We headed to Venice {Venezia} after Prague. Our plan in Venice was just to relax – we had no itinerary, planned activities or a list of must sees and eats {shocker!}. Venice is a town literally on water. Locals don’t live in Venice because it’s so expensive; everything has to be transported in by boat. It’s the only mean of transportation – there are no bikes or cars in Venice! Venice is about being outside. It’s like an expanded open outdoor mall with tons of small boutique and cafes/bars. The alleys are so narrow and fortunately, the canals did not leave any trails of smelly air during our time there {but I heard during the summer months, the smell is very strong}. The thing to do in Venice {or anywhere in Italy, really} is to sit outside in the patio at the cafes to sip on espresso, smoke cigarettes after cigarettes {this we did not do}, while people watching.
+ about Venice – best part of our stay was the location of our hotel which made our short trip manageable {we didn’t have to roll our bags up and down stairs, canal bridges, etc}. One of the taxi stops was literally right across from the hotel we were staying at. We stayed very close to St. Mark’s Basilica and Square. I loved the laid-back feeling of Venice. The only sit-down meal we had was for lunch when we first got into Venice. The rest of our meals consisted of hopping from bar to cafes to get bites of bruschetta, sandwiches and pizza while sipping on wine, spritz, and espresso {yes, in that order lol}. I become obsessed with spritz! We had the best tuna sandwiches! Italians drink their espresso like water which I absolutely love because it doesn’t make me feel guilty for consuming so much caffeine! The boat ride to Venice was quite interesting and the experience to get around by boat was different.
- about Venice – way too touristy. Wasn’t too impressed with their seafood selection but Venice is known for its fresh seafood. There were too many birds at St. Mark’s square, actually everywhere! The pigeons are overweight because people keep feeding them, no wonder they are everywhere! Because the only means of transportation is by water taxi, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the train station. We missed our train but thankfully they had trains going to Florence every hour! Don’t expect great service. Also, on a side note, we did a gondola tour at night thinking it’ll be “romantic”. But quite honestly, it was so dark, you could barely see half of the sights! I recommend doing this early in the day. But beware, it’s going to be a traffic jam mayhem!
THE LOGISTICS:
- How we got to Venice from Prague: Plane booked on Orbitz
- How we got to the hotel from the airport: We took a public boat service {the dock is a long walk from the airport exit + you can buy your tickets right at the dock}
- Where we stayed in Venice: Savoia & Jolanda Hotel {best part of this hotel is the location + loved the decor {beautiful luxe fabrics, made me feel like I was really in Italy!}
- Location is everything: Stay near St. Mark’s Square and the waterfront by the taxi/boat ports
- Number of days we stayed in Venice: 2 days, 1 night {recommend: 2-3 full days}
- What to consider: Tour neighboring islands, ride the gondola during the day {book the tour through your hotel concierge}, carry cash to pay for souvenirs and snacks {if you plan on pub/cafe crawling}
VENICE // MUST SEES {Places to Visit}
1, 3// Walk around the town, stop at various bars to get a drink + snacks, soak in the culture and the relaxed atmosphere
2// St. Marks Square {visit the basilica, sit in the patio of one of the cafes and people watch, admire the overweight pigeons}
4// Souvenir shopping {I don’t really buy souvenirs/trinkets other than artwork, postcards, and food but I had to get the amazing masks!}
VENICE // MUST EATS {Good Eateries!}
1// Gelato {hello, you’re in Italy!}
2// Seafood
3// Spritz {and then get an espresso on your way out!}
4// Best tuna sandwiches at this bar
Overall, we enjoyed our short trip to Venice. It was certainly care-free traveling {sometimes not having a plan is the best thing}. We loved hanging out at the cafes/bars, standing around munching on antipastas and sipping on spritz.
If you want a short getaway, Venice would be a great place to visit. We stayed here for only 1.5 days {one night} and it was plenty. The town is very small. Stay longer if you want to visit the nearby islands.
{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}