Instead of Venice: Chioggia, the Little Venice of the Fishermen That Needs No Entry Ticket
Canals, bridges and colourful calli without the crowds of Piazza San Marco. Chioggia offers the authentic Venice of the fishermen, just half an hour away by bus.
Foto: rolabalthus (Public Domain) — Flickr
Venice has become a global symbol of overtourism: entry tickets, turnstiles, endless queues for a coffee, gondoliers competing loudly for customers. Yet just thirty kilometres away, separated by the lagoon and reachable by bus, there's a city that preserves the same urban fabric — parallel canals, arched bridges, narrow calli — without any of those contradictions.
Chioggia is a fishing town. The harbour is still the beating heart of the local economy, and early in the morning the fish market beneath the arcades of the Corso del Popolo is a spectacle of voices, ice crates and quick hands cleaning cuttlefish and crab. This is not a market for tourists: it's where the area's restaurants come to stock up, and where anyone can buy the freshest fish at prices that no longer exist in Venice.
The Corso del Popolo is the backbone of the city: wide, porticoed, with eighteenth-century palazzi reflected in the side canals. Unlike the Venetian calli, there's room to breathe here: spaces are open, cafes have outdoor tables and prices are those of any ordinary Veneto town. The churches hold altarpieces by Carpaccio and Tiepolo, yet you will find no queue at the door.
The inner canals — the Canal Vena above all — offer views that echo Venice in a striking way: the moored boats, the reflections on the water, the stone bridges. The difference is that here you can stop to photograph without being swept aside by a tour group. In the evening, when the fishing boats return and the light turns golden, Chioggia offers moments of stillness that Venice has long forgotten.
Getting there from Venice takes forty minutes on the ACTV bus from Piazzale Roma, or by vaporetto from the Giudecca in summer. Sottomarina, the seaside district, has a long beach that comes to life in summer without ever reaching the density of the Adriatic riviera. In winter Chioggia empties further still, and walking among the canals in the fog is an experience worth the journey.
Staying in Chioggia costs a third of what you'd pay in Venice: B&Bs overlooking the canals, small hotels in the historic centre, apartments with views over the lagoon. Eating is an honest pleasure: mixed fried seafood, sarde in saor, risotto di go — dishes from the lagoon tradition at fair prices. It's the Venice that Venice no longer is, and no ticket is required to enter.
Practical guides
Practical info
When is the best time to visit Instead of Venice?
The recommended time is March, April, May, June, September, October and November, when it is less crowded.
Is Instead of Venice crowded?
Instead of Venice is a very quiet destination compared with the more touristy ones.
Where is Instead of Venice?
Instead of Venice is located in Chioggia, Veneto, Italy.
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