How I Travelled to Venice on a Budget

Guest post by @fattybellyjelly


(Note that this post contains affiliate links to a product. It is something that I personally use, support and would recommend without an affiliate link.)






Just one night, I had this spontaneous idea of travelling to Venice, Italy for a short 2 days trip. Yes, 2 days sounds a little short at first but I managed to cover the places that I’ve planned to go. I used GoEuro for the planning of this trip and it’s really good because it provides all the information you’ll need for transportation. 

To make this trip as cheap as possible (go budget!), I considered these 2 options:
There are just so many pros when you travel by bus:
  • Prices are much lower than train fares
  • Free WIFI during the route
  • A toilet is available on board
  • Snack machine for all the hungry tummies
But having said that, the bus isn't without its cons. Consider this:
  • 8 hours bus ride
  • Seating may not be as comfortable when compared to trains

I went online and noticed that there were bad reviews regarding customers' experiences with the services by Flixbus. Many of my friends have also warned me against them. So hey, better be safe than sorry; it's an 8 hours ride we are talking about here!

I then decided to book the Hellö bus which costs only 46 for a 2-way trip for one person from Munich to Venice. We took the night bus at 22:00 and arrived at Venice Tronchetto the next day.
I personally think the experience with the bus was a good one as the seats were comfortable and there were connection ports to charge your phones right beside your seats! I also like the fact that the bus driver does not disturb you from your sleep although he arrived earlier than scheduled at 05:00 (scheduled time of arrival 06:30).

This is the view from the bus terminal when we arrived and we could instantly smell the fresh salty smell of the ocean.  


To travel to Venice we took the water bus, also known as the Vaporetto. A standard one-way fare from Tronchetto to San Marco cost 7.50 per person.



There are also other ticket options for you to consider:
  • one day travel card           €20
  • two days travel card         €30
  • three days travel card       €40
  • seven days travel card      €60 
More information on the prices of Vaporetto can be found here.


You may want to choose to sit at the back of the boat for a better view of the small islands surrounding the main island. 






And how can we forget to take typical tourist shots?



Day 1: Hello Venice

Our first stop upon arrival was the Doges’ Palace, located at San Marco. We purchased the St. Marks Square ticket which costs €12 (reduced price; perks of being a student!). It is valid for the Doges’ Palace and certain parts of the museum. 
It's so pretty here, it's impossible for you to take an ugly photo.


Here are our tickets!




Honestly, I’m not a fan of museums and so I didn’t stay for long. But if you are interested in history, I believe you’ll like this place a whole lot!

I then went on to the next stop – Campanile di San Marco also known as the Belltower of St. Marks. It's just beside the Doges’ Palace, making it the perfect location to visit with minimal walking. For this, the entrance ticket costs €8 per person. This is the place where you’ll be able to see the view of the whole city. Although it’s crowded, the view is totally worth it!  





While I was there, I really love the fact that the city is small, allowing all the attractions on the main island to be within walking distances. It took us only 15 minutes to walk from San Marco to Rialto Bridge - the oldest bridge across the grand canal.


The view of the grand canal from Rialto Bridge.

One thing that you have got to buy while travelling around would be their gelatos! On my way to Rialto, there are (so many!) gelato shops selling for less than 2. Do try their mango flavoured gelato, it's the best.

I cannot emphasize how nice this is.


[Optional]
Personally, although I have claimed that this was to be a cheap and budgeted trip, I really didn't want to leave Venice without trying their gondola service. This service can be found along the small canals or the grand canal. The price of this service has been standardized throughout Venice at the following rates:
  • 40 mins        €80
  • 60 mins        €120
  • 80 mins        €170  

I'd recommend you to book your gondola ride online on Viator, while you are planning the trip. It's much cheaper that way, saving you about 40! That's money that could possibly go into food and shopping. I purchased my trip at 42, go figure!

(Disclaimer: I am NOT getting paid in any way if you do book something on Viator. I'm purely sharing some tips with you.)
This is worth every penny!


Day 2: More Venice

On the second day, we bought the one day travel card (€20 each) and took the vaporetto from Ca’ D’Oro to San Marco to change route towards Burano Island. The day card is especially good if you are considering travelling around a lot within the same day. Yay to savings!


We took Route 14 from Piazza San Marco which passes Punta Sabbioni towards Burano Island where the colourful buildings are. Many of the shops lined by the stream are actually small boutique and souvenir shops where you can purchase gifts for yourself, family or friends. I'd like to warn you though, certain things aren't exactly cheap here, so don't be too shocked when you see the price tag.
Otherwise, you can always just take a stroll, capture many pictures, and that's always free.






Back on the main island, we went to try Dal Moro's - Fresh Pasta To Go located along one of the many small alleys. Considering that the pasta is sold to go,  you’ll have to stand around in, or outside the shop to enjoy your pasta. It's worth a try if you so happen to be here - fresh pasta, really tasty and friendly staff, what more could I ask for?

Our Aglio Olio and Bolognese di Pollo (€6)


Cost Breakdown:



I have spent a total of 213.5 within my 2 days in Venice, and although this might still be expensive to some, there are certain activities described in this post that you can choose to opt out (for example, the Gondola ride). Considering that I had travelled to Venice during the holiday season, the accommodation was also on the pricier side. I had booked my accommodation on Agoda, in case you are wondering.

For an overview, this is the cost breakdown of my 2 day trip to Venice from Munich. 



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All in all, I have really enjoyed my time spent in Venice and I hope this post is of help for those who are planning their trip there! For those who are interested in reading more of such posts by me, leave a comment below, or you could leave a message on Facebook.


Thank you so much for reading!


Comments

  1. I absolutely love your photos.
    I am not totally interested in history or museums, but do like photos that are worthy of hanging on the wall.
    I think the 'takeaway' pasta is a cool idea, I couldn't imagine spaghetti and meatballs but something light would be fun!
    Thank you for the travel inspiration!

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    1. Thank you so much for the compliment! I'm so glad that you enjoyed reading this post, and I agree that the takeaway pasta idea is great. I haven't seen any around in my country though, sadly. :(

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  2. Wow this is great, without the gondola it would have been super cheap! and I guess getting a night bus means you also only need to pay for one nights room. :D

    Sophia x http://sophiawhitham.co.uk

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    1. Yes, definitely! But I couldn't give up the chance to take the gondola.... and that increased my expenses. Haha and it's great when you arrive bright and early in the morning, which meant a whole day of play and visiting!

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  3. What a gorgeous trip! Your pictures are amazing, and I love the way you broke down the costs!

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    1. Thank you! You should visit Venice if you have the chance! It's lovely there <3

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  4. Great guide! I love how you break everything down :)

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    1. So happy to hear that the cost breakdown helped! I wanted to make things easy to read and understand :)

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  5. This place looks soo gorgeous♥ I am always looking for cheap ways to travel so thank you for the tips! I hope to one day visit Venice because it looks soo beautiful and is completely different from where I live in the US.

    -Danielle Ruppert // danielleruppert.com

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    1. It is!!! You'd have to visit the place one day. The only thing I might possibly have an issue with Venice... is probably the number of tourists there 🙊 It's beautiful, it's artsy, but sometimes.. you just want to roam around without having to fend yourself from the crowd. You might want to choose going there during the "off-peak" season for a better experience!

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  6. I plan on visiting Venice in the few years and this is amazing to know!! Great tips and suggestions x

    www.susanalopessnarey.com

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    1. Oh wow!!! That's great and I'm so happy for you! You'd have a lot of fun there! And don't forget to take lots of photos ☺

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