On a budget, skip Mercerie Shopping Streets — the spend outweighs the payoff.
Free to browse
The Mercerie is the historic retail artery linking the Rialto to St Mark's — and as a 'Verdict' it's mostly a warning. It's the single most jammed pedestrian funnel in the city, and the 'Venetian' masks and glass crammed into its windows are largely imported. The genuine craft is a few calli off it, not on it: for real papier-mâché Carnival masks go to Ca' Macana in Dorsoduro (making them by hand from gesso molds since 1984, and you can watch or take a workshop); for certified glass, buy only pieces carrying the Vetro Artistico Murano trademark, ideally on Murano itself. Use the Mercerie to walk between the two squares, not to shop.