DH and I will be taking a cruise leaving from Venice at the end of next July. We plan on getting there a couple of days in advance. Looking for hotel/ restaurant/ not to be missed places. TIA.
For a hotel with easy access to the cruise and public transportation areas I like Hotel Olimpia. They had a nice breakfast. When the weather was nice we would sit and have a coffee alongside their 2 canals.
When we stay longer in Venice- in the area of the Accademia area I like the Hotel American Dinesan. It is along a small canal and does not have a lot of foot traffic.
In the Jewish Quarter take the historical synagog tour. It was so interesting to hear the history.
There are plaques in the neighborhood in Italian that commemorate the Italian Jews that died during the Holocaust.
Consider a half day at Murano island for the glass blowing. About a 30 minute boat ride from Venice tourist areas.
Also, see the Rialto bridge and have a meal on one of the canals/waterways.
We just traveled Italy and Spain and the Trip Advisor website was invaluable for information, suggestions and reviews.
@JZMOM2 - I second @“Snowball City”'s recommendation to get over to the Jewish Ghetto (the word “ghetto” comes from the Italian “geto” which means foundry. I also suggest having dinner at the restaurant on the main plaza with the red awning and red umbrellas (I forgot the name of it, sorry). They have a pistachio encrusted salmon that’s to die for.
I also highly recommend a trip to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore - it’s one vaporetto stop across from San Marco and is well worth the trip. The view from the top of the bell tower is spectacular.
There is much great art to be seen in Venice – the Accademia for Renaissance art and the Peggy Guggenheim collection for contemporary art just for starters…
And I just loved taking vaporetto rides up and down the canal…esp. at sunset crossing under the Rialto.
If you like to read, I recommend A Child Al Confino which is a memoir of an Italian Jewish boy during WW2.
We stayed in the Jewish ghetto last month and really enjoyed that whole area. There’s a restaurant, Gam Gam, that’s a great mix of Jewish tradition and Italian staples. We loved the Peggy Guggenheim museum and Museo Correr. We didn’t do a gondola ride… 80 euros for a half hour, we were much more content to just watch the gondolas go by.
Make sure you know where to sit, or else you might get hit with a hefty fine.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/venice-sit-down-fine/index.html
Rick Steves has audio walking tours you can download. One is a Grand Canal tour you take on a vaporetto