To Venice on a budget

   There are some places in the world that simply must be experienced. One of those places is Venice. And I am not just saying that because I just went there. Okay maybe I am, but anyway. Venezia is a marvelous theatrical scene of narrow streets, beautiful architecture, cute little cafés and singing men on gondolas. And those lame tourists that are getting ripped off sitting in those gondolas. 

   But Venice is also a city that lives of tourism and the prices are often high because of that. A visit to Venice can therefore quickly become an expensive treat. But with a little local knowledge of the city (thank you to my friend Valentina) there is a lot of savings to be done. I’d like to share my ten best tips on how to experience the best of Venice, without it costing a fortune.

1 Travel outside the summer months. Venice is a city of narrow streets, so unless you dig standing in line for the entire day, visit the city outside of tourist season. In late February (after the carnival) and the entire month of March, the streets are a little less crowded and tickets are also cheaper with Ryan Air.

2 Take your coffee standing. There is a big difference to the price of a cup of coffee, depending on whether you choose to drink it standing at the bar, or at a table. A coffee at the bar costs 1 euro, while a coffee at a table can cost up to 4 euros. The same applies to food and other beverages – standing is always cheaper.

3 Enjoy the free culture. Museums sucks, and in a beautiful city like Venice you don’t want to spend your day at the Guggenheim (no you don’t). The city is packed with sights and cultural buildings that are completely free. For instance you can access the stunning St. Mark's Church. One of the worlds’ most astonishing churches (made of gold and diamonds and thousands of tiny little painted bricks) Inside the church there are also tour guides you can follow if you want to gain some facts, that you can show off with later.
If you insist to see the Guggenheim Museum, then book your ticket online before you leave home and save half the price.

4 Remember your student ID. On more than one tourist attraction, you will experience to get a significant discount if you can flash a student ID. I showed one that wasn’t even valid, and I still got half price.
Among other things, the half-price goes at the tower at the island “Giudeca” where there is a spectacular view over Venice. In the same church you can also see Jacopo Tinto Tourrettes original painting "The Last Supper” from 1592 if you want to be one of those people.

5 Lunch plus wine for 2 euros. There are several good and inexpensive small cafes in Venice, but especially one of them is truly an experience: The small family-owned cafe (or Birreria as they call it, if you can get beer and wine) named "Zanon" has a great selection of delicious sandwiches with both bright and dark bread (which speaks well to this Dane). Each of them costs 1 euro and if you want a glass of wine to go with it, it’s only 1 euro more. Enjoy the lunch veician-style, on the edge of the canal with the sun in your face.

6 Be a rebel - Ride the ferry for free. Gondolas in Venice are expensive (and stupid) and rarely pretty fast transportation. Instead, you can take one of the ferries. They are fairly cheap, but there will rarely be a ticket-control. So do as the locals and hop on a ferry without a ticket and feel the rush of a rebellion.

7 Juice-shots on the go. If you need a quick vitamin shot during the day, slow down when you are passing one of the many juice stands that are everywhere in the city. They will offer a small juice - or smoothie shot to the people who passes-by. They also sell more interesting kinds of shots after dark, F.Y.I..

8 Purchase a drink and enjoy free snacks. If you want to taste some of the local delicacies without paying for it, all you have to do, is order a drink. Usually they include something to eat. For instance you can try the “Venetian spritz" which is a sweet, bubbly drink served with an olive and some bread or chips.

9 Avoid the restaurants that wave you in. This is might be obvious to many, but a general rule, if you want to save money, is not to be tempted by the restaurants where the waiter standing on the street and try to wave people in. Here, the price is high and the quality is low. Instead, go down the side streets and get a little bit lost. Here you will quickly be able to find much cheaper restaurants where the locals eat themselves.

10 Take the train for half price. If you are in Venice for a longer period of time and you want to explore areas outside of the city, there is a lot of money to be saved on transportation. If you need to take the train, first order a "Carta Freccia". The card is free and gives you half price on all travels Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 to 14. If you want the bus, buy a daily card rather than single fares.

Only thing left is to enjoy the beautiful pastel colored streets of Venice, the flowers on the terraces and the life and the people on the grand canal. Or be really jealous that I just did all of that!