I bet when you think of Venice, Italy a lot of words come to mind: beautiful, romantic, luxurious. I am almost certain that frugal and affordable are not on that list. However, photographer Cecil Lee surprises us with some insider tips for an economical escape to this city of dreams.
This is a ‘fresh from the oven’ experience for me. Spending a weekend in Venice can be extremely costly. However, if the solo traveler wishes to explore the city in a money-saving way for 2 days and 2 weekend nights, here is how I did it:
First, book your weekend accommodation in advance to get a discounted rate. Hotels in the center of Venice are extremely pricey. Since I was traveling in a group of 5, the best bet was to book an apartment. By booking a full service apartment in either the Santa Croce or S. Polo area, you are basically at the centre of everywhere in Venice. We booked a 6-person apartment in the S. Polo region which cost us about $241……….but single travelers may find hotel accommodations cheaper.
Ca'Delizia Apartment e perfetto Photo: Cecil Lee
We pre-booked a lovely 3 bedroom apartment through Hostelworld and arrived in Venice on a beautiful, spring weekend afternoon. Once we checked into our apartment, we headed out and started strolling the streets and alleys of Venice. An express lunch, of a sandwich and soda , was under $7.00, so we were off to a good start.
We followed one of the numerous tourist signs to the popular Rialto Bridge to admire the magnificent view of the Grand Canal. There we had a scoop of Gelato for only $1.20 and then took a Gondola ride for $30, both well in the frugal travel game plan.
- The Grand Canal / Photo: Cecil Lee
The afternoon was spent strolling through S. Marco Square, the main square in Venice. It’s perfect for picture taking. Be sure to capture memories of the square, the cathedral and the famous Bridge of Sighs. Join the queue to enter S. Marco Cathedral for its gorgeous interiors.
- Photo: Cecil Lee
When you come out, head to the popular Cafe Florian in the square for your high tea! But don’t suffer sticker shock at the $18.oo pricetag. The tourist cafes place a premium on cappuccino and cake.
The neighborhood BILLA supermarket is a good place to grab groceries if you are staying in an apartment. It’s an affordable way to eat at home while visiting a foreign destination.
Dinner in the S. Polo area is generally cheaper than the more touristy spots. A personal pizza is always a good bet at about $7.00. Yummy! The rest of the evening should be spent exploring the illuminated city. Walking is free and the views are priceless.
Before leaving Venice, we headed to the S. Lucia train station via the Cannaregio area. Along the main streets of Cannaregio, there are many souvenirs shops and restaurants and fruits market where we bought snacks for the train to our next destination. Do save about $5 for a water taxi to the train station if that’s your departure point because you do not want to lug a suitcase up and down……..and over…………. the many bridges of this magical place.
A full weekend can be expected in vistiing Venice and solo travelers should feel safe walking its streets even at night.
Cecil Lee is an avid traveler who is also a passionate blogger and travel photographer living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He writes about travel for MNUI travel insurance and on his own travel photo blog, Travel Feeder.
