Friday's lightbulb: Venice on a budget

Venice is a city with a reputation for being beautiful but expensive, so I'm going to give you a few tips to make it a bit more affordable. Some of the city's most stunning sights don't cost anything. Entry to the Basilica di San Marco is free of charge, and there are also free guided tours between April and October. 


Wandering around the city costs nothing of course, and you can easily spend a lot of time wandering around the winding lanes lined with antique dealers and glass merchants - just make sure you take a map, it's easy to get lost! 


Venice's bustling Rialto Market is where people have been shopping since 1097, and there's no better show in town! The produce is unloaded from barges which start arriving at dawn, and by 8am the vendors are bargaining with customers! It's best to arrive early, and you can buy wonderful ingredients here for a cheap and healthy picnic - another way to save money.


A visit to Venice wouldn't be complete without taking to the water, but it doesn't have to cost you a fortune. The vapporetto, or waterbus, is a budget way to get a tour of the city. You pass palaces, churches, and Bond film backdrops all for the bargain price of just seven euros.
Top tip: Venice is so popular that there are days when tourists outnumber locals by two to one, but it's  also a stunning place to visit in the winter, when visitors are few and far between.

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