“It is always assumed that Venice is the ideal place for a honeymoon. This is a grave error. To live in Venice, or even to visit it, means you fall in love with the city itself.  There is nothing left over in your heart for anyone else.” -Peggy Guggenheim

Venice really is a dream come true. The beauty of the canals, the architecture and the culture will just take your breath away. Here are some of the things we did in Venice as well as recommendations for when you make your way to The Floating City.

Getting Around

We took the train from Switzerland to Venice. Venice is an island off of the mainland if you were not aware, so the train is the main mode of transportation there. Once you get off the train it was easy to go out of the train station and take a water taxi to our hotel. Figuring out how to purchase a water taxi tickets was a little stressful but we found someone who spoke English who told us to get a ticket at the kiosk which was right next to the water taxi pick up/drop off. They say never to take anything someone gives you because it is most likely a scam and once you take it then they will demand money. Well while we were waiting in line to get our water taxi tickets a man came up and handed us two tickets and said, “be blessed”. It happened so fast and we weren’t sure what he was even handing us. We tried to tell him no thank you and give them back but he insisted and walked away. The lady who spoke English who was helping with the kiosks looked at us and said take them they are real so we ended up not having to purchase tickets but I would try to stay out of situations like this because you never know. Also be aware of your belongs at all times in big crowds because Venice is known for pick pockets. Once on the water taxi you need to know which stop you need to get off at for your hotel and we were staying next to the hospital so we knew from speaking with our hotel that we needed to get off at the Ospedale stop. Venice is very walkable so make sure to bring your walking shoes! To get around Venice you either walk or take a water taxi (which costs money). Also be aware that there are lots of stairs over the canals between blocks and there can be very tight walkways between buildings so not ideal for a stroller or wheelchair. Google maps worked great for helping us find different locations and restaurants.

Where To Stay

We stayed at the BEST little bed and breakfast and I will recommend it to everyone! It was called Alloggi Barbaria and was next to the hospital. This is important to know and I didn’t know this until we got there but that is the quiet side of the island. We would go out and eat dinner and walk around to explore and there would be just a hand full of people here and there and I just thought to myself, “wow no one must be visiting Venice in June.” But no, the other side of the island was packed with tourists and we were spending our days with more of the locals, it was wonderful and so peaceful. I used Orbitz to book all of our hotels in advance.

Make sure you are aware when booking hotels in Europe that they do not charge you tax when you book online. You must pay tax in cash only when you check in. It is usually around 1-5 euros per person staying a night, so make sure you have enough cash on hand. -Kylie

Things To Do

Gondola Rides

You’re in Venice, so of course you have to take an iconic gondola ride through the canals. I booked ours on TripAdvisor in advance and it was so nice not having to worry about which places had the best prices and where to go. So i would highly recommend booking it in advance. It wasn’t super fun or romantic because there were other people and there was traffic from the other gondolas, but when in Venice you at least have to do it once!

Food Tour

I would highly recommended doing a food tour in Venice! While I was looking for things to do this one came up on TripAdvisor and had very high ratings and they were not lying! It’s called: Eat Like a Local 3 Hour Venice Small Group Food Tasting Walking Tour. OMG it was the best! We had a local tour guide who explained the history of Venice, the food and the culture. It was a walking tour so we met at a central location with our group and then walked all over Venice. Trying different types of food and wine from the best restaurants you wouldn’t find just by using Google, it was truly amazing! Part of the culture of Italy is to enjoy eating good food and drinking good wine with your friends and family. So on this food tour we got out of our comfort zone and began talking and mingling with people in our group. We walked away becoming friends with some amazing people who we plan to visit very soon!

Libreria Acqua Alta

This is a fun stop while in Venice if you are a book lover. The Libreria Acqua Alta is a book store and all the way in the back is the steps made of books. If you climb them you will be able to see over the wall to see the water canal on the other side. I am an avid reader and I heard of a cool souvenir idea that you might want to do as well if you are a book lover. The idea is you pick your favorite book (that is so popular they would sell it in other countries) and you buy a copy of that book from every country you visit in their language. The girl online who I saw do this, she got The Great Gatsby everywhere she went. For me, I love Harry Potter, so I thought it would be cool to get a book from each country we visit to make the whole collection! So my first book was in German from Switzerland, second book was in Italian from Italy, and the third book was in German from Germany. Once I get all 7 books I will have to switch to a different book or book series but I just love the idea so much!

Food and Drinks

The food in Venice was to die for! Some people don’t understand how food can be life changing and they just haven’t experienced really good food. We had the best pizza, pasta and Hugo Spritz in Venice! Each region of Italy is known for different types of food so you can’t go just anywhere and order anything Italian and expect it to be the best. Just like in the USA, different regions are known for different types of food. Venice is known for its seafood. We got to try so many different types of fish on our food tour and we don’t normally like to eat a lot of fish but it was so amazing, I am glad we stepped out of our comfort zone. We had the best pizza at Ai Do Archi Venezia, highly recommend! I had the best mushroom and truffle pasta at Hostaria Al Cavallo. Both of these restaurants were right down the road from our hotel. We did try Aperol Spritz and it was too bitter for our liking. Hugo Spritz is more refreshing and a little sweet. Everywhere we went we got one in Venice, they were delicious! Make sure you try truffles while in Venice! You can get truffles on everything and it’s so cheap, unlike in the USA. They have so many truffle shops where you can get truffle oils and seasonings.

I hope this post inspires you to visit The Floating City and gives you some helpful insight in some places to experience while visiting!