Guide To My Venice Trip

Venice had been on my bucket list for a while before I finally made it in April 2014, on my third trip to Italy. I was looking for somewhere to go over the Easter Bank Holiday with the Berlin Buddy and, after flicking through the Ryanair website, we settled on Venice. We were there for three nights and three full days and managed to pack a lot in. 

Activities

Free Walking Tour

I love taking these tours as you get to see a lot of the city in a few hours with someone who knows the history and who can give you recommendations of places to go. On this occasion I went with Free Tour Venice who took our group to Piazza San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, the Jewish Ghetto, the Scuola Grande di San Marco hospital, the Libreria Acqua Alta bookshop and various churches, bridges and streets. My guide also gave me several recommendations for cheap and tasty eats. I didn’t take this tour until my second day and I wish I had done it straight away as my guide’s tips were really useful and turned out to be spot on. I could have done with them earlier!

Piazza San Marco

Usually, Saint Mark Square is filled to the brim with tourists but, when I first saw it, it was night and it was empty. As I fell out of one of the side alleys, I pretty much gasped. Unlike Venice’s many narrow lanes, the square is big and airy. It’s surrounded by beautiful architecture, like the stunning basilica and the bell tower, as well as by a lot of pigeons. This is probably one of the most famous sites in Venice and there is a reason for that.

Basilica San Marco

There was a long queue to get into St Mark’s Basilica that snaked across Piazza San Marco but it was a) generally free entry, and b) a relatively fast moving queue so it was definitely worth standing in. Not to mention that the outside was beautiful and the inside more than matched it, with golden imagery across the ceiling. It is something you need to see it for yourself.

Campanile (Bell Tower)

I faced another big queue across Piazza San Marco to go up the Bell Tower. Unlike the Basilica it wasn’t free but, like the Basilica, it was worth it. It was freezing and windy at the top but there are panoramic views across the city. But I have to admit I was happy to get back down and out of the cold once I’d taken my photos. Thankfully, and perhaps surprisingly, there was a lift – otherwise that would be a lot of stairs.

Doge’s Palace

If you’re an art fan, this is as much of a must as any of the galleries in Venice. Not only is the architecture amazing but the Doge’s Palace is full of rooms covered in Renaissance paintings. The rooms were pretty huge so I can’t even imagine how long it took to paint those bad boys. I sadly didn’t leave enough time to explore it properly. Oh well, something for next time.

The Bridge of Sighs

Venice is pretty much the equivalent of an open air museum. Along the waterfront, south of Piazza San Marco, there is a row of bridges and canals. As I walked along the front, over the bridges, people would stop, turn and take a photo of whatever sight lay waiting down the canal. Then, they carried onto the next one, stopped, turned, took a photo and so on and so on. Down one of the waterways was the Bridge of Sighs. There are many, many bridges in Venice but this was my favourite. It is made of white limestone and has some history behind it as well. The bridge goes from the Doge’s Palace to the prison and is named after the apparent sound made by prisoners as they took a last look at their family and their city.

Libreria Acqua Alta

In most cities, I wouldn’t put a bookshop on a list of must-go-to-places but, on this occasion, I am. I’d put it out there that this is one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world and certainly one of the most interesting. There are shelves and stacks of books everywhere, including a book staircase on the outside and a gondola full of books on the inside.

Scuola Grande di San Marco

Much like the bookshop, a hospital is really something I would usually recommend. This one, however, is different. It was originally used as a religious building, before being converted in 1488 and comes complete with a beautiful facade. This pretty much epitomises Venice: nothing is the same.

Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is a particularly large bridge that goes over the Grand Canal. It is a beautiful but very touristy spot. That means there are a lot of expensive restaurants in the area but I was surprised to find that you really don’t have to travel too far away to find cheaper places with good quality food. Stay tuned.

Guggenheim Museum

I was surprised to be able to actually find the Guggenheim when it’s so easy to get lost in Venice. I didn’t know exactly what to expect when visiting my first Guggenheim museum but the building was modern and the art included cubist and expressionist paintings. My visit coincided with a tour and a group of us were taken around the minimalist exhibition by a guide who explained the images to us.  It was certainly worthwhile, minimalism has never been a genre that particularly appealed to me but the talk made me look at it in a different way and understand more as to how it is meant to be seen.

Murano

I had heard tell that one of the Venetian islands was full of multicoloured buildings and, from the photos I had seen, it looked pretty. I thought that island was Murano. It wasn’t – it was Burano. Murano is an island famous for its glass factory and, apart from the factory itself, the main thing to do on the island is to shop for glass trinkets. For me, there wasn’t much there, but if you’re into that kind of thing then a visit would be worthwhile.

Ca’ D’oro Museum

I spotted this museum while I was wandering around the area of Ca’D’oro. It looked interesting so I later returned to take a proper look. The student tickets were only €3 and for this there were a couple of floors for me to explore. The first reminded me of Berlin’s Bodes Museum, with lots of religious art and small sculptures and the second had a variety of art including paintings and frescoes. It was good and enjoyable but I didn’t quite love it.

Redentore

I’d been told to see as many churches as possible during my stay in Venice but I made it to my last afternoon without seeing any (apart from the Basilica). So, before I left, I tried the church close to my hostel – Redentore. I was in-and-out quite quickly but it was beautiful and certainly not like any other church I’d seen before. It seemed more part temple and part mini-gallery, crossed with a church.

La Casa dei Tre Oci

La Casa dei Tre Oci was a building close to my hostel on Giudecca, built in the neo-Gothic style in 1913. During my visit, it housed the “Genesis” exhibition by Sebastião Salgado, which displayed dozens of photographs of untouched landscapes and ancient tribes. This turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. I don’t know how long the exhibition was in Venice for but I’d imagine the building is often used for exhibitions as it was a lovely space.

What did I miss?

I did try to go to the Accademia Gallery but it was my last day, there was a queue and it seemed to be closed at that particular time in the morning. With that in mind, I went elsewhere, but if I went back then I would probably make a second attempt. Obviously, I would also try and successfully make it to Burano – not Murano.

Nightlife

On my first night, as I walked across the main island from my bus station to Piazza San Marco, I stumbled across a square called  Sotoportego del Banco Giro, close to the Rialto Bridge. It was buzzy and full of people and noise, as well as the odd bar. I made a mental note to go back. Venice didn’t really seem to be a place for clubs but if you like spending your night sitting with a glass of wine then this is your city.

Muro

Just off Sotoportego del Banco Giro, I spotted a bar as I was getting my lunch from a place called Al Merca. It seemed to be a popular choice for drinks and food so I returned later for my evening drink. It was a good choice. The bar was busy but I was still able to grab a table outside and sit with my €2 wine – not priced so low because it wasn’t good but because Italy is a wondrous place.

Accommodation

Generator Hostel

I left booking a hostel until the week before my trip and little seemed to be available. I couldn’t tell whether this was because there are limited hostels in Venice or because the Easter weekend was particularly busy. Either way, I still ended up with a good option.

Generator was warm, cosy and clean with quirky decor, free wifi (that worked best in the lobby) and a nice common area.  Unfortunately, my 16 bed dorm room was typically noisy – snorers, people sleeping through their alarms, slamming doors and loud conversations – so it felt like I barely slept during my stay but I can’t blame that on the hostel. Price-wise, it worked out at about £30 a night, which is more than I had hoped to pay for a hostel but seemed to be pretty decent for Venice.

The hostel came with a bar and also offered an all you can eat breakfast for €4. It wasn’t amazing but it set me up to start the day. However, there were other options and €3.50 bought me a good coffee, orange juice and a very chocolatey croissant. It wasn’t all you can eat but it tasted better and was all I needed to start my days. 

The only issue with the hostel was that it was on Giudecca, which was separate from the main island, meaning that we had to pay for a ferry to get there and back again.

Transport

Walking

In Venice, travelling by car is not an option: there are no roads. That’s not really a problem though as Venice is small enough that you can walk across the main island. On my first night, I arrived at the bus station on one side of the island and I knew my hostel was on an island opposite Piazza San Marco on the other side, so I walked across the city. It was night, the temperature was mild and the streets were small, windy and, most importantly, empty. I felt like I could actually explore Venice better that way. Of course, I later realised there was a ferry port right next to the bus station from which I could have caught a ride to a stop right by my hostel but it was okay, Venice is a city you should get lost in.

Vaporetto

If you’re not up for walking everywhere then the vaporetto, aka the ferry, is the best way to go. There are water taxis but these are more expensive. Since my hostel was on a separate island to the main tourist attractions, I treated myself to a 72 hour pass during my stay so that I could come and go without worrying about spending money on the ferry each time I did so. I don’t think the pass cost me anymore than it would have if I had bought two singles each day for my three day stay. It was also a more efficient way of cruising the city’s canals without forking out for a gondola.

Gondola

The gondola is Venice’s most famous method of transportation. However, that makes it a big tourist activity and not a cheap one at that. If you’re in Venice with your significant-other and fancy drifting through the narrow waterways, just the two of you, whilst a gondolier serenades you then I can’t really offer any alternative to spending quite a lot of money on a ride. If, however, you are like me and just want the experience/a gondola selfie then I have another option. There are a few ports around the city – including one at Santa Sofia – where you can pay a couple of Euros to hop in a less well decorated gondola, with however many other people want a ride at that time, and be taken from one side of the Grand Canal to the other. It may only be a minute or two but it totally counts. 

Restaurants

Taverna Del Campiello Remer

My free walking tour guide pointed this place out as an excellent option for dinner. They do good food and cheap deals, which means you can eat well on a more than reasonable budget. When I went it was all you can eat cicchetti (Ventian tapas) for €5 and that also came with a drink (which could be wine). The options ranged from bruschetta with various toppings – tomatoes, olives, fish and other spreads – pasta and risotto and I was happy to find the small portions remarkably filling (and tasty).

On my first night in Venice, I hungrily wandered the city and found a place by the Rialto Bridge. The area was touristy and expensive but one place had cheap pizza. It was cheap for a reason and I was disappointed – although the setting and wine made it okay. However it turned out that the Taverna Del Campiello Remer was not far away, It is tucked away so you do need to look up how to get there first but, when you do find it, you will also find a little secluded dock with views of the Rialto Bridge and watch the sun go down over Venice. 

Trattoria Ca’ Doro alla Vedova

This place was recommended to me twice. A friend from home recommended it as a bar and my free walking tour guide recommended it for their meatballs. It appeared that I wasn’t the only person to have heard about it. I went one afternoon and the tables were completely filled with people having meals and others were milling about the bar with wine and cicchetti. That was where I set up, with umbro (local wine) and the meatballs. I never knew meatballs could taste that way, and I have eaten a lot of delicious meatballs. The salmon was pretty good as well. This is a recommendation I’d pass on.

Al Merca

This place, close to Sotoportego del Banco Giro square and the Rialto Bridge, was where I first discovered the delightful price of wine in Venice. It was cheap, generally around €2-€4 for a glass. That was a nice surprise in a generally expensive city. I also found mini bread rolls stuffed with fish, meats and cheeses for around €1.50 each. As I sat on the ground by a wall nearby, I sipped away on the Spritz I treated myself to – a Venetian favourite – made up of wine, a liqueur like Aperol and finished off with sparkling water and ice. I wasn’t a fan of the Spritz but I was much happier with the stuff bread rolls. 

Rossosapore

I found this place on one of the alleyways close to Piazza San Marco. There were several people milling around the front, where there were takeaway slices of pizza for about €3 and a couple of tables. I took the small crowd as a good sign and I turned out to be right. This made up for my Rialto Bridge pizza experience and meant I actually got some decent pizza in Italy. Otherwise it would have been an incomplete Italian trip. 

Brek Ristorante

Brek Ristorante was the last place I visited in Venice. I needed to find somewhere to grab a light dinner around Piazzale Roma and Ferrovia – the areas where the train and bus stations are. It wasn’t cheap but my sandwich – with some kind of crusty, doughy bread with cheese prosciutto and courgette – was good. It came to over €7 with an iced tea (soft drinks seem to be more than wine) but as this was my last meal in Venice so I didn’t mind too much. 

The blogs

• Easter in Venice: Day One 
• Easter in Venice: Day Two
• Easter in Venice: Day Three
• Easter in Venice: Day Four
• Five money saving things you should know about Venice
• My Venice Trip in Nine Food Stops
• The Seven Wonders of Venice