VeniceAfter Lake Como and Milan, Dave and I took a train to Venice! (BTW there are two train stations in Venice – one is in the heart of Venice, and one is further out. If you are staying in “downtown” Venice, make sure you travel to Venizia Santa Lucia.) Dave and I decided to be adventurous and try to take the public ferry down the grand canal to get to our hotel instead of taking a water taxi (we saved like 75 euros doing it this way). It worked out, but man, it was CROWDED!! We made it to our hotel, and were blown away by the views of the grand canal. It was stunning. We quickly dropped off our bags and started exploring. Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world. There is something so magical and unique about it. There are no streets–only canals and walkways. The walkways are a complete maze, and it’s so much fun to get lost wandering. Dave and I ended up walking over 30 miles in two and half days without even trying to. (Note to self: sacrifice fashion and wear tennis shoes to walk around next time.) Although we spent most of our time in Venice lazily wandering the streets with gelato in hand, we did fit in a few touristy things! Our hotel was only about a five minute walk from St. Mark’s Square, which was fantastic. We ended up taking a combined tour of St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. We wanted to take the “Secret Passageway” tour that’s really popular, but we found out that we needed to book that a month in advance. Oh well.The tour was incredible, and let us skip the lines in each location (totally worth it). There are a bunch of tour groups that gather to the left of St. Mark’s Basilica, and that’s where we went to schedule our tour. Do not miss going inside the Basilica! It’s absolutely breathtaking! You aren’t allowed to take pictures inside, so I don’t have any, but if you don’t believe me google the inside! Dave and I also ventured outside of the San Marco area of Venice and traveled via taxi boat to Murano island. This is where you will find all of the famous Murano glass. We took a tour of one of the glass factories (our hotel set it up for us, and it was completely free). The only downside to the glass factory tour was listening to a very pushy sales pitch at the end of the demonstration. Still completely worth it, but it was a smidge annoying (“No, I do not want to pay you 450 euros for that pitcher.”). Dave and I ended up getting an ornament at a shop down the road that was way cheaper and still had the Murano seal on it that proves the piece was really made in Murano. My one piece of advice for buying Murano glass is to be sure it has the Murano glass seal on it. Most things sold in gift shops in Venice and Murano are missing the seal which can mean that the item you’re about to buy was made in a factory in China. Overall, Dave and I loved Venice and I’m sure we will be back again someday. My biggest regret about our time spent there was not riding a gondola!! I couldn’t convince Dave to do it with me, and I’d feel like a huge loser doing it by myself. Dave said it was cheesy (which it is everywhere else EXCEPT Venice!!). Oh well, until next time, Venice….Where we stayed: The Westin Europa & Regina. This hotel was fabulous, and again, with another Westin we knew the beds would be amazing. What we ate: Everything!! Bellini’s and Sprtiz’ were both invented in Venice based on everything that I’ve read, so be sure to order both of those at the bar (they’re delicious). In terms of other food, Dave and I didn’t have a bad meal once in Venice. We had lots of pasta and pizza, and it was all excellent!Touristy things to do: St. Mark’s Square and Basilica – Do not skip going inside the Basilica! Doge’s Palace – where the Doge who used to rule Venice resided. Bridge of Sighs – the bridge prisoners would walk on their way to being tortured or imprisoned for life. Rialto’s Bridge – beautiful historic bridge that crosses the grand canal. Fantastic photo ops here!!Shop the looks: H&M Maxi Dress | Fedora |
