Venice from the water. Photo by author.

The 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale is just around the corner, opening to the public on May 26. From then until its closing on November 25, this year’s exhibition titled FREESPACE will have architects flocking from around the world to see it. Set in a stunning but already overcrowded place, the Biennale can be a hectic experience for newcomers and seasoned visitors alike.

Where can you stay that will not cost you a fortune? How can you cut the Biennale line? Which lunch options do not entail an hour-long wait? What can you do beyond the Giardini and the Arsenale? And, perhaps most importantly, where can you soak up the sun? To answer these key questions and more, this piece provides five top tips that will ease the biggest pain points you are likely to encounter at this year’s Biennale.

1. Sleeping without emptying your bank account

A night’s stay in Venice can be ruinously expensive. Two nights can set you back $600, and may not even include canal views! Cheap alternatives are hard to come by if you don’t have a Venetian friend whose sofa you can stay on. So, how do you find good value for money?

Our first piece of advice is to stay off the tourist track, avoiding the areas between St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto bridge. Whether you’re a hotel goer or an Airbnb lover, the further away you can stay from this central axis, the better off you’ll be. Cannaregio and Castello are both excellent locations, the latter being closer to the Biennale’s main venues. The areas around Campo Santa Margherita, Venice’s student hub, can also offer good value accommodation.

Better yet, consider venturing off to other islands in the Lagoon. The Giudecca has charming alleyways and offers a glimpse into Venetian everyday family life. The Lido has the stamp of former glory, and is still known as the “Golden Island” for its sandy beaches and tranquil vibe. Avoid it in September, though, when the Venice Film Festival takes it over and prices skyrocket. You can also choose to stay on the mainland, the closest place being Mestre. This option is cheaper, but lacks the romance of the Lagoon.

One final word of caution is to avoid busy dates. This handy tool helps you plan around them, by telling you how crowded Venice is predicted to be at different times of the year. By staying off-peak, you’ll save money to invest in the important things: pizza, gelato, and aperol.

2. Getting to the Biennale - fast and cheap

The Biennale takes place in two main venues: the Giardini and the Arsenale. Both are quite far removed from the city center, albeit relative to Venice’s small scale. A walk from the train station to the Giardini is just over two miles and - provided you don’t get lost - can take between forty-five minutes to an hour. If you plan on spending the entire day at the Biennale, we advise that you save your energy and avoid walking as much as possible.

The vaporetti (plural for vaporetto) are Venice’s mass transport boats, and work well. Both Google Maps and Moovit can help you plan your journey to the Giardini and Arsenale vaporetto stops, and have accurate timetables. Make sure you buy tickets ahead of time, as some stops do not have ticket machines. Advance purchases can also save you some cash, especially if you opt for one of the multi-day options like the Venezia Unica City pass and the Rolling Venice card.

One of the most discouraging aspects of the Biennale is the art of getting a ticket. Lines can be long and the summer heat unforgiving. The age of the internet has made things easier, and now you can buy your tickets online. This is both cheaper and faster than purchasing them at the Biennale booths, especially if you go for the Early Bird rates before April 30th. However, this will give you no priority unless you possess a printed copy of your online ticket. Having a print-out allows you to go straight to the entrance, saving you a lengthy wait. If you like tickets as mementos (the Biennale ones are beautiful!), you can consider buying yours the afternoon before your planned visit. That will let you fly through the gates as soon as the Biennale opens the next morning, saving you the hassle of a long line.

Whether you’re keen to buy your ticket online or not, we recommend having a look at La Biennale’s website. You will find different ticket types, and speed up the buying process. Clicking on the “check out all options and concessions” text will show you additional discounted alternatives. Note that, among other categories, you can buy reduced price tickets if you are any of the following: a student, under 26 years of age, or have different types of travel tickets, including the Venezia Unica City pass or the Rolling Venice Card.

3. Speeding up lunch

Lunch options at the Giardini are spread out and often full. The wait at the main restaurant (which is self-service) can take up to an hour! Smaller eateries around the venue offer similar food and shorter lines. The cafe across the river and to the left of the Brazilian pavilion has good food and a lawn to sit on. Similarly, the booth nestled between the German and Korean pavilions has stunning views of the Lagoon and offers shaded respite for those who can find a seat. The Arsenale has more spread out food offerings, but the lines can be equally as bad. Try the open-air cafe behind the Italian pavilion, or the dining court at the end of the main hall if you can bear the wait for a seat.

It’s not very Italian to power through lunch. However, if your aim is to make the most of the Biennale before closing time, a leisurely lunch is best left for another time. An obvious but often overlooked strategy is to wait until after the lunch rush. That means eating around 3:00 PM; nothing a late breakfast and a midday snack bar can’t help you achieve. The downside is that the more sought-after menu choices are less likely to be available. The upside is that you will encounter virtually no queues.

A savvy alternative if you cannot postpone mealtimes is to go for the boxed lunch, which you can find at the main restaurant in the Giardini. It comes with a set menu and a drink, and while it might transport you to school field trip days, it’s a good option for those prioritizing speed.

If you are an early riser, homemade sandwiches can be another fantastic way to save both time and money. You can buy food ahead of time in one of Venice’s many bakeries and specialist delicatessens, or in any of the lesser-spotted supermarkets (Coop and Despar are common names). You can bring your packed lunch into the Biennale venues, and find a spot to enjoy it in the sun.

Finally, if you have a multiple entry ticket, check out the restaurants outside the Giardini and Arsenale venues. They are guaranteed to be better value for money, and the wait will not be as long.

4. Venturing beyond the Biennale

If you are visiting Venice for the Biennale, you will likely prioritize trips to the Giardini and the Arsenale. However, the event has much more to offer beyond the official Biennale venues. Collateral Events, all which are free of charge, are presented around Venice by international institutions in conjunction with the main Biennale event. Offering a range of contributions from around the world, these events enhance the exhibition and expand its reach. You can find a list of this year’s Collateral Events on our website, with titles ranging from Young Architects in Latin America to Primal Sonic Visions. They all take place outside the main venues, and present a fantastic opportunity to get around Venice.

You should also keep an eye out for national pavilions presented outside the Giardini and the Arsenale. The island of San Giorgio Maggiore is a delightful spot, only a hop away from the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop. It has unrivaled views of Venice from the water, and will host the Holy See pavilion, the first-ever Vatican entry to the Architecture Biennale.

Antigua and Barbuda are also presenting their inaugural pavilion, just steps away from the Accademia at Dorsoduro. The same venue will also host the San Marino pavilion. Castello is another popular location due to its proximity to the Biennale main venues. This year it will see exhibitions from Cyprus, Estonia, and Lithuania. If you feel like venturing further afield, check out the pavilions at Cannaregio, including those from Guatemala and Romania. You can find all external pavilions officially linked to the Biennale on the venue map once in Venice, or ahead of time by look through this list.

5. Soaking up the sun

Running from one pavilion to the next can make you crave a relaxing afternoon in the sun. The go-to option is to head for an aperitivo in one of the city’s many bars, where a Spritz al Aperol should do the trick. Beyond this, outdoor sunbathing opportunities are hard to come by, especially for a city set in the water.

The primary route is to head out from the Biennale toward the Parco delle Rimembranze. The beautiful tree-lined park sits between the Giardini and the Lagoon. With large swathes of grass and dozens of benches, it can be the ideal spot for tired Biennale-goers to get their fix of Vitamin D. Much like the Giudecca, the park also offers a peek into Venice’s daily life - a good way to settle back into reality after a day of intellectual stimulation.

Another option is taking a vaporetto to the Lido for a day at the beach. The water in the Adriatic Sea is clean, and the Lido provides a nice blend of Venetian splendor and Mediterranean glitz. Buses run along the island’s main street throughout the day, allowing you to visit the public beaches at either end should you feel particularly enthusiastic.

If what you’re craving is a bit of pampering and budget is not too much of a constraint, try one of Venice’s swanky rooftop spas. Ai Reali has a sauna, a steam room, and a large jacuzzi. Its sun terrace has stunning views of Venice from above, including a glimpse of Saint Mark’s bell tower. For those with extra cash in hand, Ai Reali also offers a range of massages ideal for post Biennale recovery.

We hope these tips make your stay more pleasant. They certainly have helped us!

Remember that the Biennale is closed on most Mondays, with a few exceptions, and that weekends tend to be jam-packed. Finally, as you wrap up your trip planning, book yourself into the right-side of the plane for breathtaking views of the city as you land. 

Tag us on Instagram at #biennaleforbeginners for a chance to be featured on our page. And stay tuned for our coverage of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale in the coming weeks, under the 2018 Venice Biennale category.