Ahhh, Venice! M and I were SO excited for Venice and it did not disappoint. We took the ItaliaRail train from Florence, Italy to Venice and it was a smooth ride. I mentioned this in my Florence blog post but please note if you are talking trains within Italy, the trains leave (and arrive) on time and if you are not on the train prior to departure time…it will leave without you. We took it very slow and easy during our Venice trip and believe two and a half days was a little too long for this stop on our honeymoon. Below you will find our two and a half day itinerary for Venice, Italy:
The day we arrived it was Venice’s Historical Regatta and all transportation (water taxis and water buses) were currently not operating in respect to this occasion. We did not know this was happening, and therefore had to trek ourselves and our luggages to the other side of Venice in the middle of the afternoon with high heat. If you know Venice, you know there are many little bridges and stairs and whew! It was brutal. This was not the way I wanted to start our Venice vacation, but, nothing we could do about it. My tip here is, if this happens to you, stop for some gelato or a bevy to break up the walk. The total walk was around 45 minutes but felt like 5 hours in the heat, stairs and carrying luggage. We stayed at Hotel Metropole which was steps away from St. Marks Square and overlooked the Venetian Lagoon. The hotel is ranked a 5 star hotel. The aesthetic is medieval times with a fun outdoor patio. The lobby has a dock for water taxi’s and is located in a very luxurious and popular area in Venice. Hotel Metropole also has the heavy room key (that I discussed in this blog post) and we had to leave our room key with the front desk every time we left the hotel, they insisted.
Our first day was a half day and we checked into our hotel, ate dinner at one of the restaurants right outside of our hotel (did not document the restaurant name but it was great). We returned to the hotel and rested as it was a long day of travel (and walking to our hotel haha).
The second day (first full day) we ate breakfast at the hotel (common theme of our honeymoon) and completed the free audio Rick Steves walking tour of St. Marks Square. It was brief and informative. We returned to our hotel to enjoy our free drinks we received for being on our honeymoon. We took the water bus down the grand canal (TIP: they require masks on this water bus to please be aware. Also, this costs 25 euros/person for a day pass). While riding on the water bus, we completed the free audio tour of the Grand Canal by Rick Steves and it was very informative. Later, we pre-booked a “walking cinchetta and wine tour of Venice” and we are so glad we did! We met another couple from the States during this tour and got to enjoy some authentic Venice food and wine. This tour also included a gondola ride across the canal for 2 euros (included with cost in tour). After the tour we had drinks with our new friends at a different bar and later M and I got gelato closer to our hotel and danced to string quartets in the St. Marks Square. Very romantic.
The third day (second full day) we ate breakfast at the hotel, walked around St. Marks Square and walked around Venice, there are so many different “walkways” with different shops and restaurants it feels like you never see the same “walkway” twice. We ate dinner at De Cherubino (excellent) and later went on a private gondola ride on the Grand Canal (100 euros after 7pm). Met our new friends for after dinner drinks then M and I got gelato one last time before returning to our hotel.
Our last day in Venice (half day), we ate breakfast at the hotel, packed our suitcases slowly and then ate lunch at the hotel with our “honeymoon voucher.” We walked around some more and purchased some souvenirs before taking a private water taxi to the airport (pricey, but highly recommend). We are now on our way to Greece! Check out my Greece blog post next!
Things about Venice we loved:
- There are no cars, scooters, bikes etc. Everything is by water taxi, walking or water bus.
- You might have heard that “Venice stinks like waste due to their (lack of) sewer system.” While there, M and I only smelled one area that smelled bad and that was it. Overall, no smell.
- There was never a time I did not feel safe while in Venice. I even wore my engagement ring most of the time. Of course, always stay vigilant.
- The authentic food is excellent, feel free to branch out of your comfort zone if that is your thing.
- Venice is so unique and you will never go anywhere like it.
What are some of your favorite things about Venice?
-Xx
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