On a July summer day last year, I browsed through the travel deals on my favorite travel websites. On one of those sites, I noticed an incredible deal to travel from London to Venice for the weekend. For the deal to be worth it, it required booking for two, and oh, the sale was for the next day. I did not have much going on at work that week, so I knew I could work remotely on my deliverables - I was in. I messaged my sister in law to ask if she could get the day off; then proceeded to explain to her the deal. After an hour of back and back text messages, we booked the trip and waited for the confirmation from the website, which may not come given we were booking the trip less than twenty-four hours before the flight. About 5:45 p.m., we got the confirmation, rushed to pack, and we were off to London Gatwick early Friday morning for our trip to Paris. Venice had always been my mental bucket list, but I never thought it would happen (at least not as random and spontaneous as it happened).
GETTING THERE
We flew Easy Jet from London Gatwick - most airlines operating out of London have flights to Venice, and there are always deals for flights, flights, and hotels. It was on this trip I decided I will no longer fly with EasyJet. I had a trip to Croatia already booked with them before I made plans for Venice; I have avoided flying with them since my return from Croatia.
GETTING AROUND
When we arrived at the airport, we took the airport transit bus to get to the city center. In the short time, we had to prepare before the trip; we read guides that recommended taking the speed boat from the airport to the city. DON’T DO IT! It is ridiculously expensive and just not worth it. If you want that experience then, by all means, you should travel the way you want. However, a cheaper alternative will be to take the bus which is right outside the terminal; you can get tickets from the ticket machine outside the terminal or pay cash on the bus. At the time of our visit, a one-way ticket cost 8 euros per person. As far as getting around the city, if you stay close to the city center, you should be able to get around most of the town on foot. However, just as you will have bus stops; there are taxi boat stops around the town and ticket machine located at each to purchase tickets.
VISA REQUIREMENT
Italy is a Schengen member Country which means you can gain access with a valid Schengen visa. Pro tip - when applying for Schengen visa, make sure to request multiple entry - not two entries. Certain Schengen countries have the option for “two entries” on the application so make sure you select “multiple entry” on your application. Also make sure to apply in the Country you will be spending the most time - I cannot stress that point enough.
HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED
We planned to stay a weekend and ended staying four nights. I arrived on Friday afternoon and left on Tuesday morning. Not because we planned to, but one of us got sick; the other broke a toe, and then the flight was canceled (more on that in another post). We did most everything we wanted to over the weekend. The only bit we did not manage to do during our time in Venice was a trip to Lido, but hey, that is what return trips are for, right? If all you have is a weekend, that should be sufficient for your first trip to Venice until you can plan the next flight because it is a place to return to, in my opinion.
WHERE TO STAY
Unless you decide to stay near the airport or in the business center of the city, there is not a wrong place to stay - get as close to the center as you can, and you should be able fine. On account of canceled flights and illness, we ended staying in three different hotels. By far, our favorite was the Hotel Santa Chiara & Residenza Parisi; it was a fantastic stay. Our first booking was at Hotel Carlton Capri for a few days. While not as fancy as Hotel Santa Chiara & Residenza Parisi, we enjoyed our stay and loved the hospitality of the staff. Our room (while dated) had the most incredible view. When it comes to views, both hotels delivered. At Hotel Santa Chiara, we lucked out with this view. Finally, I recommend Hotel Al CorHotel L'orologio - We did not stay here but walked past it a few times, and it looked charming; I researched it after our visit, and it had excellent reviews. (EVERYTHING)
WHERE TO EAT
First, the wine/snack bars - this is the cheapest food option you will find in Venice, and it was one of our favorite parts of the city. A couple of mini sandwiches and a glass of wine or Aperol spritz was all the nourishment we needed. Our favorites were Spritz al merca and Becareto da Lele. We also enjoyed the pasta to go spots; we always found a place of stairs facing the canal to enjoy our pasta offerings - our go-to place was Bigoi. We loved the option of selecting our choice of fresh pasta; and sauce with a generous layer of cheese. Not too far from Bigoi was a dessert spot Tonolo - the pastries were so incredible, and there were a lot of locals, which is always a good sign. You cannot visit Italy without a taste of gelato; there are many great ones - we kept coming back to Boutique del gelato and Gelateria Artigianale. While Harry's Bar is incredibly pricey, if you have room in your budget, the Bellini is worth a try. There is no shortage of food options in Venice - we had a list of five places serving pasta and pizza; four were closed on the weekend; make sure you call ahead before arriving at a restaurant.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
We did not have much time to get an itinerary sorted, so a lot of the trip was spontaneous; you should leave room for that in Venice; getting lost in the narrow alleyways is the best way to discover the beauty of this city. You have to visit the iconic Rialto Bridge - we walked by it every day we were in town and could not help stopping each time - it is spectacular. The Rialto market is Northwest of the bridge if Markets are your things - make sure to go early. We visited mid-afternoon, and most of the vendors were packed up for the day.
St Mark's Square is THE meeting point in the city and an absolute must-visit; it is incredibly crowded, so watch out for pickpockets. The St. Mark Basilica is in the Square, and judging by the long queues to get in, I presume it is worth visiting. Because we only had the weekend (initially), we did not go inside the Basilica- we were content with viewing the exterior from the outside. From the Square, you can see the main canal, which is the central transport hub in the city; if you choose to visit other Islands or take the boat to/or from the airport, you will most likely be arriving/departing from here.
We spent our first day just walking around the city and getting lost, and in that way, we discovered a lot of the landmarks in the town like Harry's Bar, which has been a Venice institution for decades and was made famous by many including Hemmingway. Harry's bar is also renowned as the birthplace of the Bellini, so we had to oblige and treat ourselves to a (very overpriced) glass of Bellini.
On our second day, we booked a tour of the three islands - Murano, Burano, and Torcello; this is something you should not miss if you visit Venice; it is a half-day tour of the most colorful/unique towns of Venice. You get 45 minutes to an hour on each Island - be careful to note the time as we missed our boat from Burano to Torcello and had to wait to get on the next transit. We visited the Doge Palace, the original bridge of sighs - you can walk across this by gaining access to the grand palace. Still, I think the beauty of the bridge of sights is viewing it from the exterior and seeing the Gondolas ride past. One of the symbols of Venice is the gondola driven by men in the white and red striped shirt, wearing beats, and in reality, it is precisely that. However, the ride for two can cost up to 100 euros - we opted not to pay for the trip; if you don't want to splurge on a journey, for about 5 to 20 euros, the driver will let you a get a picture. The prices vary depending on the driver. We did not opt for this either - I think I was just content to see the gondola. I did not want anything else.
We heard great things about the Guggenheim museum and the Peggy Guggenheim collection, but we did not make it to the museum
