Venice, Italy: Highlights in the City Of Love

You feeling romantic? Venice is one of the most amazing cities to visit as a couple, not only in Italy but in the whole world! If it Romance you seek with your loved one, look no further! If you are still single do not worry, there is fine Italian wine, canals, gondolas and amazing sea food to prevent you from getting bored :).

*Please note that this blog holds information dating back from 2017, some prices might not be accurate anymore*

How to get there?

Coming to Venice is easy. You can fly directly or, like we did, combine your city trip to Venice and take the train from Verona. The bus from Verona airport to the railway station (Puerto Nova) goes every 20 minutes (Aerobus shuttlebus). The costs are 6 euros per ticket and a ticket is valid for 75 minutes after being stamped. Once you reach the railway station (Puerto Nova) you can take the train to Venice. The trainride takes about 1 to 1,5 hour, depending on which time you take the train. There is a faster, more expensive one (starting from 27 euros one way) and a cheaper one with some more stops (8 euros one way).

Hotel

While going to Venice, make sure you get a hotel with a view over the canals. It is absolutely breathtaking to enjoy the silence and beauty of the night in Venice! Also, waking up with a beautiful sight is a good start of the day is it not? We stayed at Hotel Vecellio which is situated right next to the boat stop (yes, in Venice you have boat stops instead of bus stops) F. te Nove. The roams are cozy and clean, a bit small but the quality and location is great. Breakfast was also included, which consisted out of fresh croissants and bread with different kinds of spread and an Italian coffee (or hot chocolate milk / tea for the non coffee drinkers). We paid about € 55,- per night (in December).

Transport within Venice

The Actv provides public transport throughout Venice. There are different boat lines which connect you throughout the whole city. Once you enter Venice coming from the railway station you will see one of their ticket booths right outside the station. You can get different tickets depending on how long you have planned to stay in Venice. Prices are as followed: 1 day ticket € 20,-, 2 days ticket € 30,-, 3 days ticket € 40,- and 7 days ticket € 60,-.With the tickets you can travel unlimited for the amount of day(s) you purchased it.

Things to do

Venice has a lot to offer. Just roaming through the small streets while being surrounded by hundreds of canals is already enough to fill a day. Every street corner has its own magical touch.

Venice Free Walking Tour

The Venice Free Walking Tour is a great way to spent a few hours through the city. This tour will not take you to the known hotspots, those you can find out yourself by following the signs. This tour is designed to show you the hotspots under the radar of the city while also educating you about everything that happend in the past and what is going on in the present in Venice. Be sure to book online before you go, there are a restricted number of people allowed every tour. Booking is free, tip afterwards is free of choice. The tour will give you an insight on a lot of authentic shops (to buy carnival masks), good local restaurants and the history behind everything. Very informative!

The tour takes you to the famous library Libreria Acqua Alta, here you can find thousands of books everywhere. To protect the books from damage while the water rises, they store the books in gondolas. They also made a stairway of books which you can climb up for a few over the canals.

Canal Grande & Gondolas

Visit the Canal Grande is a must. The view over the biggest canal in Venice is amazing, especially at00’s night. Go up the stairs and get a good shot!

If you want you can do a gondola ride through the canals. The costs for a private ride is € 80,- per group. You pay the same amount, whether you are with two or a bigger group. So if you are on a budget and want to try it out, meet up with some people and share the costs! If you do not want to spend that much money and go for a short ride, look out for green signs near the canals with gondolas waiting there to take you to the other side of the canal for just € 2,- per person. You will ride with a whole group and it is a short trip, but atleast you can get the experience.

Piazzo San Marco

The public square of Piazzo San Marco (St Mark’s Square) is the tourist hotspot in the city. You can feed bread crumbs to pidgeons who will sit on your whole body for it. Even if you just open your arms the birds will be all over you!

In the square you can visit the Basilica di San Marco, the big church of San Marco. For the most recent opening times check the website here.

If you walk towards the seaside you will pass the Doge’s Palace, a long building dating back to the 800’s finishing the appealing look of the square. Be sure to check out the different shops on and around the square for some nice souvenirs.

Be adventurous

If you are in Venice, ask a local (for example your hotel) for any good sea food restaurants they can recommend. The fresh seafood is amazing!

There are a lot of churches and museums you can visit. I recommend taking the Free Walking Tour, point out which hotspots you want to know more about and explore this beautiful city!