Top 12 Things to do in Venice, Italy
This summer I was lucky to travel around Europe for over 2 months. I spent almost 1 month in Italy, and below is the first episode of my Italy Travel Series. In this series I will bring you around Italy, showing you some of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world. Our first stop is the romantic city of Venice, after that, we’re getting lost in the old streets of Rome, and then, we end it with the scenic Amalfi Coast. I’m including it all in this blog post too, for those of you who prefer to read about it.
Despite Covid 19, you can still travel to Venice, Italy, just make sure to provide a negative covid test. We had zero problems entering Italy from the US and Norway. But without further ado, let’s jump into my “Top 12 Things to do in Venice, Italy” list,
There has never been a better time to visit Venice than now! Tourism is at a record low, so you can actually rome around the tiny alley ways, enjoy the sigh seeing and jump in a gondola without sharing the narrow canals with hundreds of other boats.
VENICE
Venice is located 4162 miles away, it sounds pretty far right? That’s “only” a 9 hours flight away, but let me tell you, it’s definitely worth it! There is so much to do in Venice, so I definitely recommend staying at least 2-3 days to explore as much as possible. We stayed for 4 days, and then we headed to Rome after. But okay enough talk, bring out your notebook and let me show you the “Top 12 things to do in Venice”. Make sure you read all the way to the end, as my favorite things will be revealed closer to the end (or just scroll down now).
12. THE ROYAL GARDEN OF VENICE
Starting off with number 12 on the list, the Royal Garden of Venice. This place is beautiful, and it felt very secluded and calm when we entered it. It’s honestly not too much to do there, but there is 5000 square meter of greenery you can explore. If you have the time, and would like to escape the crowds it’s definitely worth a visit. The Royal Gardens of Venice is open: Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30am to 7pm.
11. EXPLORE AROUND THE GRAND CANAL
Number 11 on the list is of course to explore along the Grand Canal. This is the largest canal in all of Venice, and it’s impossible not to encounter it, as it is the main waterway in Venice for it’s 118 tiny islands. The Grand Canal is most famous for the century-old palaces that you can see standing on both sides of the water. The majority of them are from the 13th to the 18th century. That was an area when this place was called the Venetian Republic, and these houses are still symbols of the wealth and power the Venetian families had at the time.
There is of course a lot more to see here too, stunning hotels, small alley ways, and charming architecture. In the early days Venice had almost no bridges, today tho, Venice has over 400 bridges guaranteeing the unity of this special town.
10. PIAZZA SAN MARCO
Moving on to number 10 - St. Mark Square or Piazza San Marco. This is the largest and most important square in Venice. It’s the number one tourist attraction in this city, and for good reason. Approaching the square by both boat and foot is pretty overwhelming. It’s the widest swath of flat, open land in all of Venice. This place is also a world heritage site. Make sure to check out the Doge Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, including the Campanile (the tall brick bell tower of the basilica you see below), and the Torre Dell’Orologio (Clock Tower)
Saint Marks Square was named after the majestic basilica of the same name that we see below. Make sure you come here during the night as well, its so beautiful then too.
9. CHURCH DE SAN ZACCARIA
This 15th century former monastic church its located in central Venice, and a few min walk from St. Mark Square. It’s actually the third church on this site. The first one was built in 828. The church we see today was built mainly by Venetian architect and sculptor Gambello, and finished by the architect Codussi. The interior of the church is Gambellos work, there are so many beautiful details here, different curves and shapes every where you look.
This church also holds some spectacular art pieces by the famous artist Giovanni Belinni. The second altar on the left side is one of Bellinis most famous pieces, the Virgin and Child with four Saints.
Lastly, one thing I did not have time to check out was the 10th Century Romanesque crypt under the chapel of San Tarasio, here you can see 8 tombs of early doges (the title of the leader of the Venetian Republic), and this place is usually covered in lagoon water, so it gives it a very unique look.
8. The Bridge of Sigh
Number 8 on our list is the bridge of sigh or Ponte Dei Sospiri. You can see the famous bridge from the 2 bridges on each side of the bridge. I’m telling you how the bridge got it’s name in my YouTube video above, starting at minute 06:03. If you want to beat the crowds, just come a bit earlier in the day or at night it’s very beautiful too. If you want another view you can take a gondola ride and ask if they can include the bridge of sigh.
7. EXPLORE THE FOOD SCENE
Moving on to another important topic on our list, number 7, exploring the food scene in Venice. We went back to Ristorante Pesciolino D'oro because I had seen earlier that they had Gluten Free Pizza and Pasta! It was located close to our hotel next to this little square, and it had a cute outdoor seating. We ordered pizza, and gnocci, and wine. The food was good but the house wine was the definitely best.
The second restaurant we checked out was called Dragone D'Oriente. It’s an asian place that quickly became our favorite place to eat in all of Venice! It was actually so good we went back the next day too. They also had a Japanese menu, so Jon ordered sushi as well the next day. But overall they had the best service we encountered in Venice, charming outdoor seating, good prices and very tasty food.
And yes, I know you are supposed to eat only Pizza and Pasta in Italy! But we love Chinese food, and we knew we were going to eat our fare share of Italian food the next 4 weeks. I always ordered the vegan fried rice noodles with veggies, and then we shared spring rolls, and edamame as starters. The food was so good! The address is Calle dei Fabbri, 1053, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy if you want to take a break from the Italian food.
Another place that might be worth checking out is the Grand Cafe at St. Marks Square. At least for the live music at night. We just stopped and listen to the music, and enjoyed the views of the Square. The reviews about this place are a bit mixed tho, if you are lucky and get good service I’m sure it’s a beautiful experience. Just keep ion mind, it’s 10 Euros for a small Coca Cola.
6. ANTIQUE SHOPPING IN VENICE
Okay number 6 is antique shopping and getting lost in the streets of Venice! There is nothing that excites me more than antique shopping in old European cities. I was so happy when we randomly came across this beautiful antique store! If I had a larger luggage I would have bought so much more, I really wanted a mirror. Venice has a lot of antique stores, but we only visited this one, I ended up getting two stone jewelry boxes.
I could not find the name of this store, the owner was a true artist, please let me know ion the comments below if you know the name of this store! It was located close to the hotel Palazzo Stern and this area here I took a picture of below.
When it comes to traditional souvenir shopping, there is actually a lot of fun stores here in Venice, make sure to check out the traditional opera masks, and glass pieces made here in Venice. Or pick up a painting from a local artist!
5. ENJOY AN APERITIVO AT A NICE HOTEL
It’ s pretty similar to number 7 on our list, the food scene. But an aperitivo is a pre-meal drink, so it deserves it own place. Italians take their aperitivo very seriously, it’ like a cultural ritual. The purpose of an aperitivo is to open the stomach before dining.
We decided to have our aperitivo at the beautiful sister hotel of Hotel Vivaldi, Palazzo Stern. We had the entire place to ourselves, and our quintessential Bellinis came with freshly pressed peach puree. The staff and this place is just beyond beautiful. Highly recommend going here for an aperitivo!
4. RIDE IN A VINTAGE CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT
These iconic boats are the water taxi limousines of Venice. A quick google search and you will see James Bond, George Clooney and Bridget Bardot all looking fabulous onboard these beauties. It looks like they are freshly polished every day, and the captains take huge pride in their boats. They can be pretty pricy, often starting at 100 Euro, but you can fit up to 10 people in them if you are a group. We were lucky enough that we got it for free multiple times through our hotel. They are super fast, and you do feel like you’re in a moving, highly recommend!
3. THE ISLAND OF MURANO
Number 3, and the bronze medal on our list goes to the island of Murano! Ow be warned this is definitely a tourist trap, but we enjoyed it! Murano Island is home to over 100 glass factories, we only had time to visit one of them but we loved it! Murano is located a 15-20 min boat ride away. It was so cool to see how it works, the glass masters often work over 20 years to become the best. He showed us how to create a beautiful water carafe. And when we thought we had seen the best, he went ahead and made a glass horse, making it look super easy. And because the glass was so hot, you could literally set paper of fire just by touching the horse!
After they were done showing us everything in this room, they took us to the tourist trap, this is where you lose your money if you don’t control yourself. Our guide took us to their showroom, it’s 3 floors, and massive. Prices get higher the up you get! We ended up buying two really cool glasses, they package it really securely so we had no problems bringing it back to New York.
We got the tour for free trough our hotel, and the boat ride back to Venice for free to because we bought 2 glasses. A lot of hotels in Venice offer this, but if not, you can also book it on airbnb and talk to your hotel.
2. STAYING AT A NICE HOTEL
This just makes the entire experience of Venice so much more exciting! We stayed at Hotel Locanda Vivaldi, and it’s one of the greatest hotel experiences I’ve had. It’s a small boutique hotel, that used to be the residence of the famous composer Antonio Vivaldi. This hotel has the best view of the city, this was our rooftop where we got breakfast included each morning. I mean look at this view!
With the Champagne the hotel offered, We also enjoyed it at night, when it was empty and we could have drinks and enjoy the sunset over this beautiful city. Our room was in true Venetian style, and I felt like I walked into a Time Machine. Also, the view from our corner suite was breathtaking!
Another hotel I recommend based on the service from the staff, the location, and the balcony is Locanda Vivaldi’s sister hotel, Palazzo Stern. Another 4 star hotel, in true Venetian style. This is where we had the aperitivo for my birthday, and this place is stunning. They also have a jacuzzi hotel guest can book on top of their rooftop, enjoying the scenic view of the red roofs covering the city.
Oh they also have a beautiful chapel there, dating back to when the hotel was originally built in the 15th century. Overall stunning place!
ENJOY A GONDOLA RIDE
And now, you probably guessed it! Number one on the list is of course the gondola ride! As cliche as it sounds, and almost self explanatory this is a must. It’s so incredibly romantic, and you get the chance to see Venice from a completely different angle. I posted a few important tips over on my Instagram on how to get the best experience, check that out here.
Even though it’s a bit pricey, it’s like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. We headed out around 5-6 pm during golden hour, and we truly enjoyed it, it was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday!
So there you have it guys! That sums up my top 12 things to do in Venice, Italy! I really hope you enjoyed it and got some good tips. Let me know in the comment sections below if you are going to Venice or if you’ve been, what’s your favorite thing to do there? I would love to know! As I mentioned earlier, this is the best time to visit, tourism is at a record low, and the locals says Venice is way more beautiful now. Pre Covid Venice used to have 30 million people visit a year, and that can be pretty hectic for the 50.000 local Venetians and their city. They have already banned cruise ships from entering, and these ships used to dump thousands of tourists every day, and they are planning to start charging entry fees to day trippers, and also limit the number of visitors. I hope Venice will be able to find more ways to stop over tourism, and preserve their beautiful city. I’m so thankful we got to experience Venice now! I wish you all a beautiful rest of the day, and make sure to tune in next Sunday 10.24.21 on my YouTube for my next episode from Venice.
xx Camilla
