Craving a quick relaxing fresh adventure? Magical and enchanting sights with a rich history on your bucket list? Venice, Italy is truly a beautiful sight to see and pictures don’t quite do this wonderful city justice.
Venice is an extremely tiny little island. Due to its small size it is 1000% possible to see all the wonderful sights in one/two days; without feeling rushed.
Venice is an unforgettable trip. An incredibly unique city that is incomparable to anywhere else in the world.
My husband and I traveled to Italy last year and we were determined to see as much of it as possible. Our first stop was Venice, and it was the perfect start to a remarkable adventure. There is something magical that surrounds Venice and their people.
A city with no cars, only boats and your own two feet for transportation. The streets are lined with multiple quirky shops and restaurants that are filled with the alluring smell of fresh pasta and pizza.
To fit all the adventures that we wanted to obtain on our trip we were only in Venice for one full day, which we felt was plenty of time for us.
My short itinerary has all of the famous attractions alongside the quaint hidden local spots.
Our 1st Night
We arrived in Venice late at night, and the once in a lifetime adventures started right away.
Since there are no roads in Venice, there is no such thing as taking a cab to your hotel. You pay for a ticket to ride in a water taxi that will take you to your accommodations. It was spectacular to be out on the water at night, and the taxis are surprisingly comfortable.
Our hotel was Hotel L’ Orologio Venezia which was pleasant and the friendly staff took excellent care of us. Our room was large, and we did not feel stuffy or claustrophobic. It had a cozy touch and our only complaint was the shower wasn’t as large as we would have liked. Honestly though none of our showers in any of our hotels in Italy were large.
By the time we reached Hotel L’ Orologio Venezia we were starving and the only place opened we could find was the restaurant San Polo. After leaving this restaurant satisfied, we researched the reviews and they were all horrible! Basically warning off travelers. We had no other option though, and honestly even the pizzas that are reviewed as awful and tourist traps offer exceptional food.
The streets were completely empty and silent, apparently there is not much of a night life in Venice. Called it a night and slept fairly early, because we knew tomorrow was going to be an exhausting touristy day.
1st Full Day in Venice
Early bird gets the worm! Get up early, grab yourself a deliciously simple cup of joe and start embarking on your Venice adventures.
My husband and I really love guided tours. We feel that it is the perfect way to gain a little bit of culture and knowledge with the city we are visiting. A bonus with tours is that depending on where you are and what type of tour, they will provide the transportation (which is always a big plus if you don’t have a car).
No, we do not like tours everyday, but we enjoy the knowledge our tour guides usually provide and it is a great way to see the sights and skip the lines. Due to the fact that we were only in Venice for a short time we scheduled 3 tours all in one day. Sounds crazy, right? It wasn’t.
Obviously it is impossible to not visit and explore the tourists sights…our asses made it all the way to Venice, of course we want to see the museums and all its beauty.
We booked a Grand Day Tour, which provides breaks in between each tour. Giving us the perfect amount of free time to have lunch and walk around aimlessly. During one of our breaks we searched for local street art.
We purchased an astonishing piece of art that captures the beauty of Venice from Fabi Baldan. Highly recommend finding this artist and buying his lovely portraits. It will make the perfect piece of art in your home.
Our first tour of the day was the Grand Day Tour of Venice with Skip the Line Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Basilica.
Highly recommend booking a tour that is skip the line. No one wants to wait an hour in line and waste precious time. When you first meet your guide you will receive an ear piece so no matter if you stray from the group you will still be able to hear your guide.
Doge’s Palace is a landmark in the Venicitician history. I highly suggest touring it properly with a local guide and filling your brain with knowledge. The palace is so grand that it took 2 hours to thoroughly explore it in all its glory. The rooms were spectacular and visiting the prison cells was an extra bonus. If you have limited time in Venice and care to get a brief but thorough run down of the city book this tour.
After exploring Doge’s Palace it was officially lunch time and of course we decided on pizza. I really feel that in Venice no matter the restaurant you decide to dine in, you will always leave satisfied. Eat your share of pizza and become day drunk off their lovely wine.
After lunch we still had time till our 2nd tour, so we went up to the famous bell tower San Marco.
The views were breathtaking! We purchased our tickets online and were scheduled with an appointed time with access to go through the priority gate which had no line. Highly recommend booking your tickets on Viator. The lines get long and no matter what time of year you visit Venice it’s always crowded. There is an elevator that takes you up to the top, so no climbing up a flight of stairs and reaching the top out of breath. The bell tower offers one of the most magnificent views of the city, so make sure you add this to your itinerary.
2nd tour of the day was a walking tour throughout Venice and a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica church. The walking tour was spectacular. The beautiful small alleyways all had a marvelous charm surrounding them and were surprisingly quiet. If it wasn’t for this tour we most likely never would have found all these hidden gems.
The whole tour was approximately 2 hours, and our tour guide took us to the quieter streets of Venice away from all the hustle and bustle. Honestly the tour is a must, because there is no way you alone can become enriched and enlightened from their culture without a local guide.
After the walking tour we visited St. Mark’s Basilica. Absolutely breathtaking. The whole ceiling of St. Marks is covered in gold, and I was blown away by the detailed architect and how magnificent it all was.
Little side note: When entering St. Mark’s Basilica you must be dressed conservatively with no showing of your shoulders or knees for both men and women.
Last tour of the day was the Venice Grand Canal Boat Tour which lasted about 1 hour.
Exploring Venice by boat is spectacular and something everyone should experience. You will board a small but cozy motorboat and have a local guide explain all the sights that you pass along the way.
This was a perfect last stop and a great way for us to unwind after being on our feet all day. Extremely impressed with all 3 of our local guides, and all the knowledge they provided us with was golden. Each tour was organized with easy to find meeting points. Definitely a good value of our money for all that we explored.
If you are interested in booking these exact same tours, here is the link.
After our boat tour we actually went back on the water for our own gondola ride…
because if you didn’t ride in a gondola did you even go to Venice?
Yes, the gondola ride is an extremely touristy activity, but it is something you have to do. It was a once in a lifetime event. I have heard from many Venice travelers that they had to ask their gondolier to sing, but thankfully our gondolier was such a gem and sang a few verses without us asking. I’m so happy that he did because he made the ride so much more enjoyable. I am also a pretty shy introverted human, I wasn’t about to ask him to sing while doing his job.
If you are riding under the Bridge of Signs with your significant other make sure you kiss under the bridge. We were told that those who kiss under the bridge will have good luck.
After so many activities our feet were throbbing and all we wanted was to reach back to our hotel and have a rest before stuffing our faces for dinner.
When out to dinner make sure you try their local drink called Sprintz. The taste of it reminded me of orange soda with a hint of bitterness. For dessert we went to one of the best shops Venice has to offer.
Gelatoteca Suso
If you want to experience some of the best gelato in this world do yourself a favor and go to Gelatoteca Suso. All I can say is exquisite. The place is small and most likely the line will be long, but don’t let that discourage you from going. Very speedy service, and the staff are extremely friendly. They offer a variety of flavors to choose from, and even offer vegan options! Absolutely delicious. You all must go.
We ended our 1st night in Venice with a hot shower and our bellies full.
2nd Day in Venice
For our 2nd day in Venice we didn’t leave to the train station till 6pm, which gave us plenty of time to explore on our own for a while. Our first stop was the Rialto Market where we purchased oranges, cherries, dates, and dried tomatoes. Even though this market didn’t compete with the Barcelona local market… which you can read about here. It was still lovely and the fruit was delicious.
Now, I am a lover of all books and everywhere I travel I have to buy a book from the country’s local bookshop.
Alta Acqua Libreria
Alta Acque Libreria was the bookshop in Venice that I decided to venture through. OMG I was not disappointed. Books everywhere you turn… filled up in all the shops nooks and crannies.. And even in boats. Such a charming shop that I could have probably spent the whole afternoon in.
Make your way towards the back of the bookshop and climb up on the books (I felt a little strange doing this, because books are not meant to be climbed on). The unique staircase is made from books damaged from a flood in 1966, creating a picture perfect background.
I left the store with 2 books in my hand, a postcard, and the cutest boxes of matches. The whole shop is a book lovers heaven, many of the books are in Italian, but the owner did have a small section of books in English. This was honestly my favorite sight in Venice, and I am so happy that I was able to go. I have seen this bookshop all over the web, and to actually be able to see it in real life and wander through all the books was a magical experience for me.
Our whole 2nd day was truly a day of books and food. Two of the best enjoyments in the world. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Spaghetteria 6342 A Le Tole Pizzeria. We wanted an authentic Italian restaurant away from the main tourist sights, and this place did not disappoint. The prices were reasonable, incredibly helpful staff, and overall a lovely atmosphere. The food is fresh, favorable, and delicious.
A night in Venice is all one really needs. This charming, lovely city offers so many marvelous sights and you can get them with a side of some scrumptious pizzas. Don’t pass up this magical city when making your way around Italy.