had the chance to see it a few years ago and loved it. I think it is such an elegant carnival where people come from everywhere to dress in gorgeous costumes and hide behind mysterious masks.

Then, there is the other face of the Italian carnival: the hilarious one.

Photo by my friend Gabriella

I couldn’t stop laughing when my friend Gabriella sent me this picture from Trieste. Have you seen the guy on the right? He is wheeling on the Vespa!

Carnival has become an important event in Italy, even schools are closed during the festivities, which didn’t happen when I was younger (bummer).

What about you? Which kind of carnival do you like the most, the elegant one or the hilarious one? For me, it’s hard to decide…