Venice gets a lot of flack for being super touristy, but I seriously had the time of my life exploring this city for a weekend! In this guide, I’ll cover the best spots to visit and how to beat the crowds in order to have the best possible vacation in the floating city.
How to get there:
I didn’t realize that Venice had an airport until after my visit, so I actually flew into Milan Malpensa and took a relatively short 2.5 hour train ride to get to Venice. Learn from my mistake that there is actually an airport here! You could also arrive by train from other Italian cities/other European cities throughout the continent easily and efficiently. At the risk of stating the obvious, there are no cars in Venice – so driving here is not an option!
Where to stay/getting around:
Choosing where to stay in Venice can be a little tricky, but worry not. You can stay in the mainland part of Venice in either Lido or Mestre for a cheaper choice, or you can choose to stay in central Venice close to the canals – use Piazza San Marco as a reference for the center of the city. I stayed at the Generator Hostel Venice in an area called Guidecca, a short 5 minute boat trip away from central Venice.
What’s unique about Venice (and why its so famous) is its extensive waterway system. Traveling throughout Venice and to the different outer islands (like Burano and Murano, more on that later) requires water buses (called vaporetto here), and there’s also smaller private water taxis available. Your best bet may be investing in travel cards that allow you to ride on the water buses unlimited amounts (€20 for one day, €30 for two, €40 for three and so on). Touristy gondolas that whisk visitors through the canals of Venice are also available for a hefty price.
What to do:
The best part about Venice is obviously the picturesque canals and bridges that are abundant throughout the city. Every little corner, street, alley, canal, and bridge in Venice looks like it is straight out of a painting. It’s even more beautiful than it looks in photos, if that’s even possible. There isn’t a single fragment of this city that could be considered ugly or displeasing – the whole damn thing, everywhere you look, is simply unparalleled in terms of charm an
d beauty.
I woke up super early around 7 a.m. and headed right out the door to explore and had the place pretty much all to myself. For several hours, there were very few people wandering the streets with me! This is the key to departing from an overly touristy experience in Venice: wake up early and hit the streets in the a.m. to feel like the city is virtually yours! I also went in off season in March, so that could also be an option if you’re looking to avoid that infamous crowds that flock to see Venice’s glory.
During your morning stroll, be sure to check out some specific famous canals like Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge, and the Grand Canal. Otherwise, get lost among the smaller, quainter bridges deep in the city. Another must-see is Piazza San Marco, Venice’s (smaller) answer to New York’s Time’s Square or Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. It’s an urban space with restaurants, lots of birds all over the ground, and glorious Saint Mark’s Basilica across the square. You could, at this point, take a gondola ride through the canals for a pricey €80 per boat. If you’re traveling with others, this wouldn’t be such a bad deal, but since I was solo traveling, it just wasn’t a feasible option. I guess I’ll just have to return one day so I can cross that off my bucket list!
After you’ve spent a morning couple hours exploring Venice, it’s probably starting to get a bit crowded with other tourists just starting their days. Take this opportunity to head to either Burano or Murano, two colorful little islands a water bus ride away from Venice mainland. Visit Murano first, which takes around 40 minutes by water bus on Line 12 leaving from stop S. Zaccaria adjacent to Piazza San Marco. After a pleasant, short ride, you’ll arrive in the charismatic little island town known for its glass-making. Here you can glance or shop around for locally-crafted souvenirs, or visit the museum dedicated to glass-making. This island is very small and can be explored on foot in 1-2 hours.
The real treat is Burano, though. The same Line 12 that brought you to Murano earlier continues the journey onto Burano, another 30 ish minutes away on water bus. As soon as I stepped off the dock I was instantly in love with this island absolutely bursting with color! Every color on the spectrum could be found painted on these vibrant little cottages next to each other, creating a variegated (one of my GRE study words hehe), whimsical atmosphere. I just remember snapping photos of literally every single house, thinking ok it can’t get cuter than THIS one… then I would keep walking and keep being continuously stunned by the cuteness! Burano was probably my favorite part of my whole Venice experience, don’t miss this little island full of life! P.s. Burano is also famous for lace but I was clearly more interested in the pretty buildings, haha.
By the time I took the water bus back to central Venice, I started to see just how crowded it can get. The small, narrow alleys and bridges became jammed with people. Now the gondola rides I saw in the water were stuck in traffic jams with other gondolas, instead of the peaceful, lonely riders I saw in the morning. I can see how bothersome the crowds could become if you’re stuck with that all day. But if you stick to my plan of visiting central Venice early in the a.m., and then moving onto Murano/Burano in the early afternoon, you should be better off! Meanwhile, I will keep dreaming about Venice until the day that I can return!
