How Chioggia Surprised Us (& How to Get There from Venice)

We’re heading to Chioggia, often called “Little Venice,” to share why this small city is a great alternative to the crowds of Venice. We talk about what makes Chioggia special, from peaceful canals and local food to easy walking and a more authentic, everyday Italian feel.

We also outline the logistics of getting from Venice to Chioggia, including the public bus options, costs, luggage considerations, and where to get off if you’re heading to the port. If you’re embarking on a cruise or planning a short land visit, this episode will help you decide if Chioggia belongs in your itinerary and how to get there with confidence.

• For more details on how to get from downtown Venice to Chioggia by bus, or alternative options such as booking a private car, read this article on our website.
• View our inspiring photos and info about Chioggia, which will help you decide what to do there. 

Chapters

• 0:35 Exploring Chioggia: The Little Venice of Italy
• 2:00 Why It's Important to Know How to Pronounce "Chioggia"
• 3:22 Chioggia's Quaint Charm
• 4:29 Things to Do & Attractions in Chioggia
• 10:29 Local Food to Eat in Chioggia
• 12:57 Travel Logistics: Getting to Chioggia
• 14:18 Exactly How to Take the Public Bus from Venice to Chioggia
• 17:55 What Bus Stop to Get Off at To Get to the Port of Chioggia
• 20:11 Final Thoughts & Chioggia Recommendations

Transcript

Dan (00:34)

Welcome to another edition of Small Ship Cruise Talk. Today we're going to be discussing Chioggia. It's located in the Veneto region.

Now, Chioggia is often called Little Venice for a reason. We'll go beyond the typical tourist hot spots and tell you what it's like to really explore, to walk around, to see exactly what Chioggia has to offer and how to get there from Venice.

Mikkel (01:03)

First, we're going to dive into what makes Chioggia unique, all about the canals, the local culture, food, and what makes it adorable, like Little Venice, and why it's an alternative to crowds in Venice. And then we're going to talk logistics. So I'm going to take the first half with things to do, and Dan's going to take the second half and tell you all about how we took the bus from Venice to Chioggia. 

By the end, I hope that you feel confident in planning your own escape to Chioggia, whether you're going by land before your cruise or just by land. Maybe it's a little good info for your land trip, but as we are Small Ship Cruise Talk, we're specifically thinking of helping you get between these two cities to board your cruise.

Right, Dan, should we get into why visit Chioggia at all? Little Venice.

Dan (01:57)

Other than to pick up a ship, yeah. Tell me all about it.

Mikkel (02:01)

Okay, so I do want to make a note about Chioggia, and the way it is spelled versus the way you pronounce it. Now, what language did you take in high school? Because I took French, not Italian. 

Dan (02:15)

I took Spanish.

Mikkel (02:27)

Okay, so both of us aren't familiar with how Italian words are pronounced. So this was quite the lesson. We were asking how to get to Chioggia (chee-o-gee-a), which is not how you say it, to our hotel front desk when we were staying in Venice, pre-cruise. And we kept saying, how do we get here? Where's the bus? And the woman was like, what are you talking about, weird American? And finally, I showed her the spelling. It is C-H-I-O-G-G-I-A. She laughed at me, and she said, "Oh! Chioggia." So.

A "C" and an "H" in Italian, we learned right there and then, is a hard K. So "ch" is not a "cha" it's ka, and the G-I-A is ja. So it is kee-o-ja, little aside here. So if you're asking anybody about Chioggia when you're in Venice or anywhere nearby in Italy, you're gonna want to know that first and foremost, so they know what you're talking about.

Chioggia has its own network of canals and bridges and colorful waterways, but with fewer crowds and it's more relaxed. It has an authentic Italian vibe. Its main street is named Corso del Popolo and it's lined with local cafes, restaurants and shops. And the Canal Vena offers picturesque strolls along its little waterfront. Now this is not huge, but that's part of the charm. It's very small.

And if you want to see it within, I would say, two hours, if not three, if you're sitting down for a meal, maybe four, if you eat slow and you're having a lot of wine and some seafood, it's completely doable. So whether you have, I would say, even an hour or half a day, there is plenty to do there.

We combined this with when we were coming from the morning in Venice. So we were able to choose our own adventure. So Dan, you enjoyed the ship when we got there to kind of toy yourself and familiarize yourself with our Viking Ocean ship.

And I decided to take the shuttle, which was a shuttle boat from right in front of our ship in the port of Chioggia to the downtown area. This was a shuttle that was provided by Viking Ocean cruise ship. And it took about 10 minutes.

It was really fast, and it simply took us kind of a shortcut through the waterway. You can walk there from the port. It just will take a little longer. There is not Uber in Chioggia. It's way too small. It's actually even hard to find taxis there. Not impossible, but it is hard. And it's probably even harder to find a taxi from the port. So, keep that in mind. But there's plenty to do even though this is a small town. Now, first and foremost, because it's Little Venice, you're going to walk by the canals. They are quiet, scenic, and perfect for people watching.

Dan (05:25)

Did it remind you of Venice?

Mikkel (05:27)

It reminded me of like a portion of the canals of Venice. It was definitely more quaint and more charming. And it felt like you could have moments to yourself more because there were very few people around and the people that were around looked like they were residents going from work to home or stopping by the little market on their way back to meet family or what have you.

Dan (05:55)

Well, it sounds like it's a great option to Venice if you want something smaller and less touristy.

Mikkel (06:01)

Yeah, rather than go to Venice or kind of as a supplement, it is really nice to go to Chioggia, because in Venice, the tourists outnumber the residents now, which is sad, but a fact of visiting Venice. And in Chioggia, it's completely the opposite. So, walking on this canal, which actually the canal was manmade many, many, many, many, many years ago. The canal was manmade, but it's really pretty. 

There's gorgeous buildings and there's boats lining the water. We were there in late October and even then there were boats there. One of the most amazing things I did on my own, which I know would have been frustrating because you would have had to keep stopping and waiting for me, was take photos. So I had my professional camera with me, my mirrorless Nikon camera and I just loved taking all the time I wanted to stop and frame a photo and see the beauty along this canal. I mean, at one point I had to say to myself, "Stop taking photos. You're taking so many photos of this," but it was just like scene after scene after scene it was just beautiful and the beauty just abounds with these bridges. 

So again, the main canal is Canal Vena and we have an article about this on our site: Things to Do in Chioggia, that is linked in the show notes.

Another thing to do is go to the fish market. Now, if you're there later in the day, the fish market closes. So I think the hours are around 6:00 am to 1:00 pm. The later it gets, the less busy it's going to be, the less vendors there are going to be. But it's a very small fish market. Even when I was there later in the day around 5:00 pm, it was cool to see the arch that led into the fish market because it's very ornate and there are pretty sculptures on the exterior of it. What is it called? Like a bas relief?

Dan (07:52)

I believe so. Yeah, that sounds right.

Mikkel (07:56)

…bas relief of the arch that goes in there. And I couldn't believe how clean it was. You wouldn't even know it was a fish market really. It barely smelled fishy. They must wipe that thing down, like spick and span and just hose it down after they leave for the day. If you know where it is, connects the main street, Corso del Popolo, with Canal Vena. So it's right there. Also, I should mention that downtown Chioggia is so walkable. It's the canal that runs parallel to the main street and then perpendicular, you have bridges and little side streets connecting the two.

Another thing to do is see some historic buildings and churches there. You can just walk past the exterior. If it's during the day and they're open, be curious and go in.

And we name a few in the article that I referenced. But not to get too much into that, because it's probably more interesting to you to walk around and just see some architecture and stuff on the outside and kind of people watch and such. And then everyday Italian life. So again, it feels more authentic and you get to see the daily life.

Some other things to do there are go into the grocery stores. Now, if you are a foodie and you love food shopping in other countries and other it's a small street. There are actually two major, you know, they're small, but major supermarkets there. Actually, I would say they're like more grocery stores. Supermarkets are really very American. Two grocery stores there, I loved going in there because it was our last day in Italy.

So after we boarded the cruise the next morning, we left Italy. So I took it upon myself to buy some pasta. It's like 99 cents. It's like a euro to buy pasta there. And they have some really cool shapes and varieties that you can only get in there. Risotto even. I also bought us a bottle of wine to keep in our room — you're allowed to bring that on Viking ocean ships. So check your cruise to see if you're able to bring something like that on board. On Viking, it's not a problem.

Heck, they even encourage it. (The Italians there, right?)

The other thing that you can do on this main street: there's a couple of souvenir shops. Also, I want to mention there's a few pharmacies if you need anything medicine-wise, over the counter. Over the counter in Europe is a little more lenient than in the United States. So let's say you have a cold that you came down with while traveling and you need medication. There are three pharmacies on that street.

And then lastly, are restaurants. So one of my favorite things that I was pleasantly surprised you could get in Chioggia — which makes sense 'cause, Dan, as you said, it's in the Veneto region, which is like the province of the area, which is also where Venice is — is you can get cicchetti, which are little — they're almost like pintxos in Spain. How would you describe a cicchetti? Ciccheto?

Dan (10:54)

It's like a... a little yummy treat on some bread. Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

Mikkel (10:58)

Yeah, like a crostini.

So when we were in Venice, we took a food tour with our favorite tour company, Devour, and were able to learn about cicchetti. The plural is cicchetti. A single one is cicchetto. And they're almost like little bar you go into a bar or a restaurant, and there is a case of cicchetti. And you can point and tell them what you want. Now, it's very likely everybody speaks English there, especially nowadays. 

But you could say, "Oh, I want this cicchetti. I want this cicchetto with the ham and the cheese on it, that kind of thing. So that was really fun to see because if you don't have an opportunity to go into Venice, this is one of the local food items that you don't want to miss trying. And maybe you did have a chance to go into Venice and you just want one more taste of that before you leave the port. So I really loved that experience.

Does that sum it up for things to do in Chioggia? I would say it's like a good amount of things to do. The other thing I would say is simply at the end of that Corso del Popolo, the main street, is like a little square where you get on a boat or disembark or whatever. And there's a bridge that's the most beautiful going over the canal. It's at the end or the start of it, depending which direction you're coming from.

And that square is really beautiful. I got back on the boat to go back to the Viking ship from there during dusk. And you could still see some colors in the sky. And it was really, really beautiful. So be camera ready when you are pulling in there, if it's by boat. And also when you are pulling away from there, because it's really spectacular. And like I said, it's photo opportunity after photo opportunity in Chioggia and a lack of tourists in the best way.

Oh my gosh, that was a lot. I'm going to take a break from talking and kick it off to you to talk about some practical travel planning. And that is getting from Venice — the main city that most people might be in before their cruise — into Chioggia.

Dan (13:13)

The easiest way to get to Chioggia is, well, take advantage of the cruise transportation. But if you come into, let's say Venice a couple days early, or you want to get there on your own, then you'll have to forfeit that transport from the cruise ship. You've got a couple options.

The most direct public transport option is to take the bus. So you're going to pick up the bus from Piazzale Roma in Venice run by Arriva Veneto, which runs the Vaporetto. Now this bus usually takes about an hour to an hour and five minutes to reach Chioggia's bus stop.

Buses run roughly every 30 minutes throughout the day and tickets are very affordable, around 6 to 8 euros each way.

Mikkel (14:02)

Yeah, for the two of us, costs less than 13 euros for our two bus tickets one way.

Dan (14:08)

Another option is to book a private car, like a driver. We have these links in our show notes, so make sure you check them out if you want to take advantage of that option.

If you're interested in retracing our steps and taking the bus from Venice to Chioggia, the information was not quite as easily accessible as you would hope. So we're going to break down exactly how to hop on the bus, what bus you should take, and then what to expect.

You're going to pick up the bus at Piazzale Roma and you're going be looking for bus number 80.

Mikkel (14:42)

Now this is the route to Sotomarina - Chioggia - and Venizia. So that is kind of the three cities it says on the bus. Like if you were looking up at the digital sign of a bus that said, "New York City, Times Square," that is the route. So again, it's SOTOMARINA - CHIOGGIA - VENEZIA. So that is bus number 80.

Dan (15:02)

The timetable is really difficult to find, so check out our article and that'll lay everything out for you.

Mikkel (15:09)

Yup. We have a link to the PDF there.

Dan (15:11)

Like I said, the bus leaves Piazzale Roma, Venice's main bus hub. Now you may have to take a water taxi, or the vaporetto, to get there...

Mikkel (15:21)

It's definitely going to take some time, to your point. Yeah. So you want to account for that because, depending on where you stay in Venice, it could take you an hour just because of all the stops the vaporetto might make. So plan for that.

Dan (15:33)

Right. And we already talked about the cost, but, like Mikkel said, it only cost us 13 euros for our bus tickets.

Mikkel (15:41)

Yeah, and the good news is the ticket office was open when we got there. So we were able to speak to somebody in English in the office. She looked like she just graduated from college. So, you know, she kind of rang up the tickets for us. We just touched our Apple pay to pay and she pointed out how to walk around the parking lot to find bus 80.

Dan (16:01)

The bus, well, it's a bus. So it's about exactly what you're going to expect. It was comfortable and the drive was scenic and we did get to see some of the countryside.

Mikkel (16:08)

Mm-hmm. Some scenes are more scenic than others, depending on where we were, but there's a lot of variety in that hour.

Dan (16:19)

If you're carrying on big luggage and things like that, just be aware that there's limited space and you may end up having your backpack or luggage on your lap, which we did for part of the journey. So just keep that in mind.

Mikkel (16:34)

That's a great point. If you are carrying really large luggage onto the bus, this might not be the mode of transportation for you because it's kind of a commuter bus, not really a tourist bus for people that check luggage with, you know, check the bags that are 28 inches or more. We always do carry on. So we were lucky that we could do that, but I recall our rolling luggage didn't even fit overhead. 

This is like if you were going on a prop plane size overhead compartments, not if you were going on a transatlantic plane overhead size luggage storage. So we have soft backpacks. One of them fit up there, right? And we were sitting with the rest of the luggage on our laps. So keep that in mind.

Dan (17:18)

All right. Great.

Mikkel (17:23)

And there's no porters or bellhops helping you. You need to get on the bus on your own. So that's a great point about the luggage. I heard that there was somewhere to put some luggage. We never saw it because we ended up sitting in some of the last two spots in the front of the bus.

But rumor had it from two other people that were actually also going to the Viking ship on the bus that there was a very small area to put that. But, I would say don't count on it. So that's a great point, something to be aware of.

Dan (17:55)

If you're on the bus, probably one of the most important pieces of information you'll want to know is where to get off. And the stop that you're going to want in Chioggia is via Naccari

This stop is not directly in the port. So be prepared for a little bit of a walk. I think it was between 10 and 15 minutes.

Mikkel (18:17)

Yeah, it depended how fast you walked. It's also not even what looks like a bus stop. It's kind of the side of the road. And you want to press "stop." So what we were doing was we had Google Maps open at the same time. And we had pre-mapped where that was. So when we were getting closer, we pressed the stop button on the bus, very much how a bus in the United States functions. And we got off there. 

I think only people going to the port during our time there got off. Nobody else that was Italian or on the bus got off there, which obviously could be different the day you are there. But for our day getting off that bus, it was I think, four of us as two couples — us and the other couple.

Dan (19:00)

Right. And all juggling our luggage.

Mikkel (19:02)

All juggling our luggage, yeah. So then we caravanned, we walked over as a foursome. We were all in it together to do that 10 to 15 minute walk that you mentioned.

Dan (19:14)

So the 10 to 15 minute walk was pretty easy, sidewalks the entire time, and it was a straight shot right to the port. It just took a little bit of time.

Mikkel (19:23)

Yeah, and I would say keep your eyes open and in front of you for the ship because inevitably you're going to see the ship rise from the water in the distance. And that is the way to go. The address of the port that we had from Viking on Google Maps didn't really pull up correctly. So the best thing for us to do once we crossed the bridge and were heading in the right direction, which of course is to the water — which you're surrounded by water, so that's not really fair.

little bit more obvious on the map when you use the map in conjunction with your eyes and common sense to see it in front of you. So if Google Maps is telling you to go to one place, but you see the ship in front of you, go where the ship is.

Dan (20:04)

That's a good tip. Always go where the ship is.

Mikkel (20:07)

Always, no matter where you are, even if you're not on that cruise. Just kidding.

Dan (20:11)

So, quite a few options to go from Venice to Chioggia and it might be a mix of vaporetto, bus, or private transport and it's whatever works for you, you have these options available but just make sure that you plan it out and understand that you leave enough time to get to your ship if you're embarking there and preferably carve out a little bit of time to explore downtown Chioggia also.

Mikkel (20:39)

I love that. Thanks for a great episode to inform everybody. If you have a question that we didn't answer, don't hesitate to reach out. As always, please follow and subscribe if you're not already doing so. And hey, you never know, maybe we'll run into each other in Venice or Chioggia.

Dan (20:56)

Goodbye everybody.