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Venice is one of the largest cities in the country of Italy.

Shopping in Venice

Shopping in Venice defined by AbbreviationFinder can be a costly affair. After all, this is Italy’s most expensive city. Venice offers quality and exclusivity that is not left behind for Paris and Milan. The fashion conscious will find products from all the major designers like Armani, Versace and Prada in the shops around St. Mark’s Square.

The best shoe and clothing stores are located in Torre dell Orologio, the street that leads from St. Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge. Here are also some antique shops, another Venice specialty, although the few tourists have a holiday budget that makes shopping possible.

Venetian specialties

Many tourists tend to end up with typical Venice souvenirs such as small wooden or plastic gondola models that street vendors have put on them. Rather focus on real Venetian glass art. You can buy it directly from the factory outlets on the island of Murano, where the glass factories were located after a city fire in the 13th century.

In Murano, you can watch as the glass artist picks up a red-hot lump from the stove and with some quick grips with pliers pulls out four legs, one head, one tail, and flip: a stealing glass horse! Be sure to pack your purchases well for the return trip!

Lace is another local specialty. On the colorful island of Burano, the art is kept alive at its own lace school, which produces the island’s most important export item. It is incredibly fascinating to look at black-clad old wives who sit silently in the doorway and conjure up the most intricate details of their craft.

Carnival masks are perhaps the most archetypal you can bring home. They are most often made in cardboard masks and are available in all sizes, shapes and colors, from refrigerator magnets to heavy feathers and head ornaments. Look for this in the markets of San Polo right across the Rialto Bridge.

Those who prefer large shopping malls and arcades should probably (fortunately) find themselves on a trip to the mainland. Nearest town is Mestre.

In general about shopping in Venice

The stores are usually open from 10am. From 0930 to 1330 and from. 1530 to 2000, but this varies. Most shops are closed on Sundays, although there are exceptions.

Tax Free Shopping in Venice

Don’t forget that you pay 20% VAT and on all purchases over approx. You can get a refund of NOK 1500 on departure. Not all businesses have this scheme on their sale, so look for the Tax Free Shopping badge at the entrance if you are going to buy some more expensive items and bring a completed and stamped form and receipt.

NB! It might be tempting to buy a copy of a brand from one of the many African illegal immigrants that you are sure to come across. But be aware that in many places Italian police have given up trying and fining the sellers, as they often have neither money nor ID papers. But it has YOU.

Civilian-clad policemen are therefore keeping a close eye on street vendors, and if they see that you are buying a pirate copy of, for example. a Louis Vutton case or Rolex watch at a fraction of the price, you should expect to receive a staggering fine of the order of $ 25,000-30000.

Eating in Venice

In Venice, there are hundreds of restaurants serving typical Italian food such as pasta and pizza. Beyond these dishes is the seafood that dominates the menus. As elsewhere in Italy, the pasta is relatively inexpensive, while the seafood varies in price.

You can get cheap fish at a simple restaurant or specially made squid for astronomical bucks. If you want to eat quality food, we recommend leaving the most touristy San Marco area and looking for eateries further into the city center of Venice.

Most eateries have both lunch menus and tourist menus that are less expensive than evening meals, but they are rarely as satisfying.

Featured restaurants in Venice

Da Fiore
One of the most exclusive and most expensive restaurants with a very good reputation is Da Fiore in Calle dei Scaleter. The specialty is traditional Venetian seafood. Pre-booking is absolutely necessary. Here you can have lunch or dinner from 1900 to 2230. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Le Bistrot de Venise
Le Bistrot de Venise at St. Mark’s Square is another highly special restaurant based on local seafood, but with recipes from the 14th to the 17th century. A wide menu provides good food regardless of your taste. The address is Calle dei Fabbri and opening hours are 1200 – 1500 for lunch and 1900 to 2400 all seven days of the week.

Trattoria Alla Madonna
In the street Calle della Madonna, 594, just off the Rialto Bridge, you will find a pleasant and charming restaurant. Trattoria Alla Madonna serves both lunch and dinner. Opening hours are 1200 to 1500 and 1845 to 2245. Closed Wednesdays.

It is a traditional Italian restaurant with a wide menu. There is a lot of good seafood here too. Near the Rialto Bridge are many overpriced tourist traps. So not with Trattoria Alla Madonna. It is not cheap, but neither is “open street robbery” as is often the case around Venice.

Taverna la Fenice
Not far from St. Mark’s Square you will find Taverna la Fenice. The address is Campiello Fenice, 1939. It’s not cheap to eat here either, but the food is often mentioned with great words and positive adjectives. And the restaurant itself is lovely. Also, the location is in the middle of the buttery eye and you can watch people sipping a drink.

NB! Sometimes things take time at this restaurant. So remember; the one waiting for something good… etc Open from 1200 to 2400 every day.

Hard Rock Cafe Venice
Yes, Venice has both McDonald’s and the other fast food chains. It’s just that it feels so unnecessary to visit them here. The exception is (perhaps) the Hard Rock Cafe which you will find at St. Mark’s Square (Bacino Orseolo). Only Hard Rock Cafe where you see gondolas “parked” outside.

Hard Rock Cafe Venice is open from approximately 1130 to 0030 every day of the week.

Algiubagio Restaurant
Among the travel plan’s favorite restaurants, we recommend Algiubagio Restaurant, located at Fondamente Nove in Cannaregio, right at the vaporetto stop that brings you over to Murano. Here you will receive excellent service from knowledgeable waiters, and not least some of the most tasty food we have tasted in all of Italy.

Nightlife in Venice

Although the Italian Peroni beer is light and tasty, we still prefer the Italian wines for the food in Venice. And here is so much quality to choose from that we refrain from recommending one brand ahead of another. As mentioned, Venice’s nightlife is not much to boast about unless you know where to go. There are minimal nightclubs or discos here, but in the Dorsoduro district there is at least a good selection of wine bars and cafes that are open until late at night.

If you find Campo Santa Margerita you will also find a pleasant night out!

Harry’s Bar, which was Hemingway’s favorite place and birthplace of the Bellini drink, is world-renowned, but reports say that the quality of food and service in recent years has been at par with the price level.

Anyway, this is a tourist trap that you just have to fall into, if only for a Bellini drink. The address is Calle Vallaresso 1323, south-east of St. Mark’s Square and down by the sea. Open from 1030 to 2300 throughout the week.

The celebrities opt out of Harry’s Bar and rather go to the Dorsoduro restaurant Antica Locanda Mondin, in Fondamente Eremite 1147. Among the celebrities who have eaten here we can bring up David Bowie, Jimmy Carter, Modigliani, Brad Pitt, Peggy Guggenheimer, Mick Jagger, Yoko Ono and Robert DeNiro.

Caffé Bar Ai Artisti
Ready for a prosecco or maybe a panini? Caffé Bar Ai Artisti in Calle Lunga S. Barnaba is a safe choice. Nice place that provides value for money. Caffé Bar Ai Artisti is usually open from early to 2200 every day of the week.

Caffé Florian
At Piazza San Marco 57 (St. Mark’s Square) you will find perhaps Venice’s most famous café. Caffé Florian goes for being the world’s oldest café. Caffé Florian was established in 1570 and has an interior that you will not easily forget.

Devil’s Forest Pub
On the street Calle dei Stagneri O de la Fava you will find one of the few “genuine” pubs in Venice. Right on the east side of the Rialto Bridge you can enjoy a small pub with selected beers, wine or drinks. It is also possible to get something easy to eat at Devil’s Forest Pub. Open from 1100 to midnight every day of the week.