Venice

Day 1

ARRIVAL

The weather when I arrived was literally perfect. It was sunny, the air was cool, and the sun warm. Not too hot, not too cold-such a gift! This made the public boat ride really enjoyable. I loved seeing the beautiful wooden “taxi” boats.

In my Italy itinerary, I tried to dedicate “Day 1” in each city to relaxing so that I am not rushed and feel less stressed when figuring out transportation. I wandered the alleys and made my way to St. Mark’s Square and Rialto. I was AMAZED by the crowds packing into alleyways that reminded me of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.

I am shocked that Venice is not the shopping capital of the world. In the area between St. Mark’s and Rialto lies every major fashion brand, as well as some global chains like H&M/Zara. There are also hundreds of local vendor shops (and restaurants), many of whom go back generations! Similar to other Italian cities, there are small squares where the alleyways open up, and there are plenty of Instagrammable bridges. I decided to stop by a popular gelateria called Suso and grab a snack at Calice.

Because the forecast looked like rain for the entire day the next day, I decided to buy tickets to the Doge’s Palace museums. I ended the night by having a drink at a really cool regal hotel that used to be a palace. It is called the Aman hotel / Arva Restaurant. Though I felt a tad out of place due to the level of fancy and the prices on the drinks, I really enjoyed the atmosphere.

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Day 2 

EXPLORING ST. MARK’S SQUARE

The next day, I woke up around 7 and wandered the streets before the rain came on strong. It was glorious to experience Venice without all the crowds. I highly recommend trying to do this (honestly in any Italian city this was a highlight each time!). Because I was out and about early, I was able to get into St. Mark’s Basilica without being in the insanely long line that forms. Though online I read the entry was free, it was a few euro to go in. The inside feels somewhat gothic, but the ceilings are COVERED in mosaic tiles (much of it gold). It was gorgeous and so unique.

I moved on to the Doge’s Palace afterward, purchasing an audio guide for about 6 euro so that I could really absorb the significance of the space. I definitely recommend doing this.

There are also many governmental palace rooms intact with built-in seating and wall dressings that help you imagine it in its original time. The tour ends by walking through the prison of the palace, which felt huge (and because Venice is built on water, it is not underground but has some cool views of the city from different ornate window structures).

After a few hours at the museum, I treated myself to a very expensive meal at Cafe Florian. Most people who have been to Venice will tell you to go here. The rooms are ornately decorated and the table service feels vintage, with silver trays and porcelain. I felt like I had the best spot in the house, right by the window where a four-piece band was playing Sinatra and other classics. The food was actually pretty good, but very overpriced, and I showed up starving! I highly recommend the bolognese quiche- sounds weird, and tastes delish!

*my total was about 40-50 euro for a ham and cheese sandwich, a quiche, and water.

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After having lunch, with the sky still dumping buckets of rain, I decided to use my museum pass to continue seeing the other museums within the square (the pass offers multiple museum entries in one ticket). It was fascinating to see ancient artifacts in the places where they originated- giant weapons, old coins, handwritten family trees that trace back centuries, and giant globes. I learned that Venice was a center for geography and mapping tools, as well as printing and creating reproducible maps.

The next best thing to do when it is raining is to shop. As mentioned, Venice has PLENTY of shopping. I found one of my favorite stores from my trip to Paris, OYSHO, and ran out the clock to dinner time.

I decided to eat dinner at the restaurant located under my Airbnb, Ai Mercanti. This restaurant had the BEST food from my time in Venice. I will be honest, I did not think Venice had great food overall. Ai Mercanti, however, was delicious. You could tell that the food was treated as a craft and it was very affordable (*40 euro for a delicious glass of wine, chicken dish, dessert, and sparkling water). I bet everything on the menu is delicious and beautifully plated. This meal was a great way to end my Venice adventure.

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NOTES ON TRANSPORTATION

_When you arrive at the train station, you have to catch a boat that is used like a “bus” would be. I was surprised that it cost 9.50 euro one way. Once you buy your ticket you wait in a little covered station that acts like a bus stop until the boat comes. You can see the map of stops in the station and on the boat (which is super helpful!). My bus stopped left to right down the central river, and some of the stops had similar names, so it was important to note which side to hop off.

When returning to the station, the process was the same. You could buy tickets right there from the “bigllieteria”. My stop had a ticket office at the stop where you wait for the boat, but I am not sure about every stop! I did see people buying them on the boat as well.

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CITY COMPARISONS

• Good food in Venice was hard to track down. The meal I had at Ai Mercanti was divine but what I chose was not necessarily Italian. I think my food summary may come from a distaste for seafood- which is tricky to navigate in a city literally on water. A few people I met along my tour of Italy agreed that Venice did not have the best food, but those who ate seafood were able to find good options.
• There weren’t a lot of places to sit and most of the avenues were just shopping or food. If you are wanting to shop, this is the perfect place for you. If you are planning to stay for several days, I would plan some excursions or guided tours.

• You can go to Lido, Murano for a cool glass tour, Burano OR take a day trip to the Dolomites!

• Venice was absolutely worth seeing, but I wouldn’t want to spend more than a day or two there personally.

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