Melih Kağan Özel When we first bought the Venice ticket, I was very excited. Venice was one of the cities I wanted to see. I thought it had a completely different world. I worried it would be very expensive. However, after our research, we explored Venice at a low cost.
Accomodation
When talking about accommodation, I must mention a lifesaving website. We used AGODA for our accommodations. We discovered this app completely by chance. It was a lifeline for our trip. We had almost decided to cancel the trip. The app’s best feature is deferred payment. Most rooms or hotels allow deferred payment and cancellation. We made many reservations in advance at low cost. We selected the most suitable one and canceled the others.We made the payment at a later date. Additionally, AGODA claims to offer cheaper prices compared to other sites.
Hotels in the Venice city center start at 150 Euros. If you stay in the Venice Mestre area, you can find low-cost accommodations. In February, during the Venice Carnival, we stayed for 20 Euros per person. Most hotels are next to the train station. You can reach Venice city center in just 10 minutes. If you are exploring on a budget, stay in Venice Mestre. You can save 70-80% by staying in Mestre.
Food
Opting for snacks instead of meals might be more practical. You should definitely visit Lidl, which is often referred to as the “BİM of Europe.” There was one just a 10-minute walk from our hotel. They have a concept similar to Migros bakery but offer a much wider range of products. You can make a fantastic sandwich for just a few Euros. To make it clearer, I’m including a video here. The video was filmed in Sweden, but it’s almost the same in Italy; you can even find extras like ciabatta and margarita, which are Italian breads.
If your Italy vacation isn’t limited to Venice, I don’t recommend eating pizza in Venice. After a fire in Venice, wood-fired ovens were banned. Only electric ovens are used in the city, so you might not get the taste you expect. It would be a better choice to opt for pasta and seafood instead.
How to Ride a Gondola for 2 Euros?
When you think of Venice, the first thing that comes to mind is the gondola. During our visit, they were operating at 40 Euros for half an hour and 80 Euros for an hour. As someone who paid 20 Euros for accommodation, the gondola prices were beyond my budget. While it doesn’t replace a full tourist ride, there’s a wonderful transportation option called “Traghetto” for those who want to experience riding a gondola. Used by the locals to cross the Grand Canal, these gondolas can accommodate up to 10 passengers and provide a 2-3 minute journey.
Finding traghettos can be tricky. When you search “traghetto” online, you can find historical and functional information. However, finding reliable information about their hours and locations was difficult. You might stumble upon signs while walking around the city. However, I did the necessary research to make sure Turkish youths visiting Venice don’t just look at gondolas from afar. I’m providing you with direct location information and a map of all the traghettos here.
There are a total of seven Traghettos, two of which are currently closed. The ones marked “chiuso” in the picture below, which means closed in Italian, are MARCUOLA and SAMUELE. Additionally, Traghetto RIVA DEL VIN RIVA DEL CARBON closes at 12 PM, while the others operate until 6 PM. However, these hours may vary, so try to go early.
Security
Venice is one of the safest cities in Europe. The crime rate is significantly lower compared to other European cities. I never felt uneasy while walking through the streets. All the streets are monitored by security cameras. We didn’t encounter any problems with irregular immigrants like in Milan. Venice can be very crowded at certain times. It’s important to remain cautious against pickpockets who might try to take advantage of the crowd.
