Sticker Shock in Venice, Italy

A few years ago, we were a week into our Italy vacation and had traveled to Venice after five amazing days in Florence. We knew that another couple from my school might be in Venice at that same time and it wasn’t long before we received a text message inviting us to meet in St. Mark’s Square for a beverage.

We met in the square, snapped a few photos, and decided to take a seat at one of the many restaurants that line the square. In the middle of sharing our travel adventures from the previous week, we ordered some cocktails and were given a basket of potato chips. Throughout our time together we were serenaded by a small orchestra and fended off the persistent pigeons. We compared itineraries for the next week and, as our time together came to a close, asked for the check.

Now, we are used to paying a little more for unique experiences on our travels. We are even used to paying for additional fees such as the ability to photograph or video national historic sites. What we were not expecting was paying quite so much for the privilege of sitting at a coveted table right on the piazza and ordering beverages while listening to the uplifting music provided by a small string orchestra. We nearly fell over when the bills came. On that bill were charges for our beverages at approximately $15 Euros each, the potato chips at about $5 Euros  and the orchestra at about $15 Euros. All of these fees were per-person! We were so shocked that the talk at our tables completely ceased while we tried to decipher the charges.

We joked a bit about how much we enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime, full-blown St. Mark’s Square experience and how we would be drinking water for dinner since we’d blown the whole day’s worth of our food budget on an handful of chips, a cocktail, and music! Although it was expensive, it was something unique that we will always remember fondly.

Since that experience in Venice, we have always asked to see a menu with prices so that we can make informed decisions about where we choose to eat and grab a refreshing drink. We have overcome our embarrassment over requesting such information and it has saved our travel budget more times than we can remember.

Happy Walking!