Venice is one of the most magical places I have seen. It is such an amazing and romantic place, where getting lost is not a bad thing. Venice is a floating city, surrounded by canals at every turn, with bridges connecting you everywhere. There is a photo op everywhere you look! We only spent one day here, but I so wish I could have stayed longer. Of course, I felt like I said this everywhere we went.
How to Get Around
Fortunately, you can get to most places on foot. Walking everywhere you can is the most practical way of getting around. When arriving at the train station, we took the public water bus or Vaporetto to our hotel. Of course, you have to take the ferry if you want to see some of the other islands around. Taking the water bus is pretty simple. You just buy a ticket at one of the ticket booths or kiosks. There is one as soon as you walk out of the train station. There are several ticket options, including a one way pass and day passes. Another option is a water taxi. These are just private boats that are more expensive than a water bus. Beware if you are leaving very early in the morning! We had a very early morning train ride and we had only bought a one way ticket for the water bus when we arrived. We made our way to the ticket counter to get a ticket, but it wasn’t open yet, and we couldn’t get the kiosk to work! We had no choice but to take a water taxi.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hotel Ai Reali. This is an absolutely beautiful hotel. There are several different rooms to choose from, including suites. We stayed in the classic double room. It was decorated in Venetian style, with gold everywhere, from the bed frame to the wallpaper. There was a complimentary bottle of champagne and a bottle of water waiting on us! The room is spacious enough for two people. There were two bathrobes on the edge of the bed…I love to come back to the room at the end of the night, shower, and snuggle up with a good bathrobe! There is an on site restaurant called “Alle Corone,” a lounge bar, and a spa at the hotel. The staff here are very friendly and accommodating. We asked the front desk to book a gondola ride for us, and they were happy to do it! We left right from the hotel, as they have a private boat access to one of the canals. Our room wasn’t ready yet because we got there early in the morning, but they held our luggage for us while we went exploring. By the time we got back, our room was ready, and one of the staff members wheeled our luggage up for us, and showed us to our room. The hotel was very close to everything. It was only a minute or so walking distance to the Rialto Bridge and maybe five minutes away from St. Mark’s Square. I would definitely stay here again!
Things to Do
- St. Mark’s Square or Piazza San Marco– This is the main square in Venice. It is a huge open square. There are a few bars and coffee shops here. This is the perfect place to sit, grab an apertivo or coffee, and people watch.
- Doge’s Palace- This is located in St. Mark’s Square.
- Saint Mark’s Basilica– Also in St. Mark’s Square next to Doge’s Palace. This Basilica is so beautiful and a perfect photo op!
- San Marco Campanile– Ride the elevator up to the top of the bell tower to enjoy the best views of the city! You can’t beat these views! It was worth the wait in line.
- Rialto Bridge– The oldest bridge that goes over the Grand Canal. This is a beautiful bridge, but gets very busy!
- Bridge of Sighs– One of the most famous bridges in Venice. It got its name because they would cross through this bridge to lead prisoners to their cells. There are two small windows on the bridge and the legend says that the prisoners would sigh as they saw their last glimpse of Venice before going to their cells. If you want to see this from the inside you have to book a tour called the Secret Itineraries tour through Doge’s Palace.
- Grand Canal– The main canal in Venice. This is a must see. You can walk along the Grand Canal or take a gondola ride through it.
- Take a Gondola Ride– Super touristy and kind of expensive, but I mean you are a tourist and in Venice. In my opinion you can’t leave until you ride in a gondola. Why are you even in Venice if you don’t want to do this?!
- Get Lost– Ok trust me people. Put your map down and just walk. Stroll down any alley you come across. You will thank me. Just walk around and get lost! You will eventually find your back somewhere! We found the most amazing places when we were just strolling along, not trying to get to any certain place.
- Shop– There are tons of stores and shops in Venice. They have the cutest places to buy anything and everything!
Where to Eat
There are a ton of places to eat in Venice. I will tell you the two places we ate at. The first place was called Ristorante Anonimo Veneziano. We were just wandering around one of the alleys and found this place. There were a couple of gondoliers in there eating, so I figured if it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me! And boy was it! This was one of my favorite places to eat from the entire trip! We ordered the bruschetta for an appetizer. It was sooo good!! My mouth is watering right now thinking of it! I ordered the lasagna and my husband ordered spaghetti. Let me tell you, this lasagna was so freaking good!! My husband doesn’t like lasagna, but he loved this!! Before they brought the bill, our waiter brought us two shots of limoncello…ahhhh limoncello. Our fist taste of limoncello, but definitely not our last before leaving Italy. It was very tasty! Ok is anybody else hungry or is it just me??
Another place we ate at was called Ristorante Santo Stefano. We sat out on the terrace and it was so pretty and relaxing. I ordered the ravioli and my husband got a pepperoni pizza. They were both so delicious!! Chef Boyardee has nothing on this ravioli! Ha! I would definitely recommend both of these places!
While in Saint Mark’s Square, sit and have a drink at Caffe’ Florian. They have a lot of seating outside on the square. There is live music playing as well. The inside is amazing!! It is so beautifully decorated with lots of artwork. Now, here is the catch. It is expensive! You pay 6 euros each just for the privilege of listening to the music…yea I know! The drinks are overpriced but you’re paying for the location and ambiance. I mean, who doesn’t want to sit and have a drink where Charles Dickens and Casanova have gone to have a drink! This place has been opened since 1720. I say go at least once. If you know ahead of time you will be paying a lot for a drink then it won’t sting as much when you get the bill! When you order drinks, they do bring out some snacks to go with it. Caffe’ Florian just makes you feel like you are in Venice…which you are, so enjoy it!
AWESOMENESS