Friday, February 10, 2012

Reduce Your Transportation Costs in Venice Using These Tips

By Barbra Sundquist


Even by European standards, Venice is a rather pricey city. Keep that in mind if you're going there. But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune there; with a little bit of advice you can actually save money in Venice.

Although water taxi rides look tempting, you will save tons of money if you choose to travel by public transportation instead. You want to use vaporetto, which is a water bus and is the cheapest method of public transit.

You can save money on the vaporetto by purchasing a multiday pass. It's a great deal that many tourists aren't aware of or aren't confident enough to use. Buying a pass allows you to get on and off whenever and wherever you want, without having to purchase another ticket. That saves you money and time, and also offers you a lot of freedom.

There are other ways to save money in Venice. Let's say you'd like to try a ride in a traditional Venetian gondola. However, if you don't want to spend 100 euros for that, use a traghetto. A traghetto is a public transport gondola that goes across the Grand Canal in a straight line.

Not only does taking a traghetto save you from looking for bridges to cross the canal, it will also be a great way to feel the real touch of Venetian everyday life and allow you to mingle with the locals.

What is a traghetto? They are old gondolas without the ornaments and fancy upholstery. Two oarsmen row the traghetto, one at the bow and the other in the back.

Be sure to get your terminology correct: it's easy to confuse the words "traghetto" and "vaporetto". To clarify, a vaporetto is a motorized water bus that runs the length of the Grand Canal. In contrast, a traghetto (or traghetti, plural) is a gondola that is rowed by oarsmen and crosses the Grand Canal from side to side.

There are various traghetti operating at seven convenient spots on the Grand Canal. Just look for the striped pole that marks the spot. Be aware that most of the traghetti only operate until about lunchtime each day.

So those are my two best tips for saving money on transportation in Venice: use traghetto instead of private gondola ride and vaporetto instead of water taxi.




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