Venice, Italy
Ciao everyone! We’ve been back for almost a month now and I’m just now sitting down to write this blog post! I still can’t believe how incredible our trip to Italy was. We began in Venice, and then went to Florence, Rome and the Amalfi Coast for a total of 12 days. We also flew in and out of London on either side because we found some super affordable nonstop flights from Denver! 😊 I don’t want to overwhelm you with a gigantic blog post recapping our entire trip, so here’s a breakdown of what we did in Venice! Be sure to check back for more blog posts about our other parts of the trip as well! 😉
We stayed in Venice for only one day & night, and honestly I felt like that was the perfect amount of time to be there. Venice is quite small, so you can stroll from one end to the other in only about an hour! I can say that if we would have had another day, I would have liked to visit the neighboring islands of Murano and Burano. Hopefully next time!
Accommodations:
AC Hotel Venezia - This was a great hotel for our stay in Venice. It was modern and clean and not quite as expensive as some of the other hotels in Venice. We usually stay in Airbnbs when we travel, but we struggled to find good ones in Venice, which is why we opted for a hotel. The best part about the AC Hotel was that it was located right next to the bus stop and only about a 10 minute walk to the train station!
TRAVEL TIP: If you arrive in Venice by plane, you have a few options for getting from the Marco Polo Airport into town. We decided to take the ATVO bus, which you can buy tickets for at the airport. It’s only a 20 minute drive and costs around 6 euros per person.
Food/Drink:
El Sbarlefo - This was actually the only real restaurant that we ate at in Venice (we arrived at dinner time and left the following morning) - but it was fantastic! It was little off the beaten path which meant that prices were cheaper and it wasn’t nearly as touristy! We ordered various cicchetti (small bites), and two glasses of ombra (local wine) and our grand total was only 12 euros!
TRAVEL TIP: When in Venice, eat and drink at places that aren’t right by the Grand Canal or Piazza San Marco. Most of these restaurants are filled with tourists, which also make the prices skyrocket! For example, we saw Aperol Spritz’s priced at 15 euros by the Grand Canal, and only 3 euros at restaurants just a few blocks away!
Things To Do:
Grand Canal - This is the main attraction in Venice! This is the largest and “grandest” canal in all of Venice, as it is the main waterway that is used for public and private transportation boats.
Rialto Bridge - The Rialto Bridge is the oldest and most famous bridge on the Grand Canal that connects both sides of the city! It’s beautiful and definitely a great place for a photo opportunity!
Piazza San Marco - Otherwise known as St. Mark’s Square, this bustling area is one place that you have to see in Venice! Saint Mark’s Basilica, the Campanile di San Marco and Doge’s Palace are all on surrounding sides of this square.
TRAVEL TIP: Venice is a cruise port, which means that tourists on cruises flood the city daily. If you want to avoid crowds in some of the more touristy areas, go exploring early in the morning or in early evening. Most of the crowds will have cleared out at that point, giving you a more enjoyable experience.
TRAVEL TIP: We did not do a gondola ride, although we were originally planning on it! When we arrived in Venice, we noticed that most of the gondoliers were either texting or talking on the phone (!!!!) while they were taking customers for rides. We didn’t quite think this was worth the steep price of 80-100 euros. Also know that prices increase to 120 euros after 7pm, as this is one of the most popular times for gondola rides!
Below are some photos from our stay in Venice!
Being tourists! 😊
Our 12 euro meal at El Sbarlefo!
The Venice canals and a (preoccupied) gondolier 🙈
Posing at the Rialto Bridge
The gorgeous gondolas!
Enjoying the sites at Piazza San Marco!
Cafes in Piazza San Marco!
Until next time, Venice!
