3-Days Exploring the City of Canals
Only 55,000 people live in the Italian city of Venice, but more than 20 million people visit the city every year. Venice is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. However, in the month of December there is next to no crowds making for a great trip to the city of canals! Although it was a little cold (in the 40’s most days) a winter trip to Venice did not disappoint.
Check-out how we spent our 3-days in Venezia!
Our flight got into Venice late at night so we went straight to the hotel to check-in and get comfortable but we were starving. Lucky for us, our hotel was just steps away from Pako’s Pizza & Pasta which is open 24 hours a day. Pako did not disappoint! Not only was it delicious, but it was affordable.
Day 1:
We started off our day with a trip to Doge’s Palace which was the residence of the Doge of Venice. We booked the secret itineraries tour at Doge’s Palace ahead of time. This tour brings you into a secret area of the palace that is not visible from the outside. The tour guides also give great insight into the history of Venice. The palace is also home to the famous Bridge of Sighs which is the bridge that connects the palace with the new prison. It’s called the Bridge of Sighs because it is said that prisoners would sigh as they crossed it because it was the last time they would see the beautiful views of Venice through the window on the bridge.
Before we started our search for a place to grab lunch we stopped by the famous Libreria Aqua Alta which is a local bookstore that has great views of the canal.
We finally found a great place for lunch called Ai Do Archi where we ordered Gnocchi and an Eggplant Sandwich. It was delicious and affordable.
Tip: Watch out for “Caperto” charges in Venice. This is basically a charge for the table and bread per person. Most restaurants in Venice have one but look for places that charge €2 or less per person. Also, avoid restaurants that have recruiters outside or menus with large images and menus in multiple languages. These are normally tourist traps!
After lunch we kept exploring around the city taking in Saint Marks Basilica, the Rialto Bridge, and all of the beautiful canals. We also visited the T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi which is a department store that has an amazing view of the Grand Canal from the rooftop!
We ended our day with take away pasta from Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta and tiramisu from I Tre Mercanti.
Day 2:
It wouldn’t be a visit to Venice without getting a boat ride in the canal. While most people opt for the famous gondola rides we decided instead to take a boat tour with a local Venetian man instead. The gondola rides are expensive (€80+ for a 30-minute ride). So, we decided instead to book a ride with Like a Venetian who likes to show people around Venice in the true Venetian way. I highly suggest taking a tour with him instead of a gondolier because not only is the tour much longer (1 hour and 30 minutes) but he points out different things you wouldn’t normally pay attention to or see and provides great insight about the city that he has called home his entire life.
After our tour, we went to a restaurant called Cicchetteria Venexiana da Luca e Fred which was recommended by our tour guide for some prosecco and cichetti. Cichetti are basically small snacks that are typically €1-€2 per piece. They are delicious and traditional Venetian foods. You also should eat this standing up by the bar rather than ordering them at a table.
We spent the afternoon hopping from place to place filling up on cichetti and prosecco and wandering through the streets of Venice taking in all of the views.
When it was finally time for dinner, we had our hearts set on finding some good seafood! We moved out of the touristy area of Venice and found a cute little restaurant where we snacked on a cheese board before having a dinner of seafood risotto! It was delicious and again, affordable!
Day 3:
For our final full-day in Venice we decided to take the water bus or vaporetto over to Murano. Murano is famous for their bright colored buildings and glass making. After hopping into a few glass shops and wandering around the island, we decided to head back towards the main island but take a pitstop on San Giorgio Maggiore where we climbed the bell tower for a great overlook of the canal and city.
We decided to hop back on the vaporetto and work our way up the canal with pitstops along the way at Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and some small shops! We loaded up on local prosecco for €7.50 a bottle at a great little wine shop called Livy Wines.
Tip: I highly suggest buying a day pass for the vaporetto at least one day during any trip to Venice. That way, you can hop on and off the bus anywhere on the canal and also get to see the Grand Canal from the water for a relatively cheap price.
We ended our last day in Venice at a restaurant right on the canal called Trattoria Bar Pontini. Here, we ordered more prosecco of course! And caprese, lasagne and seafood ravioli. We skipped dessert here and picked up one last tiramisu from I Tre Mercanti again because it was just THAT good.
The next morning, we had to leave Venice relatively early. So, we got up before the crowds rolled into Piazza San Marco to appreciate how beautiful Venice is and say goodbye! This is a city we definitely want to come back to as it has so much more to explore and hopefully we will have the chance someday!