A weekend break in Venice

I am fortunate to have visited Venice a few times, but this time I was set on a day trip to one of the five outer islands, Burano, known for its lace making or to photographers as “that amazing place with the colourful houses”. So Venice became the start of our 3 week European adventure.

Blame it on a very early morning decision at London airport or the fact we were short of time on our two day break, but we decided to splurge last minute and book a private water taxi with Venicelink  to pick us up from Marco Polo Airport. Private water taxis are not cheap and will cost you about 100 euros or more (for 2 persons) but we found this website to offer the best rates. If I had to do it again, I would buy a ticket on the Airport link run by the company Alilaguna. They offer a shared water taxi for 27 euros per person and will take you to the major points of interest but will not take you direct to your hotel (so that may also depend on how much time you have and the location of your hotel.) The service can take up to 45 min – 1 hr.

We stayed at Casa Nicolo Priuli, the sister hotel of Palazzo Priulli, which is a few metres away and perhaps easier to locate on the map. It is a cute Venetian hotel located in a historical building close to San Marco Square, but also far enough away that the streets around the hotel are not lined with tourists.

Day 1 was spent getting our priorities in order: familiarising ourselves with the area and finding the closest gelato shops to our hotel. Naturally!

Venice is a beautiful city but during summer it’s full of tourists, which can spoil the romantic feel of the place. We tried to avoid this by discovering new passage ways. If a group of people went one way, we went the other. There is almost always something to be found at the end of another canal. It is great just to get lost and see where you end up. It is not such a big city after all.

Day 1 we spent (trying) to avoid those tourists, eating lots of gelato and stopping to admire the sounds of Venice such as the gondoliers singing as they went under a bridge. Instead of riding a gondola – which sadly is so touristy and expensive now – why not grab some cheese and wine from a local store, and perch yourself on one of the steps of the many bridges and enjoy the free experience whilst the gondoliers glide by. Usually a few gondoliers will row past, serenading in Italian, which adds to the romance.

Looking for somewhere to escape the summer heat, we stumbled across the European Cultural Centre, which played host to the Venice Biennale.  The Personal Structures Crossing Borders Exhibition was showing.

My favourite part of the day in Venice is when the sun sets. The tourists disperse, the heat goes down and you can wander the canals in the dark, a lot of the time with no one else in sight. That’s when the beauty of the city hits you. We got caught in a summer thunderstorm while roaming around St Mark’s Square after dinner, and finished the night off with yet another gelato.

Day 2

We had a full day, and as a photographer I wasn’t about to let it slide by. We woke at 6am to get the most of the day, the light, and the fact that most of the tourists would still be asleep. Funnily enough, we didn’t count on all those other photographers who had the same idea! It was still worth it, and we felt like we had a little more of the city to ourselves.

That afternoon we explored the Jewish ghetto area. An area overlooked by many on their visit to Venice, it is definitely one that should be seen, not just for the history but the restaurants are better and you will also be rewarded with quieter alleyways with barely any tourists.

We caught the 4:30pm ferry to Burano and spent the rest of the afternoon until night exploring this amazing island. You can read more about it HERE.

Venice Travel Guide-Recommendations:

If you haven’t done your homework, you will most likely get caught up in the tourist traps which will leave you thinking the local pizza/pasta place in your own home town offers better Italian food and costs a fraction of the price. It is possible to have a great meal in Venice – you just need to know where to go.

Food + drink:

Bentigodi L’ Osteria Di Chef Domenico – Calesele – Cannaregio 1423 – Venice, Italy
We ate here when we visited the Jewish Quarter and were not disappointed. Photos below

Taverna del Campiello Remer – Address: Sestiere Cannaregio, 5701, 30121 Venezia, Italy.
Located near the Grand canal, and not easy to find. If you do, you will be rewarded with great food, accompanied with nightly lively music. Highly recommended.

Osteria Ae Cravate –  Address: Santa Croce 36/36 | Salizada di San Pantalon, Venice.
Located in Santa Croche, a much quieter area of Venice, is this fantastic family run seafood, pasta restaurant. You know it’s good when the locals choose to eat here.

Cheese lover? Don’t go past Proscuitto E Parmigiano – Address: Castello 5793, Calle Mondo Novo
(Between the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square)

Bar Longhi. Drinks don’t come cheap here but it’s a great place to sit back, relax and soak up the beautiful canal views.

Bacaro Risorto – Address: Castello 4700 | Campo San Provolo Campo s.Provolo
A fun, busy little wine bar where the locals frequent.

You can view more Venice photos HERE

 

*** This article can now be downloaded at GPSmy City HERE ***