Sailing through the gondolas of Venice
You should definitely not miss a visit to the 'city of bridges' or the 'floating city' during your visit to Italy! Venice is a special destination with a charming, romantic and unique atmosphere built on an archipelago of 118 small islands connected by many bridges. Venice is a very touristy city, but it also has places where you can enjoy the charm of Venice and at the same time discover a more authentic part of the city. During your visit you can at least marvel at the beautiful buildings and the charm of all the gondolas.
Highlights in Venice
Like most tourists, we stayed outside Venice. Make sure you visit Venice as early in the morning as possible to beat the crowds and the heat. We also visited Venice in the evening, which is also highly recommended to admire the city in the dark. From your place of residence around Venice you can easily take a bus to the Venice bus station (Piazzala Roma). From here you have the choice to travel further by Vaporetto (water bus). The Vaporettos connect different parts of the city and surrounding islands. We liked the priThe Vaporetto's were quite pricey and we decided to walk from Piazalla Roma to St. Mark's Square on the second day of our visit to Venice. This was really doable and a very nice experience, also because we walked through neighborhoods of Venice with a lot fewer tourists. Furthermore, it is possible to get to Venice with a watertaxi (faster private boats), a more expensive option than the Vaporettos.
Once you arrive in Venice, these are the highlights you should absolutely not miss:
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Sailing in the gondola: Explore Venice from the water in a special gondola ride. We were approx €80 for a 20-minute ride with two people. Quite pricey, but a unique experience in Venice! A cheaper option is the Vaporetto (water bus), but here you don't go through the narrow streets and of course you don't have as good a view because of all the other tourists on the boat.
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Visit St. Mark's Square: The Piazza San Marco is definitely the meVenice's most famous square with a beautiful basilica. Enjoy all the craziness of the tourists trying to take pictures with the enormous amount of pigeons. The square is also beautifully situated on the water.
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Walk over the Rialto Bridge: The Rialto Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in Venice. It is a beautiful stone bridge where shops are also located.
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Visit it Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Doge's Square is an impressive palace that used to be the political center of Venice. The Bridge of Sighs connects the palace with the prison.
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Explore the side streets and beautiful hidden gems:wander through the narrow streets of Venice, away from the busy tourist spots to discover charming squares and crooked churches. We thought this was by far the best thing to do in Venice! Getting lost here is certainly not a punishment! Nice neighborhoods are Dorsoduro, Sant'Elena and Cannaregio.
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For art lovers: View art in the Gallerie dell'Accademia
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If you spend several days in Venice, it is highly recommended to visit the less touristy islands, such as Guidecca (opposite St. Mark's Square), Burano (known for its colorful houses) or Lido di Venezia (known for beautiful sandy beaches and a relaxing atmosphere). Other nice islands are Torcello and Murano. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time for this ourselves.
Tips for Venice
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Visit the city in the later evening hours or early morning to escape the heat and avoid most tourists. Try not to visit Venice on the weekend. If you are in a position to visit Venice outside the high season, I would absolutely recommend it! (just like all other places in Italy)
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Get lost deliberately: the narrow streets and canals make Venice a true maze. By deliberately not looking at Google Maps, you will have a more adventurous experience and discover some beautiful places.
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Wear comfortable shoes, because you will be taking quite a few steps during your visit to Venice.
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Be alert for pickpockets!
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Be aware that in most places in Venice you pay a surcharge (coperto or pane e coperto) when you sit down in a restaurant (even if you only order a drink). This surcharge can be quite high (such as at St. Mark's Square), so look for a restaurant in less touristy places to avoid a high surcharge.
How to get to Venice?
From Florence you can reach Venice within a three-hour drive. In addition, Venice is also easily accessible from popular Verona and Lake Garda. Venice is also easily accessible by train from Florence, Verona and Bologna. Of course it is also an ideal destination for a nice day trip (especially from Lake Garda). Park your car outside Venice in one of the many large parking lots and from there catch the bus to Venice's central bus station.
Stay overnight
If your budget allows it, I would definitely consider booking a hotel or Airbnb in the center of Venice. However, Venice is also easily accessible by public transport. We stayed at Camping Venezia Village, a great campsite with nice sanitary facilities within walking distance of the bus station! This campsite also has beautiful chalets that you can rent.
Continue your journey
Continue your road trip to a very special destination: theDolomites! The destination during this road trip that impressed me the most: save the best for last!
You can also decide to continue your road trip to beautiful Verona or popular Lake Garda.
