Is Venice Worth Visiting - My Unpopular Opinion

I’ve read about Venice, watched movies about Venice and heard so much about it. Is Venice worth visiting? Well, I wasn’t sure because of the vast number of conflicting reviews on the city. Since we had the time, I thought it would be nice to check out the city for myself.

There are some times when I struggle to give an unbiased view of a city. Is Venice worth visiting? If you asked me to give you an honest opinion, I would say no. Sure the city is beautiful in its own way but it does not always live up to its hype. Venice is one of the cities in Europe that suffers from overtourism and it has been (over) romanticized. Are there good aspects to the city? Yes there are but I would suggest heading to the floating city with your eyes wide open.

I’m sure I’m going to get a lot of flack for this post but the way I see it, I’m here to give you the facts as I see it and since people rely on my opinion when it comes to their travel plans, I am going to do just that. Let me dissect it in parts and let’s take a look at the good and the bad when it comes to Venice.

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Is Venice Worth Visiting – The Pros

Venice Is Pretty

Is Venice worth visiting for the views? You can see just how pretty it is here and decide for yourself.

Venice is pretty unique. It has rightly been called a floating city because of the way the houses in Venice were built. Not everyone realises that Venice was built in a lagoon. Because of the sand in the lagoon it was very difficult to build houses there.

So the people drove wooden sticks into the ground that served as the foundation. The buildings are quite literally floating in the water. This makes it very different from the canals which are iconic in Amsterdam.

The Gondolas Are A Unique Experience

Is Venice worth visiting for the gondolas? The gondolas are pretty exclusive to Venice. Anyone who has heard about Venice knows what I’m talking about. Generally most visitors take a gondola cruise through Venice.

It’s a quiet way to explore the city from a different perspective while simultaneously getting a feel of what it feels like to travel through the city on the popular boat. It obviously gives you a chance to take a lot of photographs too which are all the Insta rage.

The History Is Everything

Venice has a pretty interesting history and I’m not talking about just recent years. From the way the city was built to the iconic lion that guards the city, there is a lot to see and learn. The winged lion of San Marco is seen at the Piazza of San Marco and is a symbol of the patron saint of the city namely Saint Mark. You’ll see this icon in many places including the palace and the walls around it.

It’s A City Of Art And Culture

Is Venice worth visiting for the art? It is well known that Venice is a city of art and culture. You will see the numerous sculptures, paintings and other artwork that is housed in the numerous museums in the city. The collections in the city are astounding and it can take you hours to explore some of the bigger museums including the Doge’s palace which is one of the places that you should not miss when you are in the city.

So yes. If you are a fan of art and wondering is Venice worth visiting? I would say yes but just to set the record straight. Venice isn’t the only city in Italy that offers a visitor a chance to experience art.

Museums

Despite the fact that Venice is not very large, there are a surprising number of different museums. If you are a museum fan like me, you probably will want to cover them all but it’s impossible. We spent a whole day just covering the Doge’s palace and the Museo Correr. So don’t disillusion yourself.

On the flipside, this is by far one of the best ways to spend the day if it’s raining in Venice which is a frequent occurrence. So it’s always best to check the weather on the day you head there.

No Traffic

There is absolutely no traffic in Venice. Everything is done on foot or via boat. This means that streets are pretty nice to walk through aside from the crowds. It also makes Venice pretty unique. It does get pretty crowded on the waterways but that generally doesn’t bother the pedestrian.

The Canals Are Unique

Amsterdam is famous for its canals. I’ve seen many other cities with canals in them. Amersfoort, Giethoorn, Aveiro etc. all have canals but the canals in Venice are different. Rather than being an alternative mode of transport, the canals here are the main mode of transport.

Is Venice worth visiting to see these canals? I would say yes especially if you are interested in seeing the unique architecture that borders the canals. I was blown away by how many of the buildings are designed with entrances just inches away from the waterline.

Is Venice Worth Visiting – The Cons

As I said before, Venice disappointed me. We had two days in Venice and a buffer day in case we wanted to stay in the city for longer. Instead we opted to reduce our time in the city to one day and spend a quieter day with the kids at our accommodation.

What I do have to note is that the weather was pretty rainy so that may have influenced our decision a bit. Though the day that we visited the city, we had relatively good weather. We stay in the Netherlands so it’s not like we aren’t used to rain. Here are all the reasons why I felt that Venice wasn’t my favorite spot for a trip through Italy.

Its Expensive

Anyone who has tried to book a trip to Venice will tell you that the city is expensive. The hotels are expensive even if you try to book in advance and the best way to reduce costs is to stay outside the city and then travel in. That however means that you have the commute to consider. While public transport is great, catching a vaporetto can be costly even when you buy a day pass.

Food is also costly and almost everything you try to buy here is too. So make sure that you plan with it in mind. In a way, I expected that Rome and Venice would kind of be in the same price range when it came to budget travel but it isn’t.

You Can’t Drive In

Want to drive into Venice? Then you are going to be in for a rude shock. This is one of the cities where you can absolutely not take your car in and it’s for the best, mind you. I actually liked the fact that there are numerous safe parking garages on the outskirts of the city. Shuttle buses take you right to the bridge and you can make your way to Venice from there. It’s a good system but one that people who are dependent on motorized transport may not like.

It Floods Frequently

Did you know that Venice floods frequently. They actually call it non life-threatening floods. It has had its fair share of very bad floods too which has wreaked havoc to life and property.

It Stinks

My first impression of Venice was that it stinks. I’ve not misspelled that and while Venice is sinking, it also stinks. While we had a good deal of rain in Venice, we also had our share of sun. During the hotter parts of the days, the water in certain parts of the city brought up a foul stench. It took me back to some of the dirtier cities in India and was probably why I wasn’t the biggest fan of the city.

It Is Crowded

Is Venice worth visiting despite the crowds? That's a big no on my end.

I’ve talked about the crowds in Venice but I have to emphasize it again. Venice has been romanticized. It was never built to handle the kind of crowds that arrive there every day. In some of the parts of Venice it is really hard to walk and you need to keep your children close by or they may get separated. Is Venice worth visiting despite the crowds. For me this was a no.

Tourist Tax

During the peak season there is a tourist tax that is levied on people visiting. While this is aimed at combating the over tourism (and is highly needed), it costs both time and money because you have to check and countercheck whether it is applicable to you.

We were lucky because we traveled in the low season and did not have to pay. On the other hand, it is so crowded during the low season that I dread to imagine what it is like in the peak season.

So there you have it. All my reasons about why you should or should not visit Venice. I guess I could not really hide my disappointment in the city which is why if someone asks me ‘Is Venice worth visiting ?’ I would say no.

There are many other beautiful places to see and a lot to do without spending quite as much. That however is me and I totally understand the fear or missing out which is what we struggled with a lot too.

To those who have visited Venice before, did you enjoy it or did it disappoint you? Do let me know in the comments below.

Is Venice Worth Visiting – My Unpopular Opinion

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