🇬🇧 Two days in Venice 🇬🇧

🇫🇷 Retrouve cet article en Français ici ! 🇫🇷

During our 15 days road trip in Italy, we went to Venice.

In this article I will talk about our trip, what we did, what we visited, where we slept and a lot of other things !

Time of the year :

We left during July 2022, and it is not a period I recommend. There are a lot of tourists in summer and the streets are full of people (I advise you to get away of the tourists flow who walk towards the St Mark’s Square and to go in the smaller streets, you will find a lot less people and some are even more beautiful than the main streets).

Moreover, it is very hot, we had between 95 and 104 degree Fahrenheit (35 and 40 degree Celsius) every day, which was horrible. Spring and fall are the best seasons to go there.

You should know that from September to April, the city is regularly flooded because of the rising waters. It is called the Acqua Alta. But after all, it can be funny ! I heard that people are moving by boats directly through the streets and that you need to wear boots and fishing waders !

For how long ?

Venice was the second stop of our road trip. We arrived on Wednesday 20th and we left on Saturday July 23rd. We stayed 2 full days in Venice and we slept 3 nights there.

2 days is the minimum to do in Venice, we wouldn’t have been able to do everything we did in only 1 day. But 3 days would have been perfect.

Where to stay ?

One thing I can suggest you is to not sleep inside Venice. The accommodations are very expensive and there are not a lot. Yes, unfortunately you won’t be able to wake up with a view of the canals and the beautiful buildings, but truly, we only stay at our accommodation to sleep right ?

So we slept in Mestre, the very first city when you get out of Venice. And it was a perfect choice. It was a lot less pricey and it was also really easy to go to Venice.

We stayed in this Airbnb. We payed 181,26€ for 3 nights, so around 60€ per night.It was an excellent price and a lot less expensive than in Venice.

The apartment is located right next to the tram, ideal to go to Venice (I explain all of this further in this article). It is inside a big building, so there is a little bit of noise during the night. Unfortunately we had a pretty bad first night because of this… It is in perfect condition, clean and well organised. The owner is adorable and he explained a lot of things to us about Venice; the places to go and what to do.

I 100% recommend this apartment, if like us, you look for the best value for money !

How to move ?

To go to Venice, we went to the tobacco store next door to buy tram tickets. We bought tickets valid for all public transport of the city (tram, bus, boat/vaporetto). You have to prepare a budget because 2 tickets cost 60€ for 48 hours. But you have an unlimited number of travel on it, which allowed you to go wherever you want in Venice and Mestre.

We left our car in the street next to the Airbnb on a free spot and we didn’t touch it during our stay.

We took the tram which left from the foot of our accommodations and it took us to the entrance of Venice after a 30 minutes trip. Very practical and fast !

Once in Venice, we did everything by walking or on vaporetto (small boats). It is anyway impossible to take your car inside Venice. It is a completely pedestrian city, if you want to come with your car, you will have to park in one of the paid parking at the city’s entrance. This is why I suggest you to take public transport and thus avoid to pay huge sums in parking.

Day 1 :

The first day we didn’t go to Venice. We arrived at our Airbnb in Mestre around 3:30pm and the time for the owner to explains everything to us and put down our things, it was too late to go to Venice.

So we spent the end of the afternoon and the evening peacefully at the accommodations. We ran a few errands to eat in the apartment and we bought our public transport tickets in the tobacco store next door.

Day 2 :

It was on our second day that serious things started ! We left the Airbnb around 10am and after 30 minutes by tram we arrived at Venice’s entry.

The best thing to do in Venice is to get lost in the streets. So we walked towards the St Mark’s Square while admiring the streets and buildings.

Santa Maria Gloriosa dai Frari Basilica

More commonly known as los Frari, it is the second biggest church of Venice.

It’s exterior isn’t very  attractive yes, but it is said that the interior is majestic ! You have to pay to go inside the basilica, but we preferred not to visit it.

Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is one of the 4 bridges that crosses the Grand Canal. But it is the oldest and the most famous of Venice.

It was built in the 16th century and until the 19th century it was the only way to cross the canal.

Next to it you can find the biggest fruits, vegetables et fishes market of Venice. It is also made up of shops. Its atypical style in a circumflex’s shape is known across the world.

St Mark's Square

The St Mark’s Square is located in the center of Venice. It is 180 meters long and 70 meters wide.

It is located at the lowest level of Venice, so it is the first place that is flooded during the Acqua Alta (the rising waters).

It is a huge and really impressive place.

St Mark's Basilica

On the St Mark’s Square you can find the St Mark’s Basilica. It is the most important religious building of Venice.

Its exterior style is really beautiful and impressive. It counts more than 4000 square meters of mosaics ! It is possible to visit it. We didn’t do it because we couldn’t afford to visit everything with our budget.

BE CAREFUL ! If you go to Venice during the summer it is very hot, so the shorts are out. It is however mandatory to cover you legs and shoulders inside the basilica. Do not forget to bring a jacket or scarf with you !

St Mark's Campanile

On the St Mark’s Square you can also find the Campanile. A Campanile is a tower, usually built next to a church, it shelter the bells used to call the faithful to prayer. Here, it is the St Mark’s Basilica Campanile.

We climbed at the top of the tower and I 100% recommend it. Being the tallest building of the city (98,5 meters high), it offers you a stunning view of Venice. At the top you can find 5 bells, that had different functions back in the time.

The view on the city was really amazing, if you are lucky weather-wise, you can see the surrounding island like Murano.

And if you leave during summer time like us, under 95 degree Fahrenheit (35 degree Celsius), you will really enjoy the freshness of the wind at the top !

We bought our tickets at the Campanile. But it is possible to buy them earlier on the Tiqets app. It is rather recommended because you will save time by not standing in line at the counter !

Doge's Palace

Still on the St Mark’s Square, you can find the Doge’s Palace. It was originally a 9th century fortified castle. Then, after a fire, it was rebuilt into a fortress and prison. Inside, you can find a mix of style and famous paintings.

It is possible to visit the Doge’s Palace. You can buy your tickets via the Tiqets app.

This visit will make you cross different rooms and different time of the Doge’s Palace history. It will also make you cross the bridge of Sighs, which I explain its history later.

Unfortunately we didn’t visit the Doge’s Palace. We preferred to speed up the visit of the city. But I will admit it, I regret a little bit not visiting it. It looks like a really interesting visit.

Bridge of Sighs

Located next to the St Mark’s Square, this covered bridge connects the old prisons to the interrogation cells of the Doge’s Palace. It was named after the sighs expressed by the prisoners sentenced to death who gazed Venice for the last time.

It is possible to cross the bridge during the visit of the Doge’s Palace like I told you before.

It is a really small bridge and personally, I was a little disappointed… Everyone talks about it because it is very famous, but it is not really impressive.

Acqua Alta Bookstore

This bookstore doesn’t look very nice when you see it, but it is the most famous bookstore of Venice.

When you get inside, you find yourself immersed under thousands of books. Everything seems messy, but the owner of the place would be able to find everything you are looking for. It is also very original because the books are placed on a gondola in the middle of the store, or in kayaks, boats and bathtubs. And in the backyard, a books sculpture you can climb to admire the view.

The bookstore overlooks one of the small canal of the city, and you can sit in a gondola to take pictures (Like if you were doing a gondola tour, yes it is cheating !)

This bookstore is known because it lives up to its name. Indeed when the waters are rising (the Acqua Alta), it is flooded, this is why some books are in the gondola, the kayaks, the boats and the bathtubs ! Others are placed on high shelves, to limit the damage as much as possible when the waters are raging. The books that end up damaged are added to the sculpture you can find in the backyard, so there is no waste !

Ice cream break at Gelato di Natura

After walking for hours, we decided to have a snack break. The owner of our Airbnb recommended us to go eat an ice cream at Gelato di Natura.

You can find this shop in several places in the city, it is the most famous and you will probably find the best ice cream of Venice there. So we were able to taste a delicious ice cream which was welcome under this stifling heat.

Dorsoduro

Then we decided to take the vaporetto (little boats that circulate in Venice, they have the same function than buses in other cities), that dropped us off in Dorsoduro neighbourhood, one of the six districts of the city.

We walked there for a few hours and it was very pleasant. There are less tourists than in the other districts. The buildings are still very beautiful and we were able to admire a nice view on the St Mark’s Square and its Campanile.

Terrazza dei Nobili restaurant

After walking in the Dorsoduro neighbourhood, we decided to stay there to eat. It was a lot easier to find a restaurant because there were not a lot of tourists. We ate in the Terrazza deli Nobili restaurant. We ate on the outside patio with a nice view on the canals. It was a very pleasant moment.

On the picture down below, you can see that we ate a pizza and a black sesame salmon with mashed potatoes, it was delicious !

I recommend it to you because it was a very good restaurant and a lot less expensive than the ones you can find on the main streets of Venice. And we also watched the sunset and its reflection on the buildings was gorgeous.

St Mark's Square by night

Then we took the vaporetto, and we quickly stopped on the St Mark’s Square by night. And I can tell you it is worth it ! For me, the square is so much more magnificent by night. Filled with light, it looks 3 times bigger than in full day.

Grand Canal ascent by night

Then we went up the Grand Canal in vaporetto by night. It is a really nice thing to do. The city is transformed and becomes almost magical under its thousands of lights. The reflections in the water are incredible.

We were able to go under the Ponte dell’Accademia, under the Rialto Bridge, and next to the Venice Casino, before arriving at the city entrance. The place where we could take the tram to go back home.

Day 3 :

This day we left a little bit latter, it was 11:20am (Yes, we enjoy sleeping, but I suggest you to not do that, especially in very touristic places, if you don’t want to find yourself in the middle of the crowd…) After our 30 minutes ride by tram we directly took the vaporetto towards Venice’s islands.

Murano

Murano is one of the island of the Venetian lagoon with a population of about 5 000 residents. The island is known worldwide for its glassblowing. Indeed, it is on the island of Murano that you will find the workshops and shops of the famous blown glass of Venice. You can visit the glass museum where you will be able to contemplate more than 4 000 glass pieces.

We decided to enter a glass-factory and to attend a glassblowing workshop. There is glass-factory everywhere on the island, it’s up to you to make your choice. Us, we went in this one, and it was awesome. So, for only 10€, we were able to admire craftsmen working the glass and making spectacular shapes and sculptures. I found it so impressive. The glassblowers have so much talents and are doing this job for decades for some. It is an incredible show and a real culture for them. Then we were able to go in the shop of the glass-factory where we bought souvenirs and admired sculptures.

Murano island is less beautiful than Venice, the buildings are a little bit damaged and less coloured than in Venice, but it is worth to go to discover the glass culture !

Burano

Burano was my favorite place of Venice. I fell in love with this little island. Burano is one of the island of the Venetian lagoon with a population of about 4 000 residents.

It is known for its needle lace and its very colourful houses along the canals. It is said that back in the time, fisherman who lived in Burano painted their houses to be able to find them in foggy weather. Today, the residents are obliged to repaint their house every year.

It is a very small island and you only need 1 or 2 hours to go around. But surprisingly there is not a lot of people. It was really easy to find ourselves alone in the small colourful streets. If you like photography, it is the perfect place to take pictures ! Every corner is beautiful. I recommend Burano a 100%, you can’t miss it if you go to Venice !

Venice Streets

And of course, there are also all of the Venice streets that I didn’t mention above but that are gorgeous.

Like I said before, the best way to visit Venice is to get lost inside its thousands of little streets, and to fully enjoy the show. It is possible to find yourself on awesome nuggets. Proof with a few pictures…

Day 4 :

It is on the 4th day that we left for the 3rd destination of our road-trip : Bologna, that you can find on this article !

I loved Venice ! I was amazed during the entire stay. It is a very atypical city with its style that you can only find here. I really likes its charm with its little canals and gorgeous small streets. It is one of my favorite destination of our road trip in Italy, especially Burano, that is definitely my favorite place of all Italy.

2 days was enough to go around the most famous places of the city and even more.

You can also find our stay in Venice in my Youtube video down below (Sorry it is in French though…)

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that it was somehow useful. Do not hesitate to send me a message via the « contact » tab on the top right of the screen or to subscribe to my newsletter.

I will see you soon in a new article !

Laura :)