VENICE, ITALY TRAVEL GUIDE - Dashing Darlin'

Hello friends,

Here is the much requested post with all of the details of our Italy itinerary that I planned and booked myself!!! First of all, choose what time of the year that you want to visit. I highly suggest May to early June or September through October. The crowds are supposedly smaller in the fall, but it was the same when I visited in September 2018. Secondly, choose which cities that are a must for you to visit.

I highly suggest three nights in each city so it doesn’t feel rushed or chaotic. Thirdly, book your flights and lodging asap. After that big decision, the planning is so much fun!!!!

We decided to begin our trip in Venice, and we are so happy that we did. The airport is smaller, and the city is not overwhelming. We had an 8 hour flight from Newark, New Jersey to Venice, Italy. It was such an easy flight. We took a Unisom when we boarded and slept almost the entire time.

Y’all, Venice is simply majestic and mesmerizing. It needs to be on your list when visiting Italy.

Venice is a city built on water which is completely mind-blowing. This is my third time to visit, and I find it even more captivating after this trip. It is like stepping back in time. They haven’t changed a thing. They are just preserving the beautiful canals, bridges, architecture, palazzos, and churches built thousands of years ago.

Below is our exact itinerary for our three days in Venice including the best sights, our Airbnb, favorite restaurants, must see hotels, travel tips and more. By the way, three full days was the perfect amount of time to see the main sights in Venice at a very chill pace. We never felt rushed or too tired.

By the way, travel must haves will have their own blog post!! Coming soon!!

Day 1:

Our flight landed at 9am. We headed to pick up our luggage. And, we followed the signs to the water bus area which is about a 10 minute walk through the airport. From the airport, the only way to get into Venice is by water.

Most tourists take the Alilaguna Blu Line from the airport into Venice which is the public water bus located at the last pier. They do drop offs at the main sights which could be far from your hotel/house. And, it is a lot of people and their luggage packed on a boat. We chose to pay more for a private water taxi that brought us close to our Airbnb. We only had to walk like 3-5 minutes.

I paid double for the private water bus, but it was worth it. You can book with someone at one of the first piers to your right.

If you have luggage or more than a backpack, setting up a porter before you arrive in Venice is smart. If you are staying at a hotel, they can set it up for you. If not, here is a guy that you can hire~Porter Service Hasan.

Once you arrive on the island, I suggest familiarizing yourself with Venice which is made up of six districts that are called sestiere ~ San Marco, San Polo, Dorsoduro, Cannaregio, Castello and Santa Croce.

Getting around Venice is quite easy. They do have the Vaporetto which is the public transport service in Venice. It is the main transportation around the Grand Canal and the island. Lots of people use this service, but we chose to just walk so we could see as much of the island as possible.

Private water taxis are the other option but more expensive than the Vaporetto . Prices vary depending on the company.

This map is from www.wanderingitaly.com.

When we arrived on the island, we were starving so we chose to eat lunch at Trattoria Pizzeria Ai Boteri which was close to our Airbnb. And, it was by far my favorite spicy rigatoni, and the pizza was good.

This alleyway is seriously so dreamy and a little slice of heaven.

Here is a link to our Airbnb in San Polo, Swallow’s House, which was centrally located and close to the Grand Canal and San Marco. We loved the location. We were able to walk to every main sight within 10-15 minutes.

After checking in, we had a sunset boat tour of Venice that I booked through Airbnb, and I highly recommend this tour for your first day in Venice. We walked to the Dorsoduro district to start our excursion with Leo.

He was so kind and knowledgable. We learned so much history about the island. Here is his info to book a tour with him.

After our tour of the island, we were starving. We settled for a very touristy spot for dinner, Terrazza Aperol.

It was decent, but it wasn’t our favorite meal. It was small bites and pizza. But, i will admit that it was a cool vibe.

Day 2:

We had a full day of exploring the island.

We started off the day with an early lunch on the Grand Canal at Ristorante Al Buso. It’s located right by the Rialto Bridge and has the best views. The bruschetta was divine. We enjoyed everything, and the staff were so fun. Wouldn’t rate it as the best food but 10/10 for the overall experience.

On the way to get some gelato at Suso , we took some time to visit some of the main sights:

RIALTO BRIDGE

The Rialto Bridge is the famous stone bridge on the Grand Canal connecting the neighborhoods of San Marco and San Polo. It is usually very crowded with tourist but worth it.

ST. MARK’S SQUARE

This square is home to St. Mark’s Basilica, St. Mark’s Campanile and Doge’s Palace. It is also home to so many shops, cafes, pigeons, restaurants, and more pigeons. It’s very busy especially in the summer, but it’s quite astounding and worth the crowds. Don’t get sucked into feeding the pigeons in the square. I ended up paying €40 for this. I was scammed.

SCALA CONTARINI DEL BOVOLO

Scala Contarini del Bovolo (this was on my list, but we didn’t have enough time to wait in line) ~ it is known for the six-story spiral staircase that has insane views of the city. Tickets can be purchased here, and they only allow 10 people every 30 minutes so keep that in mind.

ACCADEMIA BRIDGE

This is a wooden bridge on the Grand Canal that connects Dorsoduro to San Marco. The views from this bridge is a favorite in Venice.

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

This is a limestone bridge that connects Doge’s Palace to the historic prison. We chose not to take a tour of Doge’s Palace, but you can walk through the Bridge of Sighs while touring it. There is a view of the bridge from the Ponte della Paglia.

Next on the list was a tour that I booked on Airbnb, learn how to Row as a Venetian!!! We were so very excited!!! This was located in the Cannaregio district. We were able to walk through quaint, peaceful neighborhoods and witness kids playing at school which was very neat.

Fredrico was our instructor. He gave us a tour of the warehouse where they build and repair boats. And then, we boarded the wood boat. What a fabulous experience to learn how to row like a true Venetian. He was very kind and shared history about rowing, the Gondoliers, and their culture.

We have a much greater appreciation for the Gondoliers and their legacy. This was a great way to see and experience a different side of the island, tour the smaller canals, and observe locals living their normal life. I highly recommend for anyone wanting to do something different while in Venice. We rate this a 10/10.

After our tour, we ate at a very touristy spot on the Grand Canal, Ristorante Omnibus. It was a beautiful view while watching the sunset. Food was decent. Prices were average.

After dinner, I had to bring the girls on a gondola. It is a must while in Venice. The rates are set by the city and are usually €80 for a 40 minute ride (I paid €100 since we were on the Grand Canal). It may seem too high, but after learning the history, the training, and the family legacy behind the gondoliers, it is worth it.

Day 3:

We had a late start so we decided to eat lunch at Trattoria Pizzeria Ai Boteri again by our Airbnb.

This is the day that we visited Burano, a lovely island, that is about 45 minutes from Venice. We took a water taxi/ferry (cost was €19) from the San Marco area, Pier 18, that took about 45 minutes. Burano is known for the rainbow of bright houses that line the canals. It was very quaint and fascinating. We only had enough time to explore a little bit and enjoy some gelato.

We highly recommend visiting and spending a little more time exploring than we did. Don’t leave the boat without double checking if it is Burano. We learned our lesson the hard way.

And if you have time, visit Murano too. It is famous for its glass making. It’s a few tiny islands linked by small bridges that resembles Venice. The island is an easy stop on the way back to Venice.

When we got back from Burano, we decided to eat our last dinner at Ristorante Trattoria Cherubino which was highly suggested from a friend. And y’all, it did not disappoint. It was thee best meal and experience that we had in Venice. The staff was exceptional too. Add this to your list. Booking reservations is suggested.

Day 4:

We woke up and checked out by 10am.

Bought a pastry for breakfast on the way to Santa Lucia Station. Next stop was Rome.

We did wait to purchase our high speed train tickets at the station. Employees inside the station can help you purchase the correct tickets or you can purchase them online here. I

t cost us €89 to get to Rome. It was approximately 4 hours to get there. We did not have to validate these since I had a printed ticket with a bar code for each of us. They do check these when you are on the train.

ALSO, the train station was not as close to our Airbnb as we thought. We should have hired a porter to help with our luggage. That was not a fun walk to the train station.

Here is a guy that you can hire~Porter Service Hasan if you are staying at an Airbnb.

Train travel tips:

The high speed train tickets are worth the extra cost.
The platform for your train is listed 20 min before arrival.
Look for the train number NOT the destination.
If you are confused, just ask someone for help. I did this a few times to just clarify that I was in the right spot.
When you are about to arrive to your destination, be ready with your luggage and stand at door. You have a few minutes to get off.