After a very lovely and short flight we landed at Venice Marco Polo airport and stepped on to Italian soil for the first time! We had a few transport options to the actual island of Venice available to us (the airport is on the mainland). There was a water taxi for €15 which took 40 minutes - I’m not the best on boats 🤮 so we decided to take the bus instead for €9.50. Cue a nightmare trying to get the ticket machines to work (there’s a trend here!). Sam made friends with a German man in line who missed his bus and subsequently his train that only runs once an hour due to a group of tourists who were mucking around on the machine for ages. Eventually the group left without even buying tickets which was the most frustrating part!

After a fairly uneventful bus ride, we crossed the long bridge out to the island and were greeted with our first glimpse of the Grand Canal. It was a beautiful evening with a lovely sunset. Our accommodation was only a ten minute walk from the bus terminal. This time we stayed in a hotel which actually was quite reasonable. Last time Sam stayed on the Italian mainland because it was so expensive! It was €284 for the two nights plus the €16 tourist tax. Food options that we walked past were also quite reasonable compared to last time Sam visited. Our assumption is Covid had quite an impact so forced a lot of the restaurants to reevaluate their pricing. I still wasn’t feeling too well so Sam went out to grab some takeout and got caught out in a lightning storm that appeared out of nowhere! We had an early night so I could get some rest and we could get up early to beat the crowds and the heat.

We started our morning with a reasonably priced breakfast before heading out to wander through the laneways and cobblestone streets of Venice. As we were walking, a large seagull flew straight at me, swerved at the last minute and literally plucked a full croissant out of a ladies hand before taking off into the distance. We both shared a moment of disbelief about what had just happened before continuing on. My heart was racing for some time after!

Generally I had an idea of where we were going but decided to take a risk and just follow random signage again (as I’ve had such payoff from it in the past). It was the scenic route (perfect) which took us through random alleyways, buildings, over bridges and canals to the Rialto Bridge. The bridge is one of only four that cross the Grand Canal and is the oldest and most famous.

After admiring the canal and after a few quick snaps, we continued our walking tour (trusting in random signage again) and made our way to Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) to view the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), Basilica di San Marco (St Mark’s Basilica) and the Bridge of Sighs. The Basilica was very ostentatious from the outside. We were a bit too early to go in and didn’t want to hang around in the square too long as it was starting to fill up with tourists. So after catching a good view out over the Grand Canal to the other islands, we walked by the Campanile di San Marco (St Mark’s Campanile) and through Piazzo San Marco and headed towards the Pont dell’ Accademia.

We walked past a gondola jam near the ferry terminal and through the street of high end luxury shops. It’s crazy when space on the island is at such a premium - these shops take up so much room to display an ugly handbag! Our walk took us over one of the other four bridges that crosses the Grand Canal and into the quieter district of Dorsoduro. We were quite content to meander and get lost as it was so pretty just wandering. I helped a little old lady take her shopping over a bridge so got my good karma fill for the day.

It was starting to heat up considerably so we grabbed some cold drinks and made our way back towards our accommodation to recharge. We found a cute little restaurant near our accommodation for lunch where I had the most delicious pasta dish I’ve ever had in my life.

After waiting out the worst of the heat, we headed out near sunset to take the Lucy version of a cruise on the Grand Canal. The gondolas are just obscene and a tourist trap. They start at €80 for a 25-30 minute ride. If you want them to talk to you or sing to you it’s an additional cost. Most of the gondola drivers we went past were literally on their phones the whole time! To go on a Lucy cruise, you go to the start of the ferry lines 1 or 2, pay €9.50 each and get as close to the front of the boat as you can. Then enjoy 40 minutes slowly meandering through the Grand Canal before getting off at St Mark’s Square! Going through the Grand Canal was a highlight! From the canal, you can really see some of the buildings are buckling and/or sinking at some points (although hard to show in a photo!). We also got a glimpse into some of the very fancy hotels and exclusive water access only bars and restaurants.

Heading back into St Mark’s Square we were both surprised to see it flooding! The tide must of been in so the drains to take away the rain water were doing the inverse and letting the lagoon into the square! There was a couple of bands playing as well which really set the atmosphere! Almost titanic vibes with the square sinking and the bands playing in the background!

Our wander back to our hotel took us past all the beautiful stores filled with Venetian masks (the really fancy masks they wouldn’t let you take photos of so I only have the un-inspiring window versions). After a lovely stroll back to our hotel, we retired for the evening to get a good rest for our bus ride to Florence the next day!

Venice was an experience! It was definitely a good idea to get out early and view the sights before the cruise ship passengers and day trippers arrived on the island. I’m happy I visited but there’s not more than a day’s worth of activities to do so I’m glad we stayed as long as we did. Although it would of been nice to explore one of the other islands. It surprised us both how reasonable the prices were considering we were prepared to pay a lot more! Venice, nice to see but once in a lifetime is enough.

Next stop, Tuscany and Florence!