“Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.”
~Truman Capote
We recently returned from our summer vacation to Italy. Wow! We loved the country!! Over the next few weeks, we will try to recap each place we visited as we worked our way through the country as first time visitors.
We started the trip in Venice. We had heard mix reviews of Venice therefore we scheduled it as our first stop so we had no other comparisons from other parts of Italy. Overall, our impression was similar to what we had heard. The city is really neat with the canals and lack of cars however it would not be on our top list to return. We found it crowded and the people weren’t as friendly as other parts of Italy we visited.
We had pre-arranged a private water transfer from the airport to our hotel. After our long international flight, we figured we would want to get to the destination as soon as possible after landing. This was one of our best decisions! **Travel tip** Take a private transfer from the airport to your hotel! We used VeniceLink and would highly recommend them!
The ride to our hotel was roughly 35 minutes. We walked through the crowded docks as 10+ people were crowding into shared rides. Also they jam-pack the water taxis with what looked like 50+ people. Having a direct line to our hotel was wonderful! Plus our hotel has a dock right in front.
We chose to stay at Savoia & Jolanda due to the location to all the nearby attractions. The location was great for a 2 day stay, however it was VERY CROWDED nearby. If we were to stay for a longer period of time, we would try to find some place out of the tourist traffic.
Overall the rooms provided what we needed. They were clean and spacious. They were pretty dark but fortunately we didn’t plan to spend much time inside so that didn’t matter. The internet signal was so-so in the room. We frequently would get kicked off. The front desk staff was helpful and were able to provide recommended restaurants and activities.
The breakfast was great each morning! We enjoyed it on the outside patio. Breakfast starts at 7:00am therefore we tried to get down there by 7:30 as the place was nearly empty during the first hour.
Our first afternoon was spent wandering through the streets and taking in the unique views that Venice has to offer!
The little canals and the narrow walkways create such a unique grid for a city. It was quite interesting that there were no cars to be seen! We loved wandering through the city and admiring the views on each street.
We arrived to the hotel around 11:00 am and the room was not ready. We headed over to Piazza San Marco to get some brunch and enjoy the scenery. The Florian Cafe drew us in with the live band. We enjoyed a lovely brunch in the square while enjoying the music and views. Our only complaint was the steep sitting fee of 6 Euros per person!
On our way over to the Accademia Bridge, we stumbled upon Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti. We decided to take a quick detour through it and it is definitely worth the 30 minutes to an hour walk through.
Our next stop was the Ponte dell’Accademia which offered beautiful views of the city!
That evening we meandered through the narrow sidewalks to find Cantina do Mori. It dates back to 1462! It serves wine and appetizers. We opted for a “one of each” plate and shared the flavors of the day. The pickled artichoke and octopus were some of our favorites!
Our first morning, we woke up early to get a glimpse of the city without all the tourists. As I said earlier, it was very crowded. Fortunately for us early risers, we were able to enjoy a few of the sites with minimal tourists.
Unfortunately, the Rialto Bridge is undergoing construction currently so we were not able to capture some of the “famous” shots. We tried our best to get a couple of the backside.
We were also able to capture Piazza San Marco without the crowds!
We did not schedule a tour of St. Mark’s Cathedral therefore we decided to attend mass there Sunday morning. It was all in Italian so we didn’t really understand a word, but we enjoyed taking in the scenery!
That afternoon we had 2 tours scheduled through Walks of Italy. The tours were small group therefore there was a maximum of 12 people per tour. I would say the tours were average. It was nice to have a small group but we didn’t feel the guides added any extra facts or stories above the standard tours.
The first tour was of Doge’s Palace with the secret passages. The bonus of the secret passages tour is you are able to see the dungeons and get a glimpse into prison life. We love that type of history so this tour was perfect for us!
The secret passages were really interesting and the palace was breathtaking inside with all of the gold accents.
The next tour was a canal cruise with a visit to San Giorgio Maggiore Island. The canal cruise was great to see some of the buildings up close and personal from the water!
This island has a “church” that has been turned into a museum. The best part is the bell tower. There is a short elevator ride up that offers birds eye views of Venice.
The last activity we did during our time in Venice was a private Gondola ride. Ahhh the Gondola’s…..the vision I had was that locals own these and that is their main mode of transportation. WRONG! They are totally aimed at tourists now. The only time Venetians use Gondolas are one their wedding day.
Even though they are a tourist trap, no trip to Venice would be complete without a spin on a gondola so we sucked it up and paid the EXPENSIVE rates for our ride through the canals.
Overall, I’m not sure we’d be in a rush to return but we did enjoy 48 hours in the city. **TRAVEL TIP** If you plan to go to Venice, try to schedule it on the front half of your trip.
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View Comments (25)
Wow, I want to go straight back and see all the places I missed... great photos
Thanks so much for the comment! It surely was an interesting place.
Ahhhh! Venice is one of the most magical places on earth! I've been a couple of times now...and could easily see myself going again. There was a certain suspension of reality while I was there that is hard to describe - almost like I was on the set of a movie, or in a theme park - it just doesn't seem quite real! Your tip about getting a private transfer to accommodation is soooo true. Speeding across the lagoon to our hotel just off the Grand Canal is one of the most memorable moments ever.
Thanks so much for the comment! Love your comparison to a movie set or theme park, completely agree.
Really great photos. Just beautiful. I do agree with your tip to visit Venice first. I did Rome, Florence, then Venice many years ago. Venice was great, but pales compared to the other two. I want to return and see everything now from a fresh perspective and your post certainly makes me strongly consider doing Italy sooner rather than later.
Thanks so much for the kind comment! Agree Italy is high on our list for a return trip.
Such gorgeous images of the canals and architecture. Venice is such a wonderful and magical place!
Thanks so much for the kind comment!!
I'm impressed that you got St. Marks Square without any visitors! Must've been early on the Sunday morning. Next time I'd like to do an organised walk through the city - your tour through the Doge's palace looked really cool. #theweeklypostcard
Yes, we were out around 6:30am....we're early risers! If you visit Doge's Palace, make sure to add the secret passages to see all the views.
We've been to Venice several times and I never get tired of it. I especially like getting lost in some of the alleyways, and finding new restaurants and shops along the way. Great pictures by the way.
Thanks for the comment! We loved wandering through the alleyways too, so unique!
I really enjoyed your photos of Venice and we enjoyed our time there. I was also shocked at the gondola ride being so touristy and the gondoliers not being the romantic image that I had conjured up. I loved the back streets and a locals cafe we found. You photos are beautify
Thanks for the kind words! Glad to hear we weren't the only ones who had a different vision of the gondolas.
Great photos! Venice is so pretty! I visited Venice during summer and it was unbelievable crowded (the Piazza San Marco was packed to the max). Since that visit, I have decided not to go to Europe during the high season.
Thanks for the comment! Yes, we were surprised how crowded it was in early July. I can't imagine what it's like in August at the high-high season. We hope to plan our next trip in the fall to get some relief from both the crowds and the temperature.
Beautiful photos! I loved Venice, although I felt the same about the crowds and the price charged just for taking a seat! I found some of the best food down the most random streets and I felt as though I was always discovering!
Thanks for the comment. Glad to hear we're not alone in our feeling on the crowds in sitting fee!
Venice has been on my bucket list for a long time. Reading your post has pushed it up a notch or two. Beautiful photos!
Thanks for the comment! Glad our photos are encouraging to explore the beautiful city of Venice.