VeniceA Venice Tourist Trap (and More)
I have a lot of friends and family who are visiting Venice this summer—and chances are that you might be too. If so, here’s a great tip from one of our contributors Jennifer Dombrowski (@jdomb). Jennifer lives close to Venice and has come to know the city like a local, so has a number of tips on how to avoid tourist trips in the Floating City. Like this one:

Tourist Trap: Dinner with a view of the Rialto Bridge
Let me set the scene. You’ve wandered along the Grand Canal for that perfect photo of the Rialto Bridge, crowning the canal in all its glory. Just as your shutter clicks, you hear the lilted Italian accent behind you inviting you in for the special tourist menu complete with a free Bellini. Don’t. Turn. Around. Just walk away as quickly as possible! Sure, the view is a spectacular one of the Rialto Bridge, but I guarantee your meal will not be.

What to do instead: Graze at Venice’s best cicchetti bars
Cicchetti are like Spanish tapas and cost €1-2 each. They are typically eaten standing up and are the most authentic Venetian cuisine you can have. A couple of my personal favorites are all located just steps away from the Rialto Bridge and are frequented by locals. You won’t find any menus; just point to a couple that make your mouth water from the case of the day’s freshly made cicchetti. Try: Cantina Do Mori at Sestiere San Polo, 429 or All’Arco at San Polo, 436.

Check out more wisdom on the subject from Jennifer in her latest story, Venice’s Biggest Tourist Traps and How to Avoid Them.

 

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3 Comments On "Travel Tip of the Day: A Venice Tourist Trap"
  1. kelseyohleger|

    Thanks for the tip! Sadly, it seems that almost all restaurants with the “good views” are only interested in overcharging tourists.

  2. Michael Zullo|

    Good post, Jennifer. There’s another trap that tourists, especially Americans need to know regarding menu’s posted in the window of a restaurant. Too many Venice restaurants charge an “ll coperto, anywhere from 1 to 3 Euro per person. Yep, all the food and the cost is there for you to see on the window menu. However, many restaurants do not post the ‘cover charge/service charge’ better known in Italian as: “Il coperto.,” So, check the menu when a waiter hands it to you before you order and when a waiter places bread on the table, ask if there’s a charge for it (most times it’s a 1-2 Euro charge for bread). You’ll find the cover/service charge most likely on the last page in small print but it may not tell you that the charge is per person. So, when the bill arrives the “ll coperto” will be included per person. Surprise, especially if you stopped in for a light lunch and your bill was under 20 Euro for two persons or USD$27.85. If the” ll coperto,” is 3 Euro per person that amounts to 6 Euros or for us Americans USD$8.26. Almost USD$9.00 just to sit at a table without any idea how much of the “ll coperto,” a waiter receives.

  3. Robert Bruce|

    The service charge is quite the surprise as are most of the prices in that area of Venice. I always try to do as much research before going to a new city, I especially look for any indication of what the locals do. Here in America, I love Yelp and Foursquare for that sort of discovery. Beautiful photo, but hey – it’s Venice! :)

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