Venice 2012 Guidebook
Guidebook corrections:
Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.
I just got back from two weeks in Venice with my family. ALL museum prices have gone up 1-2 euros (from those quoted in the 2012 edition), with the exception of the Accademia. The Accademia is no longer 6.50, but 11 euros!! Also, they have eliminated the bookstore (Rm 10 on Rick's map). The Accademia's "bookstore" is a selection of no more than 3-4 books (usually on special exhibitions) available at the ticket counter. The Accademia guidebook that Rick mentions in the info section is still 14 euros and a great buy!!
Peter in Sugarloaf, CA USA 01/30/2012
Benito's barbershop has become more of a hairsalon and I was told by a young lady working in the shop he wasn't coming in anymore. Dec 7 2011
Drew Garcia in Cairo, Egypt 12/31/2011
Please add a note on your paragraph regarding Alilaguna boat transportation to the airport. While one may go online to pay the fare (at a 3 euro discount) and print out a voucher, this voucher must be exchanged for a ticket at an Alilaguna booth. Boat staff will not accept the voucher as payment and will refuse passage if you don't have enough to pay 16 euros cash on the boat. I ended up paying the fare twice. This rule is clear in the small print, but I did not read the small print.
Suzanne in San Diego, CA USA 12/27/2011
Notice you've already updated the ACTV changes to the numbers of vaporetto routes. Hope others take note, as the changes made it a little confusing getting back from Burano.
Terri in Quilcene, WA USA 11/26/2011
We were in Florence the last week of October and the Bargello Museum in Florence closed at 1:50 pm (13:50) - your 2011 guidebook showed it being open until 4:50 pm (16:50).
Nancy in Driver, WA USA 11/14/2011
Not sure I would drink from public fountains. I saw a dog drinking from one, licking the entire spout (stuck to bottled water after that). The Rialto produce market is open on Monday, but the fish market is closed. Glass factories in Murano close for siesta (we only found one that had a glass blowing demonstration), so visit before noon, or you will have to wait until 3 p.m.
Peter Fabriele in Scotch Plains, NJ USA 10/20/2011
Review the entry on "Classic Venice Bar Tours" and reconsider your recommendation. There was no variety across the 3 bars and the food was nothing like that offered in other bars we have visited. Even in bars we went to with Alessandro we were only provided with the cheap microwaved pre-fried food, even if there were other items on the menu. Extremely disappointing, and more to the point, not as described.
Jill Irwin in Kingston, ON Canada 10/19/2011
Verona: the one day Verona pass was not available; only the two and three day passes were. There's no "TI" at the train station, but passes are available at the small shop just inside and to the left (as you enter) the train station. Parking in the station lots is impossible, but there's a huge lot, very cheap, across the street (to the right, at about 2 o'clock, when standing with your back to the station.
Jack in Philadelphia, PA USA 09/28/2011
Excellent guidebook. Helped us make the most of our week-long stay. Really good practical info about opening hours etc. Sadly, would agree that in a decade or two, it may become an adult theme-park for tourists. Glad we saw it now!
Entrance fees to various museums and sights have gone up 1 to 2 Euros since the guide was published.
On San Giorgio Maggiore island, it is no longer possible to attend a weekday Mass with Gregorian chants. The only Mass open to outsiders now is on Sunday morning.
Elizabeth Bamberger in Portland, OR USA 09/26/2011
I was a little confused as to how to use the Vaparetto tickets. We purchased 12 hour passes, which worked out best for our group. We scanned the ticket upon getting the ticket, but didn't know if we needed to scan the ticket each time we got on the boat or just the first time. A little clarification in this part of the book would be great.
Mike in Wheeling, IL USA 06/22/2011
Rick’s Venice 2011 book mentions the San Marco Museum Plus Pass. It was available April-October, so I’d been waiting for it to go on sale for my summer trip. When it didn’t turn up as an online option, I emailed about it, and received the answer that just last month the civic museums decided to discontinue this particular pass. It looks like the only one now available is the more inclusive Museum Pass. You can read about it at this link. If you need the page in English, just click the red, white, and blue in the upper right corner: http://www.vivaticket.it/evento.php?id_evento=409592&op=museiCivici&change_language=1
Happy travels! Linda
Linda Polin in Los Angeles, CA USA 04/21/2011
1) The vaporetto line #1 no longer starts at Tronchetto. The first stop you can board for your Grand Canal cruse is Piazzale Roma.
2) There is no TI in the Verona train station.
3) The Verona card is only available for two days (15 euro) or five days (20 euro) - verify at their web site: http://portale.comune.verona.it/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=2114
Bill Bozo in Springfield, VA USA 04/13/2011
None
Shannon Fonferko in Schaumburg, IL USA 03/20/2011
None
Elaine Wolfson in Reston, VA USA 12/04/2010
There are plenty of places to eat along the Grand Canal, or to just stop and have coffee. I thought from the book it would be impossible to do without reservations but it was not. Allow more than an hour to get to the airport- and more than two hours once you are there to catch your flight. be sure you know exactly how to get to your hotel as we saw countless people walking the streets, pulling suitcases and desperately looking for their hotel!
Jean Chinni in Ellicott City, Md USA 10/06/2010
Hotel agli alboretti is a dump with a rude staff
Keith in Smith, Ok USA 10/03/2010
no
Emma in Locarno, ch Ch 09/02/2010
Hotel Fontana has a 15% discount rate for booking early. If you book early,you will not receive the 10% mentioned in the book on top of the 10%. The 10% is only for paying in cash when you arrive in Venice, so book early! This is per Diego Stainer at the hotel.
Jennifer in Atlanta, GA USA 09/01/2010
1) the Foresteria della chiesa valdese in venice does not take reservations for individuals for dom beds - a big inconvenience (only for groups of 6 or more)pg253. 2) the Albergo San Samuele does not provide the 60E you state in your book for high season for a single. they quote 65E for week days and 85E for weekends and when inform of "rick steve's guarentee prices" they did not respond. they did send me a very detailed e-mail of how they price but it is definitely above your listed prices. I suggest dropping them from your listing. they recogize a 5% rick steves discount but it still comes to more and than there are those "weekend" prices. one person wrote on tripadviser she paid cash and they still charged her credit card (I have no experience directly). Please settle with them the rick steves pricing and note the weekend prices are different but even the week day was higher. they simply will not honor the prices you printed. 3) Frankly I think rick steve's has probably done very well financially these many years and good for him, he seems a wonderful guy - I've seen him at the travel shows in Los Angeles. However, I just don't think he knows what "Budget" means anymore. $125 for a substandard room in Venice is not budget and I live in Los Angeles which cost the same as Seattle (according to Sperling Best Places). The book is springled with the word "budget" for price quotes that are anything but. I highly recommend for Venice people consider the winter if they can tolerate the climate and the shorter day light.
martin maharis in los angeles, ca USA 08/20/2010
In Venice, men are not required to wear long pants to enter St Mark's Basilica. About 50% of men entering were in shorts, so your comments about men in shorts being turned away are incorrect. This is a huge issue in July summer heat! Women are provided with a cover for their shoulders if required.
Jamin in Austin, TX USA 07/03/2010
My "reservation" at the Accademia didn't save me from having to stand in line. All the good the reservation did me was that I didn't have to pay again to enter.
Craig Oren in Cherry Hill, NJ USA 06/30/2010
The Murano Glass Musuem is open on Wednesdays? I was there today. Hope that helps.
ray in london, on canada 06/09/2010
The Murano Glass Musuem is open on Wednesdays? I was there today. Hope that helps.
ray in london, on canada 06/09/2010
A scoop of gelato at La Boutique del Gelato is now 1.20 euros, 2 scoops are 2 euros but the second scoop is very small compared to the first one. Is great tasting though!
Karen Campbell Motsinger in Urbana, IL USA 06/03/2010
remove Ai Quattro Feri from your restaurant list
Susie Deyo in LaConner, WA USA 05/22/2010
prego cancellare il nome del mio "ristorante alla conchiglia" in via castello 4990 venezia. questo perchè viene confuso continuamente con il mio vicino "trattoria ai greci da giorgio" con cui nulla abbiamo a che fare sia per le prestazioni date in termini di qualità, che per il servizio offerto. vorrei essere sicuro che mai più apparirò sulla vostra guida SENZA UNA MIA AUTORIZZAZIONE. questa è la seconda volta che richiedo la mia cancellazione. BIASUTTI FRANCO titolare e proprietario del "ristorante alla conchiglia" venezia.
RISTORANTE ALLA CONCHIGLIA in VENEZIA, IT ITALIA 04/11/2010
It seemed that the gondolas are not open at night in the off-season/winter. Perhaps you could add a tip to do that during the day if traveling at that time since the books suggests doing it at night. We missed out our first day for that reason and the second day it was snowing, so not a great time for a gondola ride.
Jennifer Duke in Peabody, MA USA 03/16/2010
The Correr Museum and Museum's of St. Mark's square open at 10:00 vice 9:00. Also the Vaporetto #2 to San Georgio was leaving from San Zaccaria M.V.E. stop vice San Zaccaria Jolanda.
James in virginia beach, VA USA 03/16/2010
guide 2009, pp.192. Torchello, church complex: entrance ticket to the basilica is 5 EUR.
Farago Eva in Szombathely, Hungary 02/21/2010
Ca' Morosini is now an independent hotel. It is in a very nice location just near the Accademia Bridge, had pleasant clean rooms, a nice simple breakfast, and very friendly, helpful Ina who speaks excellent English (other languages I did not inquire about). Would definitely recommend this hotel.
Mindy Mitchell in washington, DC USA 12/04/2009
"Le Chat Qui Rei" restaurant.
Prices have gone up. No longer the 5,00 Euro or so quoted in the 2009 Guidebook, pasta will run you about 6,50 Euro and it goes up from there.
Tonya in Phoenix, AZ USA 10/28/2009
The prices have gone up at some attractions (Academia)
Julia Bodson in Salt Lake City, UT USA 08/14/2009
Some of the prices of admission to the sites may have increased slightly.
Laura in Louisville, KY USA 06/05/2009
There is now a 7 day pass for the vaporetto for 50 Euro. This is better than having to get a photo and apply for a Venice Card. It also is cheaper if you take more than 9 rides.
Phil McAtee in Warner Robins, GA USA 05/08/2009
In reviewing the Tour information for Venice on page 44 of the Italy 2009 book, I thought the prices listed for the Artviva walking tours seemed high. I confirmed on their website that their prices are much more reasonable (i.e. lower). The Doge's Palace and St. Marks Square are listed at only 20 Euro per person.
Stewart Agreen in McKees Rocks, PA USA 02/26/2009