Venice · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Venice punishes budgets, though the city itself — lanes, bridges, Cannaregio's canals — costs nothing to walk.
Cannaregio, or Mestre
The few hostels sit in Cannaregio and on the Giudecca. Mestre, on the mainland, is roughly half the price and twelve minutes away by train.
What a day costs
Dorm €30–55 in Venice and €18–30 in Mestre, cicchetti and a glass €12–18, vaporetto singles around €9.50. Reckon €65–110, roughly $70–120.
Getting around cheap
Single boat fares are punishing, so buy a 24- or 72-hour pass or walk. The traghetto gondolas cross the Grand Canal for about two euros.
Free by day
Getting lost in Castello and Cannaregio, the Rialto market before nine, and the Zattere waterfront; the Accademia bridge is empty at dawn.
Campo Santa Margherita
The student square, where cheap spritz and cicchetti keep people outside until late — the one reliably social spot in a city that empties at night.