Difference between revisions of "Venice"

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'''{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}''' is a city in [[Italy]].  The city itself is a collection of islands.  You will probably arrive and leave through '''Mestre'''.
 
'''{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}''' is a city in [[Italy]].  The city itself is a collection of islands.  You will probably arrive and leave through '''Mestre'''.
 
+
== Getting around ==
 +
Public transport in Venice centre is extremely overpriced (7,50 for an one-way ticket). No worry, as you can walk almost everywhere excluding the islands (Giudecca, Lido..) to which you have to take a water bus. However you can blackride (quite easy from what we heard, almost no ticket checkings), and hitchhiking private and cargo boats is also possible. Ferries, gondolas, and water taxis will probably not take you. We stood on the bank of Canale Giudecca close to the railway station with a big sign saying "Giudecca" and waved at boats - we got a ride to G. in around 15 mins. On the way back it took us around 1 hour to get a ride, but thats still decent.
 
== Hitchhiking out ==
 
== Hitchhiking out ==
 
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Leaving the city can be a drag so better prepare the whole day for that. You can catch a ride from [http://maps.google.it/maps?ll=45.441102,12.315366&spn=0.007242,0.01929&z=16&lci=com.google.webcams&layer=c&cbll=45.441102,12.315366&panoid=ODp2EZxJb52sSOx1mJcf4w&cbp=12,30.75,,0,0 the start of the bridge], but avoid short rides to Mestre. Hitching out of Mestre is really hard, maybe taking a short train ride to better place is the best option. If you arrive by plane at Marco Polo Airport do NOT catch the local bus (lines 5, 15, 45, 45H) inside for €8 [April 2017], walk 10 min and head outside of the airport to this point [[https://goo.gl/maps/UCjSG892DJu]] stop name "Tessera Centro". From there you catch the exact same bus for €1.50 buying the ticket from the kiosk in front of the bus stop, right from the hotel (or blackriding).
Leaving the city can be a drag so better prepare the whole day for that. You can catch a ride from [http://maps.google.it/maps?ll=45.441102,12.315366&spn=0.007242,0.01929&z=16&lci=com.google.webcams&layer=c&cbll=45.441102,12.315366&panoid=ODp2EZxJb52sSOx1mJcf4w&cbp=12,30.75,,0,0 the start of the bridge], but avoid short rides to Mestre. Hitching out of Mestre is really hard.
 
  
 
=== West towards [[Verona]], [[Bologna]] ===
 
=== West towards [[Verona]], [[Bologna]] ===
 
 
Take bus 6 to the Via Petro Paleocapa in Marghera, walk to the roundabout, through the Via Cesare Begharia and through the Via de la Ponte on the right. At the very end, there's a path on the right to the AGIP petrol station. It's far from perfect but at its exit you can hitch both people from the petrol station or try to get someone over from the roundabout. Also possible to go east here if you are already in the eastern part (e.g. stayed at Camping Jolly, 500m from there).
 
Take bus 6 to the Via Petro Paleocapa in Marghera, walk to the roundabout, through the Via Cesare Begharia and through the Via de la Ponte on the right. At the very end, there's a path on the right to the AGIP petrol station. It's far from perfect but at its exit you can hitch both people from the petrol station or try to get someone over from the roundabout. Also possible to go east here if you are already in the eastern part (e.g. stayed at Camping Jolly, 500m from there).
 +
However my girlfriend and me stayed there for 7 hours waiting for a ride towards Trieste. Not a good place for hitch-hiking. If you get caught by the night, go to the nearby Camping Jolly: [[https://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.471839,12.211046&num=1&t=h&z=16]]
  
=== East towards [[Trieste]], [[Udine]] ===
+
Alternatively, you can take a local train from the station in Mestre to Padova for around 2 Euro.  It takes 40 minutes and will put you in the center of Padova.  From there, see the [[Padova|article on Padova]].  The petrol station/truck complex is huge and busy, a great place to hitch from in either direction.
  
 +
=== East towards [[Trieste]], [[Udine]], [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]] ===
 
If you are already in Marghera, see above.
 
If you are already in Marghera, see above.
  
Otherwise from Venice, take bus 2 to the last stop, ''Viale don Sturzo'', go to ''Via Vallon'' and go to the end of the street where you will find a small path leading to the AGIP fuel station on the motorway.
+
Otherwise from Venice, take bus 2 to the last stop, ''Viale don Sturzo'', go to ''Via Vallon'' and go to the end of the street where you will find a small path leading to the AGIP fuel station on the motorway [[http://goo.gl/IvItP]] However we waitedfor 5 hours until someone gave us a ride towards Trieste. Not good place for hitch-hiking and poorly visited station!
 +
 
 +
'''Other option:''' Going to Trieste was very easy for me and my friend as we just got to Marco Polo Airport by bus number 5 from Piazzale Roma from Venice. It takes just a moment and one way ticket costs 1,5 euro. Just go off the bus on the last stop on Marco Polo Airport and start walking east (when you stand in front of bus stop go left along the street and then through the openair parking) until you reach the roundabout with direction Trieste on the right side. Before the roundabout there's a great spot to stand next to the street and cars can easily stop. We were waiting for 8 minutes and got directly to Trieste as it is main road apart of highway. Highway not reccomended. Good luck! :)
 +
We've been there and it is quite hard to find the AGIP station. However it is true that you have to go to the end of Via Vallon - but you need to know that Via Vallon is not a straight street and is not short. It turns, goes under the rails and then goes through fields (you need to walk for about 40 minutes) and finally leads to the highway. Walk about 200 metres along the highway and there is the AGIP station. 
  
:Warning: "We tried to get to the Agip petrol station, walked for 20 minutes and didn't found anything (the village was looong). Eventually slept in field. Are you sure you can get there easily?"
+
Update April 2019: When you go to buy a bus ticket from Venice (Piazelle Roma) to the airport (Marco Polo) they will charge €8 or €8.50. Instead, ask for a ticket to Tessera, which is one stop before the airport and costs only €1.50 to get on the exact same bus (#5). You can then stay on the bus til the airport if you wish. (I believe similar advice has been given on this page for the trip from the airport to Venice as well).
  
 
(You might want to try taking bus #14 towards the motorway.)
 
(You might want to try taking bus #14 towards the motorway.)
 +
 +
Update: Location of Agip station is correct. Via Vallon has indeed a lot of turns. GPS with OSM (open street map) map (free to download on their website) helped us. In June 2015 on our way from France to Asia, my girlfriend and I hitched there for three hours until we gave up (the only time it happened in weeks of HH). Few cars and almost impossible to catch the attention of drivers. Knowing Italian would have helped to do some active HH. Police came twice to the station, saw us but did not interact.
 +
 +
SLOVENIA/CROATIA:  the most efficient way is to take a local ACTV bus to Arino (or train to Dolo+40min walk), small town between Venice and Padova. Once in Arino you can access a petrol station called Arino Est on the motorway A4 from its back entrance [[https://goo.gl/maps/YUor5uAK3UH2]] on "Via Canova, 8 - 30031 Arino VE". Check ACTV website to find the right bus[[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/]], easy to blackride as well. Be aware than the back side of the petrol station has a gate to the parking lot used by employees, you can jump it if nobody is around or you can ring the doorbell of the restaurant and someone will open it without asking anything [April 2017]. NOTE: between Venice and Slovenia, the last petrol station where you can switch drivers is Gonars, from where you should find a direct ride to Slovenia. At any other petrol station between Gonars and Slovenia You will waste your time and likely get stuck. So from a technical point of view, to Slovenia from Venezia You have two options: either get a direct ride from Arino Est (very easy in the mornings between Monday and Friday between 06:00 and 09:00 when all the trucks leave), either get two rides, first to the petrol station Gonars and from Gonars to Slovenia.
  
 
=== South to [[Greece]] ===
 
=== South to [[Greece]] ===
 
There are [[ferries between Italy and Greece]] from Venice.
 
There are [[ferries between Italy and Greece]] from Venice.
  
== Money-saving Tips ==
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== Resources ==
 
+
{{nomadwiki}}
* Do all the snack-shopping in [[Mestre]] before you go on the islands.
 
* Internet-cafés in Venice are ridiculously expensive. In [[Mestre]] within 10-minute walk from railway station you'll find places entitled "Internet Point" run by Chinese or Bangladeshi guys, where Internet is around €1.50 for 30 minutes. You'll need an ID if you want to use the Internet (by Italian law).
 
* If you know exactly when you are going to arrive in Venice, buy tickets in advance on [http://www.veniceconnected.com Venice Connected].
 
* You can go inside Basilica San Marco for free - large bags and rucksacks are not allowed. [[User:Lnx|Lnx]], however, managed to sneak in with a small rucksack, SLR camera bag and a tripod case.
 
* The Snack Bar in the square by the university (Campo Santa Margherita) is not too overpriced - sitting charge is €1.50, and the portions are decent. Also, take advantage of free breadsticks (i.e. included in that €1.50)
 
* If you want to experience a Gondola ride and don't want to spend €80/hour, you can cross the Grand Canal in a Gondola for €0.50 (yes, 50 eurocents). The ''Traghetto'' runs between the west side (market) and the east side (just north of Rialto bridge) and crosses the Canal Grande in various points.
 
 
 
== Sleeping ==
 
Venice offers a wide range of accommodation. Most of it is highly overpriced. If you are trying to find a host on Couchsurfing, it's nearly impossible in Venice itself, so use the option "expand search within ... miles"
 
 
 
There is a campsite called Camping Jolly. I wouldn't go as far as to recommend it, but you can rent beds in lockable tents there for less than 15 euros a night. Everything else there is highly overpriced but there's a supermarket nearby and maybe you can ask to use the kitchen in one of the bungalows. Takes you 10-15 minutes to walk to the bus which brings you to the Piazzale Roma in 15 minutes.
 
 
 
Stealth Camping: From the main train station in Mestre, there is a perfectly nice stealth camping spot only 2 minutes walking.  Exit the station through the underground corridor, heading AWAY from the city center (it's obvious what is the 'front' of the station and what is the 'back'.) Go out the back and once you ascend to street level, immediately look to your right and you'll see an old fence.  Get behind the fence, walk along the tracks about 50m, and you'll come to a couple of open lots with trees and bushes. Plenty of relatively discreet places to lay your sleeping bag.
 
 
 
== City Maps ==
 
It's very hard to find a decent map of Venice. Even harder to find a free one. The option which worked for [[User:Lnx|Lnx]] - in Mestre, opposite the railway station there is a Best Western hotel. Often they have a pile of maps available at the reception; if not you can *very politely* ask for one. (Please do not abuse this option).
 
 
 
----
 
 
 
--It is very easy to get a decent map from one the five star hotels. Just turn right after Ponte Scalzi (the bridge) and walk the opposite direction from the train station. After about 50-100 meters on the right side of the street (Rio Terra Lista di Spagna) there is a luxurious hotel lobby. Walk in and ask for a map. It is free, nicely colored and detailed (Global Blue - Venice Tax Free Shoppin Map). (If you agree, please delete the previous mumbo-jumbo as it contradicts this info completely.) --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 23:23, 28 April 2011 (CEST)
 
 
 
== Public Transport ==
 
 
 
Walking around the main collection of islands is possible without a problem. The places you'll need to get public transport to include [[Mestre]] (unless you enjoy walking 5km on the bridge observing a swamp on one side and an oil refinery on the other), and the islands of Lido, Murano (glass museum), Burano (lots of brightly-coloured houses) and others.
 
 
 
You can get bus tickets for local buses for 1,10 euro (in the bus they cost 1,80 euro).  The boats to get to other islands are ridiculously expensive (6,50 euro for 1 hour).  You could risk going without a ticket on one stop, the fines are at 44 euros (July 20th 09). Little ticket controlling on the boat, but the ticket controllers often want to see a ticket before you board at "popular" stops -- Piazzale Roma, Railway Station etc.
 
  
There are also long-term tickets that are valid on all the local boats and buses: 12 hours = €16; 24 hours = €18 etc. You can buy a lot of tickets with discount if you pre-book them at least a week in advance online at [http://www.veniceconnected.com Venice Connected]
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=== City Maps ===
 +
Iin Mestre, opposite the railway station there is a Best Western hotel. Often they have a pile of maps available at the reception; if not you can *very politely* ask for one. (Please do not abuse this option).
  
A train ticket from ''VE Mestre'' to ''Venice Santa Lucia'' costs 1 euro. There at the Venice S. L. railway station you can leave your bags (left-luggage) for 4 euro per bag for 5 hours (prices checked: july 15th 2009).
+
It is very easy to get a decent map from one the five star hotels. Just turn right after Ponte Scalzi (the bridge) and walk the opposite direction from the train station. After about 50-100 meters on the right side of the street (Rio Terra Lista di Spagna) there is a luxurious hotel lobby. Walk in and ask for a map. It is free, nicely colored and detailed (Global Blue - Venice Tax Free Shoppin Map).
  
 
{{IsIn|Italy}}
 
{{IsIn|Italy}}
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[[Category:Italy]]
 
[[Category:Italy]]
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[[fr: Venise]]
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[[trash:Venice]]
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[[nomad:Venice]]

Revision as of 22:08, 6 April 2019

Venice
<map lat='45.466528' lng='12.3' zoom='11' view='0' float='right'/>
Information
Country:
Flag of Italy
Italy
Population: 269,000
Licence plate: VE
Major roads: A4
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Venice is a city in Italy. The city itself is a collection of islands. You will probably arrive and leave through Mestre.

Getting around

Public transport in Venice centre is extremely overpriced (7,50 for an one-way ticket). No worry, as you can walk almost everywhere excluding the islands (Giudecca, Lido..) to which you have to take a water bus. However you can blackride (quite easy from what we heard, almost no ticket checkings), and hitchhiking private and cargo boats is also possible. Ferries, gondolas, and water taxis will probably not take you. We stood on the bank of Canale Giudecca close to the railway station with a big sign saying "Giudecca" and waved at boats - we got a ride to G. in around 15 mins. On the way back it took us around 1 hour to get a ride, but thats still decent.

Hitchhiking out

Leaving the city can be a drag so better prepare the whole day for that. You can catch a ride from the start of the bridge, but avoid short rides to Mestre. Hitching out of Mestre is really hard, maybe taking a short train ride to better place is the best option. If you arrive by plane at Marco Polo Airport do NOT catch the local bus (lines 5, 15, 45, 45H) inside for €8 [April 2017], walk 10 min and head outside of the airport to this point [[1]] stop name "Tessera Centro". From there you catch the exact same bus for €1.50 buying the ticket from the kiosk in front of the bus stop, right from the hotel (or blackriding).

West towards Verona, Bologna

Take bus 6 to the Via Petro Paleocapa in Marghera, walk to the roundabout, through the Via Cesare Begharia and through the Via de la Ponte on the right. At the very end, there's a path on the right to the AGIP petrol station. It's far from perfect but at its exit you can hitch both people from the petrol station or try to get someone over from the roundabout. Also possible to go east here if you are already in the eastern part (e.g. stayed at Camping Jolly, 500m from there). However my girlfriend and me stayed there for 7 hours waiting for a ride towards Trieste. Not a good place for hitch-hiking. If you get caught by the night, go to the nearby Camping Jolly: [[2]]

Alternatively, you can take a local train from the station in Mestre to Padova for around 2 Euro. It takes 40 minutes and will put you in the center of Padova. From there, see the article on Padova. The petrol station/truck complex is huge and busy, a great place to hitch from in either direction.

East towards Trieste, Udine, Slovenia, Croatia

If you are already in Marghera, see above.

Otherwise from Venice, take bus 2 to the last stop, Viale don Sturzo, go to Via Vallon and go to the end of the street where you will find a small path leading to the AGIP fuel station on the motorway [[3]] However we waitedfor 5 hours until someone gave us a ride towards Trieste. Not good place for hitch-hiking and poorly visited station!

Other option: Going to Trieste was very easy for me and my friend as we just got to Marco Polo Airport by bus number 5 from Piazzale Roma from Venice. It takes just a moment and one way ticket costs 1,5 euro. Just go off the bus on the last stop on Marco Polo Airport and start walking east (when you stand in front of bus stop go left along the street and then through the openair parking) until you reach the roundabout with direction Trieste on the right side. Before the roundabout there's a great spot to stand next to the street and cars can easily stop. We were waiting for 8 minutes and got directly to Trieste as it is main road apart of highway. Highway not reccomended. Good luck! :) We've been there and it is quite hard to find the AGIP station. However it is true that you have to go to the end of Via Vallon - but you need to know that Via Vallon is not a straight street and is not short. It turns, goes under the rails and then goes through fields (you need to walk for about 40 minutes) and finally leads to the highway. Walk about 200 metres along the highway and there is the AGIP station.

Update April 2019: When you go to buy a bus ticket from Venice (Piazelle Roma) to the airport (Marco Polo) they will charge €8 or €8.50. Instead, ask for a ticket to Tessera, which is one stop before the airport and costs only €1.50 to get on the exact same bus (#5). You can then stay on the bus til the airport if you wish. (I believe similar advice has been given on this page for the trip from the airport to Venice as well).

(You might want to try taking bus #14 towards the motorway.)

Update: Location of Agip station is correct. Via Vallon has indeed a lot of turns. GPS with OSM (open street map) map (free to download on their website) helped us. In June 2015 on our way from France to Asia, my girlfriend and I hitched there for three hours until we gave up (the only time it happened in weeks of HH). Few cars and almost impossible to catch the attention of drivers. Knowing Italian would have helped to do some active HH. Police came twice to the station, saw us but did not interact.

SLOVENIA/CROATIA: the most efficient way is to take a local ACTV bus to Arino (or train to Dolo+40min walk), small town between Venice and Padova. Once in Arino you can access a petrol station called Arino Est on the motorway A4 from its back entrance [[4]] on "Via Canova, 8 - 30031 Arino VE". Check ACTV website to find the right bus[[5]], easy to blackride as well. Be aware than the back side of the petrol station has a gate to the parking lot used by employees, you can jump it if nobody is around or you can ring the doorbell of the restaurant and someone will open it without asking anything [April 2017]. NOTE: between Venice and Slovenia, the last petrol station where you can switch drivers is Gonars, from where you should find a direct ride to Slovenia. At any other petrol station between Gonars and Slovenia You will waste your time and likely get stuck. So from a technical point of view, to Slovenia from Venezia You have two options: either get a direct ride from Arino Est (very easy in the mornings between Monday and Friday between 06:00 and 09:00 when all the trucks leave), either get two rides, first to the petrol station Gonars and from Gonars to Slovenia.

South to Greece

There are ferries between Italy and Greece from Venice.

Resources

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)

City Maps

Iin Mestre, opposite the railway station there is a Best Western hotel. Often they have a pile of maps available at the reception; if not you can *very politely* ask for one. (Please do not abuse this option).

It is very easy to get a decent map from one the five star hotels. Just turn right after Ponte Scalzi (the bridge) and walk the opposite direction from the train station. After about 50-100 meters on the right side of the street (Rio Terra Lista di Spagna) there is a luxurious hotel lobby. Walk in and ask for a map. It is free, nicely colored and detailed (Global Blue - Venice Tax Free Shoppin Map). trash:Venice nomad:Venice