Venice Is Calling For Respect— Here’s What The Locals Want You To Know

Because #veniceisnotdisneyland

If you stand on the water’s edge of St Marc’s square, somewhere between the docks of bobbing gondolas and flocks of brooding pigeons, and close your eyes, you can easily be transported back to the time of the real Venetians. A time when Venice was its own republic and played home to some of the richest families in all of Europe. A time when velvet slippers were the norm and gold bullions were used as bookends. 

This enchanting and mysterious city is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Italy and opens its frequently submerged doors to over 60,000 tourists per day – yes, per day! Unfortunately, while tourism is the lifeblood of many traders in Venice, it is also leading to the crippling decay of the Venetian lifestyle. 

Every day brings a new hoard of selfie-loving, pizza munching tourists with a sightseeing checklist in one hand and skill-surpassing DSLR camera in the other. As they trample over footbridges and clamber into St Marc’s Basilica, they leave behind them a trail of Chinese-made souvenirs and irritated locals. 

Then there are the short-stay, hoard tourists. The ones who rush into the city for the day and then return from whatever vessel brought them through the turnstiles of this Italian “Disneyland". The worst part of the short-stay tourists is that most of them arrive on the monstrous cruise ships that push and carve their way through the lagoon between Venice and Giudecca island, splashing water on nearby boats and causing vibrations to already fragile foundations.

The city of Venice is suffocating under the commercial demands of hoard tourism. While many Venetians rely on tourism, it’s the type of tourism that needs to be brought under the spotlight. Add to this to the daily struggles of living on an island that is literally sinking and you can understand why the Venetians are fighting to save this UNESCO site and beloved home.

Now, don’t misunderstand, the Venetians love sharing their beautiful city with the world and with a little bit of guidance, you will experience Venice in all it’s glory all while helping the economy and not hindering the lifestyle of the locals— you might even pick yourself up a pair of velvet slippers in the process.

Slow down

The first step to seeing Venice as a Venetian is to slow down a little and breathe. In the summer months, Venice becomes chaotic. Swarms of people push through the small streets and all the pushing and shoving doesn't do anyone any good. Slow down, embrace patience and give yourself plenty of time to get from one side of the island to the other. When you rush aggressively through the alleys not only do you become a menace to those around you (yes you are rude) but you miss so many little details of this beautiful city. 

Stay to the right

As we drive on the street, so we do when we walk— in basic terms, stick to the right. The walkways are narrow enough and staying to the right will ease the congestion for everyone.

Choose local Accommodation

The rise of shared housing like Airbnb has been great for the traveller’s back pocket but business-minded, foreign real estate investors have taken the opportunity to snap up vacant property in Venice, driving up the prices and making housing unattainable for the Venetians. When looking for your dream stay in Venice choose local Venetian hosts and family-run hotels to support the local economy. Also, it should be mentioned that there is no camping on the island.

Don’t linger or sit on the bridges

There are 391 bridges in Venice and all of them form part of an intricate system, bridging each part of the island together. These bridges are walkways and thoroughfares, not places for congregating and blocking the flow of traffic. In fact, if you sit on the bridges or on the steps of the bridges you can be fined. Please do not stop and sit on the stairs or worse— set up a picnic and eat there (yes, it happens often). Instead, find a piazza and a bench to rest.

Do not, under any circumstances, swim, dip, dive or put your feet into the canals

First thing that comes to mind is ew— EW! That water is full of filth and should not be touched. It’s also incredibly inappropriate to jump off bridges and suntan on the side of the canal. If you’re looking for a beach, then jump on one of the public boats and head to Lido di Jesolo.

Venice is an incredible city to experience and it has far more to offer than what lies on the main tourist track. Do yourself a favor, book at least 5 days in this wonderful city, team up with your own guide and dig down deep, past the imitation Venetian masks and microwave pizza into the cultural treasures the city is hiding just below the surface.