I wasn’t overly excited for Venice; Martin’s the one who insisted we go. Not that I put up much of a fight, but I reeeeally wanted to see the Cinque Terre instead. However, our next destination was Slovenia, and he pointed out that Venice was the logical choice, geographically speaking. Damn it. He was right. Who ever said women don’t compromise?
The minute we set foot in rainy Venice though, I couldn’t help but smile and giggle. Even hauling my hefty luggage abags over the countless bridges and stairs didn’t deter my amazement.
Even though it’s renowned to be overcrowded with cruise ship tourists, I never really felt it, even during a late August weekend. What did turn out to be true through is the sky-high prices for accommodations and restaurants. We managed to find a (relatively) cheap apartment with Airbnb directly on the island, but it was still twice as much as what we paid in Rome and Florence.
It’s strange because even though I would go back to Venice in a heartbeat, I’ve been having all the trouble in the world writing this post. I’ve been systematically procrastinating and posting food posts to avoid dealing with this blank page syndrome. But this is it, today I’m getting through with it.
I’ll keep it simple. Here’s why I think Venice should be on your list.
Venice is unique
There’s something so special about Venice; where else can you find an entire city on the water, where the cars and busses are replaced by boats?
A total of 117 canals and 455 bridges connect 118 small islands. And 123 churches. Italians love their churches. I don’t even wanna know how many gondolas are registered. You can witness traffic jams in the major areas. It’s quite a sight.
It’s a real maze
Even though it may seem small (I mean, how big can an artificial city be, right?), Venice is a fairly impressive labyrinth of alleys. We found ourselves getting lost more often than not. On the bright side, you can’t get lost very far on an island.
Plus, you can drink in the streets! So put that map back into your bag and just enjoy the view.
Piazza San Marco
With Amélie and Geneviève, two girls we know from Québec who happened to be there on our first night, we bought a couple bottles of wine and walked around the city. They took us to Piazza San Marco, famous for a reason. I felt a huge wave of emotion as we finally came up to this grandiose square. I recommend sticking around until the evening when it all lights up.
I enjoyed watching families feeding the countless pigeons. Some of the more energetic kids chased the birds relentlessly. My favorite part was listening to the bands playing tango. It’s a shame that you can’t sit anywhere though. It’s either sit at a table and pay €9 for a cappuccino, or stand up in the square. You can try sitting down in the stairs around the piazza, but it won’t be long until the “no sitting police” wooshes you away.
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It’s even more beautiful from above
As always, we climbed up the bell tower to get a picture of Venice and its surroundings. Actually, we didn’t climb; there was an elevator. We would’ve gladly taken the stairs but no such option was available.
You can make your own terrace pretty much anywhere
We quickly made a habit of improvising picnics next to canals. The view is nice pretty much everywhere after all.
You don’t need to pay a fortune in fancy touristic restaurant by the Grand Canal to enjoy a night in Venice. We did eat out one evening and left somewhat disappointed. We’d been spoiled for the last two weeks and the meals just didn’t cut it for us. Instead, we should have just stuck to our winning formula: grab a few beers, stop by a small pizzeria and find our own terrace.
Gosh! It feels so good to finally be done! I hope I was able to inspire you to visit this magical one-of-a-kind city.
And on our ever growing “things we’ll do when we come back here” list, we’ll definitely take a day or two to discover the colourful Murano and Burano islands!
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This place is absolutely gorgeous, Aryane! These photos are lovely!
Thank you so much Agness!
Have you been!? :)
Your photos of Venice are lovely. It’s weird when you think of it as so many little islands as it doesn’t feel like it when you there lol
Thanks Jenni!
You’re so right, it’s actually lots of tiny islands making a big one. I found the place fascinating!
Oh Venice! You minx of a city. Beautiful one day, miserable rain the next. Happy to see that you enjoy your little adventure in Venice.
It made up for its bipolar weather with all its charms! :D
You are so right–Venice is super unique. I lived in Italy for a short time and explored all over and never saw anything else like Venice. I love the labyrinth of it and of course the food! I’m sad I never made it to the top of the tower though (next time)! Love your pictures, glad you had a great time!
Thanks Ashley!
I dream of living in Italy someday. In a small villa set on a Tuscan hill.. Or maybe on a beach in Sardaigne?
I can’t decide!
I too love Venice, such a magical city and as you said so unique. It is such a shame about Piazza San Marco and not being able to sit down unless you purchase something over priced. Thanks for your post. I really want to go back now as it was quite a few years since I was there.
Thanks Kathy, I want to go back too!
It was a bit annoying that the piazza was so into making money, but at least it didn’t take away any of its charm :)
I’d love to visit Venice, but it will be without my boyfriend as he’s not interested at all in going there. It looks stunning. The canals, the architecture, everything. I’ll have to make sure I book a solo trip there at some point soon ;)
That’s too bad! You should tell him that he might be very surprised, just like I was.
I’ve never traveled alone, but if it’s something you like you could probably spend a very nice weekend there! :)
I cannot believe I’m just now discovering your blog – I love it! Venice has been at the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and someday I hope to finally get around to making that dream vacation a reality. I mostly keep procrastinating the trip because I want to spend an entire month in Italy! Beautiful photos and I love how you included the stats for how many islands, bridges and churches there are. And I had NO idea that traffic jams could occur with gondolas! How funny. Is there a recommended time to rent one to avoid all the crowds?
you’re so sweet, thanks for your lovely comment!
We only spent two weeks in Italy and, even though it was enough for us to explore quite a bit, we were really sad to leave!
We didn’t rent a gondola so I wouldn’t know when’s the best time to do so, but they’re pretty much always available so you can just see what the circulation looks like decide on the spot! :)
Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world! Have you been to Burano? I was supposed to go to both in March but my 5 year old had other plans and put Paris on her Christmas list!
No it’s on our list for our next visit!
Will it be your first time in Paris? It’s such a great great city! I’ve been twice and I loved it each time :)
I have never seen a traffic jam with boats before! It does look like a magical city. The closest I’ve gotten to Venice is Milan, and actually your photo of the plaza at night all lit up reminds me of some of the sights my friend took me to at Milan when the buildings were all lit up! I’d love to visit Milan someday.
You mean you’d love to visit Venice? :)
I’ve never been to Milan but people didn’t recommend it that much, especially since I’m more of a minimalist and don’t like shopping anymore!
Did you like the city?
Venice sure is magical, there’s just a nice vibe to it that I liked!
Sorry I meant to say I want to visit Venice! I’ve heard mostly negative things about Milan as well, but I really loved it (and I don’t like to shop at all – did not do any shopping while I was in Milan). I think one reason I liked it so much is that I was visiting a friend who lived there, so I had a local take me around to all the good spots and that made for a much more authentic and enjoyable experience. That was also my first time in Italy so I was drooling over all the delicious pasta and pleasantly surprised by how outgoing and friendly everyone was.
Hehe it’s okay, I figured as much!
Having a local show us around is always a big big plus! And I think Italy’s great, no matter where you go.
I hope to go back sometime soon! Do you plan on going this year?
I’ve only got my travels through April planned out for this year, so it’s possible I’ll go later in the year! I do plan to go to Germany this summer because my sister will be living there, and I plan to go back for Oktoberfest, so I could tack on Italy to one of those trips! We’ll see :)
Oh that’s great! Where will she be living in Germany? Let me know if you come to the north! I’m in Hannover :)
I’ve been to Rome and really love it, so I think I’ll like Venice too if I have the chance to go there. Have you also been to Rome and if yes, do you think there’s any distinct difference between the 2 cities (except from the canals)?. And do you think Venice is somehow too touristy and overpriced? (Some of my friends told me so)
Rome and Venice are so so different! They share the same language but that’s it.
The architecture is different, the food is way better in Rome and everything is also cheaper there, surprisingly.
And as I mentioned in the post, Venice is the most expensive city we visited. It was touristy but bearable, so that shouldn’t keep you from going :)
I loved Venice. Been a couple of times in different times of the year (and weather) but it is magical every time. I love how it is so quirky and unique and when you wonder off a bit, you’ll hardly notice the tourists at all!
Exactly! It was much more quiet than I expected! I’d love to go back!