Venice is a rich mix of world famous views, beautiful palaces and churches, posh shops and shabby chic waterside homes.
Getting There
At just over a 90 minute flight from the UK it is easy to get to and well worth the trip. There are several airlines and most airports fly to Venice.
We went in a murky February, and though there were crowds at major sites there were far less tourists than the summer masses.
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The famous sites are on islands in a vast lagoon, but we stayed in a hotel on the mainland for a better deal.
The Plaza Hotel is in an area called Mestre and offers a comfortable room with TV and a nice buffet breakfast. Its a 30 minute bus ride from the airport.
They also offer guests a discount (at least while we were there) on food and drink in the adjoining bar and restaurant, which we made the most of.
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One of the best things we did was buy a seven day bus/boat pass (75 euros each including airport transfers) to get around. The pass is available in 1,2,3 or 7 day versions.
This not only got us a return bus trip from the airport to the door of the hotel, but regular buses from the hotel to the main island and taxi boats (Vaporettos) on the canals and to outlying islands.
One thing to note is that though the bus journey from the hotel to the main island only takes 15-20 minutes, sometimes it is so busy you have to stand.
And, if you return from the bus station around 4.30pm, as you stop at the docks a large crowd of workers try to squeeze themselves into what little space there is left.
To ensure you have a seat on the return bus journey aim to get to the bus station in time to be one of the first aboard. There is usually a bus that pulls in just as the full one leaves.
Exploring Venice
We arrived in Venice on Tuesday lunchtime and left Saturday afternoon.
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Having watched some travel videos we were able to plan a loose itinerary before bussing over the bridge into Venice each day and exploring. Use Google maps to pin your planned visits and work out a walking route. You can share the route with your travel partner in case your battery dies due to taking a million pictures.
St Mark’s Square
The first thing we did was to stroll to St Mark’s Square,, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, with the iconic red brick St Mark’s Campanile (bell tower). The bell tower was closed for maintenance whilst we were there, it should re-open in March 2025.
It seems strange to be there after seeing this picturesque spot so often on TV.
We dodged low flying pigeons and camera wielding visitors and visited St Mark’s Basilica, complete with stunning ceilings and statues.
This Byzantine and Gothic masterpiece, adorned with mosaics and intricate designs, is a spiritual and cultural icon. Its domes, arches, and soaring towers entice visitors into the cathedral.
St. Mark’s Basilica: Open every day from 9:30am to 5:15pm
We then strolled to the nearby quay, where gondoliers in boater hats have sought custom for hundreds of years.
Key landmarks in the Square: St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Museo Correr, Campanile (Basilica’s Bell Tower), Torre dell’Orologio (St. Mark’s Clock Tower)
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To save on cash we took a cheap gondola crossing across the Grand Canal to at least say we’ve been in one.
A 30 minute gondola ride around the canals costs upwards of 80 euros, we found a crossing point on the Grand Canal, where for 2 euros per person, you can be rowed across the canal with several other people.
Boats big and small buzz by and up into the Grand Canal.
As you take a boat along the canal, and inhale the sea smell of the water, you gaze at the assortment of towering canal side properties and wonder what they are like inside.
It seems there is a photo opportunity everywhere you look.
A fellow tourist kindly snapped us posing before the Bridge of Sighs, on which prisoners crossing to serve their sentences reputedly sighed as they took a last glimpse of the city. More on that later.
Spiral Tower, Theatre and Bell Towers
Day two started with a visit to Scala Contarini del Bovolo, which has a tower with a spiral staircase with 113 steps taking you up to a rooftop view of the city.
In the exhibition hall on the second floor is an important painting by Jacopo Tintorertto.
It is one of the four sketches of Paradise, for a 7x25m work in the Doges Palace, said to be the largest canvas ever painted.
Teatro la Fenice
We then visited Teatro La Fenice (Venice Theatre), a beautiful theatre which opened in 1792 and gives visitors access to the royal box’s commanding view of the stage and auditorium.
You immediately think of the theatregoers dressed in their finery, listening to exquisite works composed by the world’s finest musicians by candlelight.
It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt twice, the most recent fire being in1996, and restored and reopened in 2003.
The theatre was the venue for numerous world premieres of works by Rossini, Bellini and Verdi to name a few.
The sun had come out so we hopped onto a busy vaporetto and visited the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Here we took the lift to the top of the bell tower and looked at the great view over the water to the main island. We would have gone up the St Mark’s Bell Tower but it was closed for maintenance until the end of February.
Murano and Burano
On day three we boated to two islands in the lagoon. Murano is the second largest island in the Venetian Lagoon and Burano is a further 40 minute vaporetto ride from Murano.
Murano, famous for its stunning glassware, has its own little canal network and array of glitzy shops.
Glass-making has taken place in Murano for centuries, it’s still the island’s main industry. In Murano, many century-old techniques are still used, so watching the artisans work is a pretty unique experience. This said, after discovering how the glass is made, you’ll be guided into the factory’s shop in case you want to purchase any of the items.
The factory tours are around 5 euros per person.
Burano, a little further out, it is famous for lace making and multi-coloured homes fringing its canals and is very easy on the eye.
On Burano we dined on a platter of creamed cod, anchovies, sardines and onion, octopus, clams and cuttlefish and enjoyed a refreshing Spritz (Prosecco, soda and bitters).
Back on the main island on day four we took a selfie on Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell’Accademia), where you get the classic view of Venice.
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We then went online and booked advanced tickets for the Doges Palace (30 euros each).
This meant we could enter by the fast track entrance and avoid queueing to get in.
Admission seems expensive until you experience the wonders within. And also realise the ticket gives entry to 4 other museums.
Stunning gold ceilings encase paintings of biblical size and subject.
You process through chamber after chamber before reaching a vast collection of weapons and armour illustrating man’s ingenuity at mutilating man.
If that is not enough to make your eyes water surely a chastity belt with strategic spikes will.
We next found ourselves in what is said to be the biggest hall in Europe where, on Sundays, the Doge (chief magistrate of Venice) would welcome up to 2,000 guests.
It was then down into the dungeons via the Bridge of Sighs, where we were able to get the same glimpse of the city as seen by those legendary sighing inmates.
After the palace we strode on through rain and found the Calle Varisco, a 53cm wide alley which affords barely enough space to walk through.
We then headed to the Cannareggio area which is also know as the Jewish Ghetto and found the historical canal side home of world famous artist Tintoretto, as well as the nearby statues of three brothers who were said to have been turned to stone.
The 3 statues are said to have been turned to stone after trying to swindle an old lady – either a witch or Saint Magdalene, depending on which story you read.
Apparently if you rub one of their noses you get good luck. So we did.
After that we popped to a restaurant to sample the tapas-style snack cicchetti.
It has to be said the burrata cheese one with a solitary sliver of anchovy was a bit of a disappointment. We will make a better version back home.
On our last morning the sun shone in a clear blue sky and we encountered a plethora of people masked and frocked for carnival, who looked great against the backdrop of the old buildings.
We discovered what is claimed to be the world’s most beautiful bookshop, where books galore cram every nook and cranny, even in a gondola.
There is so much to experience in Venice and the people are lovely.
Little wonder that this jewel of a time capsule attracts some 25 million visitors annually.
Best thing to do is plan your itinerary and seek out the best value for accommodation, travel, food and drink and you will have a great time.
