Venice, Italy
The bridge of sighs.
The floating city.
Our spring trip to Venice (and Verona) was unreal. It’s hard to think that Venice wasn’t a dream. I heard from so many people that Venice is overrated, it’s too touristy, it’s this, it’s that. And I cannot speak for anyone else, but it was worth traveling for and beyond. Venice was stunning and while it’s small so you don’t need too many days there, you could easily fall in love with the colors, sites, and the magic of being on a floating city.
Stay
We stayed in a stunning airbnb located in a quieter part of Venice, slightly away from the main center and yet everything was still very easy to get to. I have heard that the hotels are very nice as well so I don’t think you could go wrong either way. We visited at the very beginning of May so the weather was perfect: lots of sunshine and the absolute best temperature to walk around in. I have heard that in warmer months the city can smell fishy and it can play host to many mosquitoes but we did not experience either of those things; spring was the perfect time for us to go. We were only in Venice for 3 days but it was the perfect amount of time to experience all that we wanted to and feel like we got to explore most of the alley ways, getting lost
Food
Most cities in Italy you can go and stumble upon amazing restaurants but because Venice is so touristy, a lot of the restaurants are actually not that great and can be pretty pricey so here are some of my recommendations from when we went in May 2020!
Osteria Ai Promessi Sposi. Amazing scallop dish and good clam pasta, Jose had a meat dish and said it was phenomenal.
Bacarretto. This place was phenomenal, we went there for dinner. They have a small menu because everything on it is made with love lol and is amazing. It says it's temporarily closed on google so hopefully it'll be open when you go. Book a reservation in advance.
Osteria Al Portego. AMAZING gnocchi dish, one of my favorite meals in Venice.
Bepi Antico 54. I had heard really good things about this restaurant but we weren't able to get in because we didn't have reservations.
Brunch Cafe. A wonderful, cute brunch place. They had a more full breakfast menu which we liked (I had avocado toast with eggs and they also had juices/smoothies).
Impronta. Good gnocchi, not the absolute best restaurant but was really good, it hit the spot. I'm allergic to fish but Jose really liked the Tuna dish he had.
Baraco Jazz bar. Super cute for late night drinks. They had bras all over the ceiling and were playing really old music like Whitney Houston and such so it was a good vibe.
Retro Wine Bar. Great atmosphere, music, and amazing wines. The wines weren't expensive and was just a small, cute place to be in at night.
General Tips:
You will have to take a boat from the airport to town because there are no cars at all (so cool) so the cheapest option would be to take a water bus. I think it was 30 euros per person each way and you'll be on a boat with others. It took more than an hour to get to Venice from the airport. We just got these tickets at the airport when we were there.
We aren't that patient so we took a speed boat back to the airport at the end of our trip and it cost 120 euros but we were back at the airport in about 15 mins.
Once there, plan to do lots of walking. We did do a gondola ride and it was magical! Get all the gelato. There's also little snack-like places scattered around that you can grab finger food on the go too. Out of all of our trips, this one was the most expensive while there. There are always ways to do things cheaper (share meals, fill up on smaller portions, etc.) but know that prices are higher here compared to other towns in city because of the amount of tourist it brings. Still, Venice is VERY much worth the trip. It was almost unreal being there and seeing this city that is so often talked about. When I look back, it almost feels like a dream being there. That feeling in and of itself is worth every penny spent.
