Venice is known to be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. There are thousands of canals running through the city allowing you to travel around in the most romantic way possible. The food there is also incredible and will amaze you with every bite. The other reason to visit Venice is that it is currently sinking. Each year the city floods more and more, causing damage to businesses.
When you are in Venice, what should you do though? While there are plenty of different things to see for yourself, one of the best things you can do is hang out with the locals and talk with them. You will learn a lot of things and your trip will become that much better. Here is why you should hang out with the locals when visiting Venice.
Find The Best Locations
Whenever you go to a city or country, you want to make sure that you are seeing the best sights and going to the best restaurants. How do you know what is best in a city that you have never been to? While you can consult Google and read up about things in your area, the best way to uncover hidden gems is to speak to the locals.
By taking the time to get to know them, you can then ask them what you should do when you are in Venice. They will recommend plenty of restaurants, museums, and other small places. You will soon find that there’s plenty to do when you are in Venice. If you are lucky, some of them will even take you around and show you it in person. Take advantage of the fact that these people know a lot about their country and city.
Authentic Experiences
The next reason to meet and hang out with locals is that they are going to be providing you with the most authentic cultural experience of the city. If you mainly stick to tourist areas, you are bound to only meet tourists and people from other countries. While this can be nice, you won’t fully experience the people and the city itself.
Even some of the bars and clubs you travel to might be dedicated to tourist spots. You don’t want to leave a country learning nothing new about where you just were. Get an authentic experience by meeting and hanging out with the locals.
Learn the Language
While you might have some basic language skills in the country that you are in, you can greatly improve them by talking to locals. When learning a language, there is no better practice for it than speaking to them. In Venice, you can expect everyone to speak Italian, with some English here and there.
Most people will be able to understand your English and you can use this as an opportunity to practice your Italian. Spend a few weeks with the locals in Venice and you will find that your language skills have greatly increased.
Get Out of Your Shell
Generally speaking, people are shy and afraid to go about to people and meet them. While you’re in another country, use that as an opportunity to get out of your shell and meet people. There is much less fear as if things fail, you will just go back to your country and forget that it never happened.
By going up and speaking to the locals in Venice, you can help gain confidence in yourself that can be used in all aspects of your life. Whether it be in relationships or at work, confidence goes a long way. The more locals you go up to and meet, the better your social skills will become, and the better you will be at communicating with others. Hanging out with locals in Venice is a great way to break out of your shell.
Build New Friendships
Finally, one of the best reasons to hang out with locals when visiting Venice is that you can make new friends. Wouldn’t it be cool to know and talk to someone on the other side of the world? You open yourself up for future travel opportunities as well as you could arrange something with them in the future. Build some friendships and get to know people when in Venice.
All of these points are reasons why you should hang out with others when visiting Venice. You traveled to see another city and experience it, not speak with other tourists and hide in a hotel. Take in the culture, the language, and everything the city has to offer. It is a beautiful place that will leave you inspired.