Topic Wiki

Venice Overview
Venice is a gorgeous and romantic city that doesn't disappoint. It's a fantastic place to spend Shabbos because there are several points hotel options, a Chabad with several meal options, the ability to carry and because the biggest attraction of Venice - just simply walking the streets and bridges - is a perfect Shabbos activity which will keep you from just be sitting bored in a hotel room.

Trip Reports:
Dan, Avid Reader, MnM1130, ChAiM'l, aj26, Yosers1, jj1000, Hudi, Cbs, Eli, steve L, jmansour, VacationLover, Yehoshua, Mech, yg99, yls2011, ABC, AharonInIsrael, @Yehuda, shlonx  dvol, @Mootkim,Sam28,

Getting there and getting around:

How long should I go for?
There really aren't too many activities to do in Venice, so a 1-2 day trip could cover the must see/do sights, but the city is so beautiful that you won't regret a longer stay! Because the sights are mostly just walking around the streets, checking out the shops, etc. many people find spending just a Shabbos/weekend in Venice is enough to get their fill. Arrive on a Friday and leave Sunday evening and you'll get your fill. (Again, a longer stay rocks too!)

Travelling around Italy/Getting to Venice
Most often, if you're making a trip from USA to Venice, you're not just going to see Venice, but rather a few cities in Italy. When visiting Italy there are a few ways to travel around - trains, rent a car, or if you're going directly from one end of Italy (let's say Rome) to the other end (let's say Milan or Venice), it could be you'll want to fly.

Air:
If Venice is your first stop in Italy, then you'll likely be coming via air. VCE is the airport code, and the airport is not actually in Venice proper (no, the planes don't land in the canals). Rather, you'll have to take a water bus or water taxi from the airport to Venice proper. The water buses to/from the airport are run by a company called Alilaguna (buses here aren't run by the city), take around an hour to get to San Marco Square (the main points hotel location) and cost 14euro. You can buy a roundtrip in advance for 25euro. Private water taxis take around 1/2 hour, but are a lot more expensive. Because people arrive at VCE from many different locations, it's not practical to discuss the different routes you can take to get here.

Train:
If your Italy trip starts in a different city in Italy, then you may want to look into travelling via rail. There are 2 main train companies in Italy - TrenItalia and Treno Italo. Rates vary on a bunch of factors and neither site is fantastically designed, so check them out and ask for some help here if you need. Alternatively you can use loco2.com which is an easy to use site all in English it has all the options and they don’t charge anybooking fees. The express train Rome-Venice takes about 3:45 hours and the overnight takes 5.5-6.5 hours. As opposed to the airport, St. Lucia Train Station is actually in Venice proper. Once you arrive, you can take a Vaporetto to your desired location (again, likely San Marco Square). See "Getting around Venice" below for Vaporetto prices. You can also take a private water taxi, which won't have any stops, but will cost a lot more.

Car Rental:
If your Italy trip starts in a different city in Italy, then besides for taking trains, you may find that a car rental suits your needs better, especially if you plan on hitting up several cities along the way as taking a train usually means having to get a cab or bus to/from each train station from your hotel. That time/cost plus the cost of the trains may cause you to decide on a car rental instead. Since it's Europe, expect a manual car unless you pay more for an automatic. Driving in Italy may bother you if you're not super comfortable driving, but in terms of driving in Venice, don't be concerned. You'll be coming from a highway (which is just like highway driving back home), you'll get off onto normal sized/paved roads and within a few minutes, will likely be at your car rental dropoff - outside of Venice proper. There are no cars in Venice (although there is a Hertz in Venice proper that you could actually drive to and drop your car off, but rates at that location are super expensive), so you will likely drop your car off near the Venice-Mestre Train Station - not the St. Lucia station that's actually in Venice - but a second train station that's just outside Venice proper. From Mestre station, a 10 minute, 2 euro train ride will get you into St. Lucia station and from there you can follow the options listed above to get to your hotel.

Getting around Venice
If you're staying in the Jewish Ghetto or near San Marco Square (we'll get to where to stay soon), you'll be within walking distance (max 1/2 hour) of all the main sites in Venice. Even still, many people like to take a public water bus, known as a Vaporetto, to travel down the canals. You can buy tickets at many Vaparetto stops. An individual one way ride costs 7 euro, but there are also 24/48/72 hour passes that cost 20/30/40 euro, respectively. If you're between the ages of 14-29, you can buy a 72 hour Youth Pass for just 20 euro. It's possible that you may need to first purchase a "Rolling Venice" guidebook (should be available at the ticket counter) for 4 euro before they'll let you buy the Youth pass, but you can find that out at the ticket counter and even 24 euro is a great deal. There's also a special roundtrip beach ticket to Lido that costs 10 euro. Do some math to see what kind of pass will work best for you.


Where to stay:

There are 2 main areas where people normally stay: 1) The Jewish Ghetto, which is where the Shuls/restaurants are, as well as some Kosher hotels, but no points hotels and 2) San Marco Square, about a 1/2 hour walk from the Ghetto, but where most of the points hotels are. The walk is very nice, and helps you accomplish the "activity" of seeing the streets while on the way to your destination. The 30 minute walk may hinder your desire to make it to Shul for all Tefillos. YMMV ;)

Here are some places that are discussed in this thread:

NameAreaMore InfoComments
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pardes RimonimJewish GhettoWebsiteKosher hotel
Carnival Place<10 minute walk to the GhettoWebsiteNicest hotel near the Ghetto
Locanda Del GhettoJewish GhettoWebsiteKosher hotel
Westin Europa and ReginaSan Marco SquareWebsiteSPG Cat. 6; 20-25K/night. Beautiful hotel with marble lobby and a luxurious feel.
Comfort Hotel DianaSan Marco SquareWebsite10K Choice/night. Definitely dated, but kinda rustic in that regard. Cheapest points hotel option in the points hotel-lacking city of Venice.
Grand Hotel Dei Dogi, Autograph Collection<10 minute walk to the GhettoWebsite45K Marriott/night.
JW Marriott Venice Resort & SpaNOT able to walk to the Ghetto, But Free ShuttleWebsite40K Marriott/night.
"Get your own place"AnywhereAirBNB, VRBO, HomeAwayRenting an apartment can be a great option in Venice especially if your family is large enough that you would otherwise have to get a few hotel rooms. You can find apartments near the Ghetto, and with meals at Chabad, this can definitely be a cheaper option than a hotel.

There are 2 other SPG properties, Hotel Danieli and The Gritti Palace, but there are some downsides to them. Both are SPG Cat. 7 which means you'll be paying a premium to stay there. Danieli is in the Square, but in Dan's TR you'll see that he pointed out there's no manual door, which poses an issue on Shabbos. Dan also writes that Gritti is 10 minutes away from the Square. The Gritti has  undergone extensive renovations and is now fresh and on par with Aman. Many consider it worth it the distance from Chabad. There are very few base rooms, so upgrades are easy to come by.


What to do:

As said a few times so far, the highlight of a trip to Venice is walking the streets/canals and checking out the boundless shops that line the streets. But, there are of course some actual activities that one can do, although it's hard to say that any are "must-do"s.

Attractions & Activities
NameMore InfoComments
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Doge's PalaceWebsiteYou can get a classic tour of the palace, or you can opt for the Secret Itineraries tour, which will take you down to the dungeons where the prison was and up to the top floors to see offices, a torture chamber, and a court room while listening to the story of Casanova's supposed escape. The Secret Itineraries tour does not cover the main rooms in the palace, but you are free to walk around afterwards on your own.
Jewish Museum/ Ghetto TourWebsiteThe Jewish Museum offers tours of the museum and Ghetto. While the tours of the Ghetto in Rome are highly recommended by DDFers (and many would say a trip to Rome without a tour is nuts), there is not too much talk on DDF about the tours of the Venice Ghetto. Take that as you will. The tour is closer to an hour and costs 10 euro. Without the tour, you can't get in to see the nice Shuls that are not open that season.
Gondola RideN/AYou'll see gondolas everywhere you look. There are a few places where can get one that will take you on a 5 minute ride just going across the width of the canal for a couple of euro (called a "Traghetto"). There are options to get a private, 45-60 minute ride that usually costs around 90 euro. And finally, there's an in between option where you'll be in your own gondola among a group of others that are in their own gondolas. Some companies offer music and a serenade. Do some Googling to see different prices. A gondola ride will give you an additional "real feel" of Venice, but passing on it to save some money isn't a crazy idea. Walking the canals yourself is quite amazing.
San Marco SquareN/AWhether your hotel is in this area or not, this is a nice stop on your walks. A huge, open square with restaurants and shops overlooked by the large church and clock tower. During the day, you'll see people feeding pigeons, and at night, you'll see plenty of street vendors trying to get you to buy a rose for DW or a light up flying saucer. You can go up the bell tower for 8 euro for a beautiful view and you can get the very interesting audio guide for an additional 4 euro.
Lido BeachN/AIf you're in Venice for a few days, perhaps you'll enjoy a quick Vaporetto ride to Lido, where a 10 minute walk will get you onto a free public beach. Warning: Remember that this is a European beach.
Padua                ??                 Synagogue and cemetery dating to the 1500's.

Luxury Launch's Venice Guide nice list of different things to do in Venice


Shuls/Shabbos:

NameMore InfoComments
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jewish Community of VeniceWebsiteIn the Ghetto, there are 2 community Shuls - one used during the summer and the other during the winter - that are both right next to each other. There are daily Minyanim.
ChabadWebsite


Google Doc to sign up for meals
In the Ghetto, Chabad has their own Shul/Beis Medrash that acts as the Yeshiva for the Chabad students as well as a Shul during daily Minyanim. They also own a storefront that acts as the Chabad house. Chabad owns the fleishig restaurant, Gam Gam, as well as the pizza shop, Gam Gam Goodies, that are described below. On Shabbos, Chabad hosts several meal options. First of all, you could order takeout in advance and pick it up or have it delivered to your hotel. But where's the fun in that? For meals at Chabad, the options have changed as of June 1, 2015:

1) A Meal is offered after Davening both on Friday night and Shabbos day Kiddush - no reservations necessary. This is similar to the previous "free meals" that Chabad used to offer. The meal takes place in the Shul after davening. The meal provides the opportunity to sit at a big meal with Jews from all over the world with all different types of backgrounds, which many found to be an awesome experience. Please note that the "free meals" may be a little more limited in terms of options and quantities of food.

*Pre-reserved meals*
In the old system, there was only 1 way to reserve your own table, but now there are 2 ways. Meals can not be divided between the two locations and are served at any time you want after Davening. Reservations for both options can be made by emailing info@jewishvenice.org and including the calendar date of the Shabbos you will be there and the names/emails of each attendee, as well as choosing one of the below options:

2) Shabbos in the Gallery - This option existed under the old system. Three meals at a private table in a storefront near Gam Gam that normally functions as an art gallery. 90 euro per person

3) Luxury1 Shabbos at Gam Gam Restaurant - Three meals at your private table, with more of a luxury atmosphere & meal, including more food choices, than the Gallery. Minimum donation is 126 euro per person.
Ghimmel GardensWebsite


Food:

NameMore InfoComments
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gam GamWebsiteA nice fleishig restaurant, owned by the Chabad Rabbi. Some food is better than others, the service is pretty classic, and the prices are a bit above reasonable. But hey, it's Kosher food in Venice! You can eat outside literally at the edge of the canal, which is pretty sweet unless it's cold at night. Reservations are recommended as it can get crowded.
Gam Gam GoodiesN/ALocated just a few steps from Gam Gam, this is a small storefront that serves as a pizza shop (no seating unfortunately, but you can find benches further along in the Ghetto and are welcome to sit in the Chabad house storefront to eat). You might also find other foods like falafel, chocolates, packaged deli and fresh baked goods, which can be great for breakfast (and deli and rolls can be great for a cheaper dinner or to take food with you to your next destination that might not have Kosher food). Pizza is priced fairly and is tasty.
Volpe BakeryWebsiteRight across the alley from Gam Gam Goodies is a bakery serving fresh breads and pastries. According to the link, it's under supervision from the Chief Rabbi of Venice (not the Chabad Rabbi), however, DDFers question the Kashrus here. As of July 2014, the Chazzan at the Italian Shul said he goes into the bakery to light the fire every morning and therefore you can eat there. The place is open on Shabbos, but it must be owned by a non-Jew (or else how could it get a hashgacha?) So, there are some concerns and you may want to check into the Kashrus before you go, but the locals sure make it seem like it's fine.
FrulalaWebsiteFresh fruit smoothies that the locals will tell you are Kosher as long as you get the water-based versions. There are 2 locations - a storefront and a kiosk - that are both on the main walk from San Marco Square to the Ghetto. The drinks are tasty and refreshing, while being reasonably priced. They also offer free shotglass-sized samples, which are a great way to get a quick thirst quencher while walking!
Ghimel GardenTheir FB pageFrom Hershelsdeals Gimmal Garden is a real restaurant, Gam Gam goodies doesn't even have chairs, and is officially a bakery, not a restaurant. so you can't even compare. GamGam goodies opens at 7AM and sells breakfast, Gimmal Garden only opens at 10AM and closes 10PM
Gimmal Garden also offers Shabbos meals, Friday night is meat and Shabbos day is dairy.The food at Gimmal is excellent, they have Pizza, Fish dishes, Pasta, salads, Falafel  ETC....

« Last edited by sam28 on September 12, 2023, 12:02:41 PM »

Author Topic: Venice Master Thread  (Read 898219 times)

Offline Avid Reader

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #220 on: February 15, 2011, 10:08:13 PM »
Well, I’m finally back from Venice and back at my all time favorite addiction: DansDeals Forums.

It was a great trip that would not have happened without this site. Here is a trip report which I hope comes in handy for some people.

My flight to Milan was on American Airlines from the (new?) AA terminal 8 of JFK. The lines through security at 3:30 pm were packed and very long, I must have waited some 20-25 minutes IIRC. I then headed to the AA Admirals club right near my gate. There was absolutely no problem getting in with my AA ticket even though it was purchased on Iberia.com. The AA Lounge is really nice with lots of rooms, all types of comfy chairs in different positions and plenty of private space. There is of course Wi-Fi and lounge computers with printers available for use, an excellent bar and fruits, salads, pretzels and other snacks free for the taking. This lounge was much nicer then the one I used last month at LGA (I forget which terminal). In both cases it was well worth it to have lounge access thanks to my AMEX Platinum card. It really makes the trip a better experience.

I couldn’t have asked for a better flight to Milan. The night before the flight I checked in online and saw that about half of the plane’s seats were still empty. I selected a seat in one of the middle rows that were totally empty, and sure enough the plane left with most of those seats, including my row, still empty. I had plenty of space, and about two hours into the flight I stretched out across all three seats (as did anyone else who had extra space) and was able to catch some sleep. On the plane was also SuperFlyer’s brother and family, and we chatted a bit. He said he has no time for DD (although he apparently got in on the same Iberia deal), but I couldn’t help thinking what it would be like to have two SuperFlyer’s on DDF ;)... We arrived in Milan Malpensa – MXP about 7:30 am, a half hour ahead of schedule. All in all it was a very smooth flight. Customs and passport control in Milan was a breeze (if not a joke) compared to the US and Canada.  After spending some time in the airport changing a few dollars to Euros, finding an ATM to do the bulk of my Forex, and looking though the stores trying to find something I forgot to get in NY, I headed for the busses to the Milan Central train station. The bus ride from Malpensa airport to the train station was about 1 ½ hours long. The bus that I took is 7.5 EUR each way, and 12 EUR if you buy the return ticket as well. But don’t buy the return ticket since when you take the bus back to the airport, there are a few companies giving the rides and they do not honor their competitors tickets, which is what happened to me. I had to buy a new ticket for the way back.
Tottal cost for a one way flexible ticket was 54 EUR. I took the 11:40 am Trenitalia express train going to Venice. When going to Venice by train, make sure to book the ticket for and get off at the very last stop called ‘Venezia S. Lucia’. If you get off on the stop before called ‘Venezia Mestre’ you are still on the mainland of Venice, and that’s not where you want to be. The express train ride is about 2 ½ hours. It was very pleasant in first class, not to many people, comfortable seats with tables and power outlets.  The train attendants go through the first class at least twice during the trip giving out drinks and a small snack. As I was getting closer to Venice SuperFlyer gets on BB Messenger Chat and checks up on me. When I got into Venice SuperFlyer gave me live step by step directions to my hotel and then to Gam Gam. I then went to check out the Chabad house and their Shabbos schedule, walked around the old and new Jewish Ghettos, and then headed back to my hotel in S. Geremia Square.

My hotel was a three minute walk from the train station and a two minute walk to Gam Gam and the ghetto. This ‘hotel’ was a combination of single rooms and a dormitory or hostel. But my room was surprisingly decent, newly redone with a normal bathroom and shower. I would think it was pretty much the same as any 2 star hotel, just very small. In any case, at 40 euro a night, it was all I needed. I would have spent more for a single night at one of the Starwood hotels then I did for three nights at this place. The hotel personnel were very nice, and they let you keep your luggage in the hotel even after you check out. The internet situation was disappointing though, as there was something wrong with their Wi-Fi and I could not connect to it. I ended up taking my computer down to their internet café, pulling one of the LAN lines from another computer and putting it into mine, and saved myself the 1 euro per 15 minutes they normally charge. But even if that failed, I could have always gone to the Chabad house and use the Wi-Fi there.
Shabbos in Venice was amazing. We had with us Rabbi Banin the Chabad Shliach in Venice, Rabbi Shmukler from JETS in California, Rabbi Hadad from Milan, and a bunch of amazing Bochurim who are learning Smicha and helping out the Chabad house in Venice.  And last but not least I bumped into another DD fan and forum reader who also got in on the Iberia deal and was taking a tour of several countries in Europe with his family. We obviously had plenty to talk about over Shabbos…  Hopefully he’ll post his trip report soon.  After the Friday night meal we Farbrenged with Rabbis Banin and Shmukler. The food during the night and day meal was very good.

Gam Gam food as a restaurant is pretty good, and their prices are very reasonable, if not cheap for being the only kosher restaurant in town. Though as Dan mentions in his post, their portions are a bit on the smaller side. Having a Chabad house and Kosher restaurant right near you in middle of Venice is a real blessing. The new Milchig Gam Gam goodies had some very good baked pastries and pizza, and the Italian chef put together a nice medium sized cheese-less pizza with olives, mushroom and grilled peppers which was very delicious. Total cost was only 6 euro.

After Shabbos I walked with a few Yeshiva Bochurim to the 600+ year old Realto bridge, the first bridge to cross the Grand Canal. On the way we stopped at the Israeli fruit juice place Dan mentioned in his Venice trip report and got ourselves some very delicious fruit smoothies. These Bochurim are very Shlichus minded and seemed to be able to develop a conversation with anyone who was willing. At the Realto bridge we took pics, walked around, and then sat down right on the top and sang niggunim. After a few minutes we had a small crowd watching us which is when the Bochurim spring into conversation with them...

On Sunday I went to the Jewish museum in the ghetto and took a tour of 3 of 5 synagogues in the old and new ghettos. The tour, which also gives you access to the museum, is well worth it in my opinion, especially if you appreciate old history and want to see it right before your eyes. The only disappointing thing about this was that they don’t allow you to take pictures and I wasn’t going to defy them. History and museums are one of my big passions and truthfully, I felt as though the whole island of Venice is a museum. After spending a nice while in the museum and ghettos, I took a boat ride to the Accademia (which was closed at that point) and then walked around getting lost and trying to find my way to the Piazzo S. Marco (S. Marco Square). It‘s a very large and beautiful square with several museums nearby. (All closed at that point). After a bunch more walking and trying to find a bathroom (just go into any bar, buy a drink and ask for the bathroom), I took the 40 minute boat ride along the Grand Canal back to my hotel.

Monday I went along with another Bochur visiting from France to one of the 1 euro Gondola’s Dan mentions in his trip report going from one side of the Grand Canal to the other, and we each took pictures and videos of each other. I then took a boat to the Doge’s Palace at S. Marco square. The palace served as the home of the doge as well as the senate, administrative offices, and prisons. The beauty, grandeur and splendor of this place cannot be described in writing; one must see it with their eyes.  I bought a 12 EUR ticket which also gives you access to the other 3 museums in the square. I also rented an electronic audio guide for 5 EUR, which is worth it if you want to understand what you are seeing. As I entered the palace, I saw signs here too saying no pictures, but at this point I decided they just had to be joking…  I took many pictures and was told twice by the security personnel “no foto” and each time I just put the camera back in my pocket until I was out of their sight. I liked the place so much that I bought their book on the palace for 14 EUR before leaving.

I was told by the bochurim that going up the watch tower in the square was nothing special so I saved myself the 8 euro .

I headed back to my hotel, ordered some meals for the way back from Gam Gam, and headed to the train station. I bought a first class ‘fixed’ ticket to Milan’s Central train station for 34 euro. The train got in about 11:20 pm, and I had to wait nearly an hour before the next buss to Malpensa airport arrived.
I stayed in a hotel 10 minutes from the airport called Idea hotel. They said they had just opened up two weeks ago and did not have internet yet. The place did indeed look brand spankin g new and very ‘high tech’. The next morning I took their shuttle to the airport, met up with my newfound Dansdeals friend I first met on Shabbos, and we flew back together on the same flight. Just like on the flight into Milan, I had three middle seats to myself, although this flight was fuller then the previous one.

All in all it was an awesome trip and if not for other obligations, I’d be planning my next trip already.

Thanks to all those who helped plan this trip and made it possible:  Dan, momo, AsherO, SuperFlyer, my sister, Chabad of Venice and anyone else I left out, you know who you are…
 



Offline Dan

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #221 on: February 15, 2011, 10:16:33 PM »
Awesome trip report!!!!!!!!
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #222 on: February 15, 2011, 10:20:12 PM »
Awesome trip report!!!!!!!!

Thanx!

Offline E

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #223 on: February 15, 2011, 10:34:04 PM »
good stuff! how much does superflyers BB gps cost?  I am going with three friends I think it's much more worth it for me to take a car for 86 euro (sixt using sixt.it website - remember it's a stick shift) for the 4 days I'm there.

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #224 on: February 15, 2011, 11:16:31 PM »
Remember you have to pay for parking in Venice. it cost me 22.80 euro was but it was cheaper because I paid in advance at veniceconnected.com (as are most attractions -museum pass was 10 euro)
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Offline E

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #225 on: February 15, 2011, 11:33:51 PM »
Remember you have to pay for parking in Venice. it cost me 22.80 euro was but it was cheaper because I paid in advance at veniceconnected.com (as are most attractions -museum pass was 10 euro)
thanks that was the plan I found it through here http://www.asmvenezia.it/index_eng.html
getting a receipt at casino might make it cheaper I think we'll find out.

How did you get from the parking to venice and what did it cost.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2011, 11:39:28 PM by E »

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #226 on: February 16, 2011, 01:46:19 AM »
good stuff! how much does superflyers BB gps cost?  I am going with three friends I think it's much more worth it for me to take a car for 86 euro (sixt using sixt.it website - remember it's a stick shift) for the 4 days I'm there.


LOL...  gotta ask SF about that.

Just be careful, based on the guidebooks I read, driving in Italy, at least certain parts and especially in the big cities, can be difficult. The drivers there are a bit crazy. The is some half joke saying that red lights are just a suggestion... My taxi driver was certainly one of these guys, he ran through all the stop signs, albeit at night, and at one sharp turn he did a bit too fast he hit the side of his car against the wall of a house... Don't mean to scare you, I'm just saying. But it sounds like financially it makes sense. R u traveling on Erev Shabbos??

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #227 on: February 16, 2011, 02:09:49 AM »
Remember you have to pay for parking in Venice. it cost me 22.80 euro was but it was cheaper because I paid in advance at veniceconnected.com (as are most attractions -museum pass was 10 euro)

If you're going to fly to VCE then you really don't need a car. If you're going to be in Venice for a weekend then you might be best off returning the car to the car rental agency. You're also best off parking in Mestre and taking the train to Venice for a Euro or two.
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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #228 on: February 16, 2011, 11:13:03 AM »
If you're going to fly to VCE then you really don't need a car. If you're going to be in Venice for a weekend then you might be best off returning the car to the car rental agency. You're also best off parking in Mestre and taking the train to Venice for a Euro or two.
It's a bigger pain for me to return the car and re-renting on sun the cost of the car is not enough to make that worth it. is parking in mestre closer to venice than parking in the Piazzale Roma parking . from what I understand Piazzale Roma is closer although more expensive parking we will save the time b/c getting to venice takes less time plus transport from Piazzale Roma to venice is cheaper than mestre. On top of that If I could pull off the 10 euro parking with getting the parking stub stamped at the casino, the parking will come out the same price .

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #229 on: February 16, 2011, 04:56:44 PM »
How do you reserve for tour of Shuls in Ghetto?
 
If staying at the Cat 5 Westin, best bet is 20 minute walk for Shachris?

Thanks

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #230 on: February 16, 2011, 05:00:12 PM »
How do you resereve for tour of Shuls in Ghetto?
 
If staying at the Cat 5 Westin, best bet is 20 minute walk for Shachris?

Thanks


I just walked into the museum and reserved for the next tour. They do it every hour. Apparently as long as you have your museum receipt you can come back the next day and use it again. Out of the 5 Shuls, they give you a tour of three. There is one that is being used so it's not part of the tour and another that I imagine is not in display condition. I would definitely try to find out when they Daven in the still-in-use Shul so you get to see that one too. They say you need your passport to enter the Shul in use.

« Last Edit: February 16, 2011, 05:05:00 PM by Avid Reader »

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #231 on: February 16, 2011, 05:05:43 PM »
Ive heard my name.

anyone needs help?

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #232 on: February 16, 2011, 05:14:59 PM »
Ive heard my name.

anyone needs help?
everyone wants to know how much SF BB live GPS costs.

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #233 on: February 16, 2011, 05:21:06 PM »
How do you reserve for tour of Shuls in Ghetto?
 
If staying at the Cat 5 Westin, best bet is 20 minute walk for Shachris?

Thanks


20 minutes is kinda short IMO, especially the first few times until you get the hang of it.  There's a Vaporetto (water bus, #41/42 and #51/52) that you can take from S. Marco square to right by the Ghetto entrance (stop is called Guglie). But it's pricey, something like 6.5 Euros each way).
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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #234 on: February 16, 2011, 05:23:03 PM »
Awesome trip report!!!!!!!!


very nice and complete report.

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #235 on: February 16, 2011, 05:23:53 PM »
How do you reserve for tour of Shuls in Ghetto?
 
If staying at the Cat 5 Westin, best bet is 20 minute walk for Shachris?

Thanks


This seems to be the museum website http://www.museoebraico.it/ though it seems down. I can check if I still have their phone number.

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #236 on: February 16, 2011, 05:26:48 PM »
This seems to be the museum website http://www.museoebraico.it/ though it seems down. I can check if I still have their phone number.

I really don't see why he needs to reserve, the tours are pretty reliably on schedule. I think it's weekdays 9:30am - 4:30pm (besides Friday) every hour on the half.
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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #237 on: February 16, 2011, 05:42:22 PM »
everyone wants to know how much SF BB live GPS costs.

as its a relative new service, i only charged $0.99 per minute.

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #238 on: February 16, 2011, 05:49:23 PM »
How do you reserve for tour of Shuls in Ghetto?
i believe you just show up

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #239 on: February 16, 2011, 09:24:43 PM »
I would definitely try to find out when they Daven in the still-in-use Shul so you get to see that one too. They say you need your passport to enter the Shul in use.

Do I need my passport for regular tour as well? Also had a hard time finding davening times (Chabed included). Anyone know what times the still-in-use Shul davens and/or Chabad?