On our first trip to Venice, Italy, we had no idea what we were in for. We had taken the train from Florence and after arriving were surprised by how many bridges, with stairs, there were to be crossed. 391 to be exact. Luckily we only had to manage four of them, with all our luggage, before arriving at our Air B&B. Thankfully, most of them are small with maybe half a dozen steps up and down each side. But still, when you’ve got a lot of luggage it’s a real pain in the… everything! I recommend packing light for this trip if you have to walk to your accommodations.
Navigation: Getting lost in Venice!
As with most travelers, we spent three days winding through the maze of streets taking time to gawk at the shops filled with clothing, glassware, trinkets and food. Eventually, we noticed that we weren’t the only people trying get our GPS systems to work. At one point we were thinking it would be easier to navigate with a good old-fashioned map and compass! The buildings are tall and the passages narrow so it’s hard to get your bearings by looking for landmarks. Be prepared because getting lost is part of the adventure!
Venice is rather small and you can cover a lot of ground in a day. We managed to see most of the prominent sights during our short stay, crossing the Grand Canal via the Rialto Bridge several times in our quest to see as many of these sights as possible. We made our way to Piazza San Marco and stopped for a bit to enjoy the views of the Basilica and St. Mark’s Campanile, do some people watching, and have a drink at one of the restaurants. The “Spritz” is a popular cocktail made with Aperol, sparkling wine (Prosecco), and a splash of club soda. We ladies thought is was refreshing however, the guys opted for beer.
What to wear:
Be aware that you must be dressed appropriately to visit religious sights. Tank tops and short shorts, etc. will not be permitted. Check out this link for more Do’s and Don’ts.
On one of the days we took a 45-minute private boat tour through the Grand Canal to catch the sunset and get a better look at some of the sights such as the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. One of the friends we were traveling with is a prominent photographer from Paris so we were constantly chasing the sun (and him) looking for that perfect shot. You can check out some of his work here.
Dining:
Since there were seven of us and we were staying in an Air B&B, we opted to shop for food and cook most of our meals. We did however have some delicious pizza and croissants from the Majer bakery on the corner near us. The other treat we enjoyed was the gelato! Pistachio is a popular flavor but my favorite was the cherry.
On our final night the rain caught us outside coming back from Piazza San Marco. It encouraged us to take cover for a few minutes before continuing on, despite having our umbrellas and raincoats. Getting caught in that downpour made my husband and I have second thoughts about dragging our suitcases 30 minutes to the “water bus” the next morning to catch a 30 minute boat ride to the airport. Instead we opted to spend the extra money and arrange for a water taxi. They would pick us up at the nearest canal to where we were staying and take us directly to the airport. Let me tell you, that was the best 120 euro ($145) we spent. Because as soon as it was time to leave, the rain came in buckets once again!
By the way ladies, if you want a comfortable shoe that is also kinda sexy, try out these Dansko sandals. I walked all over Venice in them and they were awesome.
