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Want to go on a vacation to Venice? Whether you are visiting for the first time or are a seasoned Venice visitor, read the best things to do and see while in Venice.
Love=Venezia
AKA Venice! Did you realize that in America we call the cities by different names? I mean, Italians don’t change our cities when they talk. They don’t say “La Nuova York.” Random, I know, but it was something I found interesting!
So, I saw this quote today after visiting the lovely Venice and it resonated with me. “If I could re-name love, I’d call it Venezia.” ~Conny Cernik
This romantic city is so far, my favorite in Italy. As an American, we all hear about the gondola rides and we even see pictures of the canals with the perfectly sculpted buildings, but when you finally get there to see Venice for yourself, O.M.G! These dreamy islands will take your breath away.
Get lost in Venice
Since Marco and I traveled to see Venezia during COVID, all the museums and galleries were closed, but it certainly didn’t keep us from having fun!
Yes, there are beautiful sights to see. You have probably read about the most popular already, but if you have the time on your vacation to Venice, or you’re like me and just moved to Italy, I highly recommend taking a few hours to get lost.
Venezia is a maze of little streets, with no cars to worry about. It’s perfect for walking and looking up at all the picturesque and colorful buildings.
There is an abundant amount of shops. Go in!! Try on new things! If you are a woman and like me from America, the fashion in Italy is TOTALLY different. If you want to learn more about it, click here and scroll to the section called “What to do now? Learn fashion trends!”
Once you spot the trends, enjoy these boutiques and try on some Italian clothes, the quality is amazing. My favorite store I found in Venezia is called DANI. It was reasonably priced, great quality, and I found some very cute clothes. DANI also has a website for online shopping.
The bottom line, get lost in the streets, you will be happy you did.
Churches
Aaaaaaaand churches. As always in Italy, there are tons of churches.
As you are getting lost in pure bliss, it is certain you will run across some churches. Each church is spectacular. You can usually go inside to try and fathom how the painters and sculptors did such a task. It is unbelievable.
If you are worried to enter because you think the priest will chase after you to share the word, you can rest assured, he won’t.
In Italy, thousands upon thousands of people a day come to visit and view these brilliant churches. They are used to visitors. Every single church I have stepped into so far, I have yet to be talked to beyond an occasional “Good day” or “Boungiorno” to be exact.
However, if you want to share something that is on your heart, or need some guidance, you can go to the sacrestia, usually near the altar, and knock on the door. Typically there is someone there. Of course, you can always go pray.
Be cautious of the signs prior to entering, some do not allow you to take pictures, while others welcome it without a flash.
If you don’t step into a few churches, you will really be missing out. Just look at how grand this church is.
The Rialto Bridge
Anyone who goes on vacation to Venice visits the Rialto Bridge. This bridge, is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal. It has a beautiful view and looks pretty neat with all the shops on it. Super cool to go shopping on a bridge, right?!
I hear it is usually a very busy “hot spot” on an average day but with COVID, we had plenty of space to walk across it and enjoy without being shoulder to shoulder.
Finding a Restaurant
When you are on vacation in Venice, of course you want some good grub!
Anytime I am traveling to a big city in Italy, I want authentic, Italian food, specific to the region.
Each city usually offers their specialty for the region. For instance, in Florence, the specialty is bistecca alla Fiorentina. In Milan, the regional dish is risotto alla Milanese, and so on.
Anyways, no offense to anyone else in the world- I love everyone but mannnnnn can Italians cook food like no one else!
Side note- my mouth is actually watering just thinking about pasta al pomodoro (a simple pasta with tomatoes) YUM! Lucky for me, my husband makes the best I’ve ever tasted.
If you would like the recipe, and quite frankly, I don’t know why you wouldn’t…. click here! It’s our free gift to you! 🙂
Ok back to finding a restaurant. As we walked around aimlessly, we searched for a place to eat. If it was up to Marco, we would have ended up eating Chinese food but I wanted Italian!!
After you live in Italy for a bit, your taste buds change. They get snobby. LOL. You will probably find your expectations with food much higher than they once were.
I have been to a restaurant or two that claims to have Italian food but the quality just wasn’t on par. It happens when someone (who’s clearly not been raised in Italy) decides to cook Italian food and then calls it Italian. It’s absolutely NOT the same.
Not saying that everyone who’s not Italian can’t cook these delectable Italian dishes, but you better step up your A-game because I don’t want to be able to tell the difference! Snobby, my taste buds are now snobby! I told you!
Speaking of that, it is unbelievable how many times I have been on the hunt for a decent cheeseburger. I haven’t found Americans in Italy, grilling cheeseburgers yet, and let me tell you, it shows!!
It has nothing to do with discrimination, you can blindfold me, or you can tell me the Queen of England herself made the meal, the tongue doesn’t lie people!! So, with these extremely painful (ok, not that painful, just not that joyful) experiences I have endeavored, I now pay close attention to details when it’s time to eat.
I check out the menu, the setting of the restaurant, the chefs cooking in the kitchen, and on and on.
In Venezia, I just could not find a place that I, Marissa, the very well educated on authentic cooking (insert sarcasm), that was genuinely going to have that Italian flavor and flare.
Basically, after a tiresome search, my tummy told me just about anything was acceptable, and we ended up at a restaurant called Trattoria AL GAZZETTINO. Y’all!!!! This restaurant was remarkable. The service was top-notch, the food was excellent, and they gave us a ton of freebies. We dined like kings and queens.
PS- The owners and chefs were not born and raised in Italy and they put the other food I tried that day to shame! It’s why you should never judge a book by its cover. 🙂
Al Gazzettino - The Menu
- They brought delicious bread to the table and complimentary alcoholic drinks, called aperitivo’s in Italy.
- They brought us a complimentary appetizer of curried gnocchi. DELICIOUS.
- They brought us yet another gift, lamb soup. Fantastic!
- We got our meals, fillet and pasta. Yum!
- We ordered dessert, Nutella pie and Marco’s pie???
- They brought us a free dessert, Tiramisu. I have never liked it but this was the bomb.com.
- Then they brought us grappa along with little cookies. It is an Italian liquor that they say helps to digest the meal. I think they just like to drink more. Wink wink!
- The they brought us limoncello and a sweet wine (vino dolce).
They made us feel so special and the food was perfect! Also, you know how in America sometimes your server will keep your drink re-filled the entire time, or they might get you a to-go cup without you even asking? It’s usually because they want you to give them a nice tip. In Italy, you don’t tip the server. Your tip will always be included in the meal price.
I love not having to do the pesky math at the end of a meal when I’m full and tired. Anyways, they do this because they really want you to have an enjoyable experience, it has nothing to do with a tip, FYI. They also brought us a page that had the history of the restaurant and the owners/chefs. It was a nice sentimental touch. We will definitely be back!
Gondola Rides are for Tourists
What’s the only thing I wanted to do on my vacation to Venice? You guessed it! A gondola ride. My husband told me gondola rides are for tourists only.
Whattttt?! An Italian would never pay that price! If you’re like me, and you don’t care about the price because you are from a flipping foreign country and you deserve that gondola ride dang it, then enjoy! Just don’t say I didn’t tell ya it was expensive.
I too, will be going on that ride one day when my mom, aunt Wendy, and my cousin Mandy come for a girl’s trip. They all live in America and for sure will want to spend the money and I’m right there with them!
If you do care about the price tag, there is a water taxi that will take you through the canals. It is much less expensive and you get the same views! Of course, it isn’t super romantic and you will be with a crowd of people but it’s up to you!
St. Mark’s Square:
This popular square is positively already on your to-do list for your vacation to Venice. It contains the St. Mark’s Basilica, The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale), and San Marco Campanile.
Marco had me stand in the center and imagine- all the shops open and bustling. Café’s with chairs and tables outside with locals and tourists alike having an espresso or sharing a warm meal.
With musicians on every corner playing live music. It certainly seems like the perfect place to be in the heart of all the history.
Basilica NOT Basilico
All day I kept saying how great the Basilico was. “The Basilico was gorgeous. Did you get good pictures at the Basilico?” My patient husband kept reminding me that “basilico” in Italian means basil.
AHAHAHAHA, I don’t know why I couldn’t get it right? By the end of the day and after 182 times of saying it wrong, it finally stuck.
You want to go see the Basilica. It is astounding. On a normal day, you can stand in line to go inside but of course, the lines can be very long. As one of the top places to visit in Venice, you could be waiting for hours. If you are impatient like me, you can avoid the long wait and buy a ticket to skip the line right here for just 3 Euros. It is worth it to me!
The Doge Palace
Beautiful on the outside and my husband tells me even more beautiful on the inside.
The Doge Palace was founded in 812. It was originally the house of the king of Venice and the site for the old Venetian court
After many reconstructions during the centuries due to fires and other causes, the current building you see was accomplished.
I can’t wait to go inside on our next trip to Venice when COVID-19 is history (fingers crossed!!) Click here to find the right tickets for you!
The Bridge of Sighs
On the left, is a glimpse from the bridge of sighs. The picture on the right is a view of the bridge itself. It’s where the prisoners used to be walked across before execution.
It gets its name since they would take a glance back at Venice and sigh from the beauty right before their life was ended.
When you get to travel all across Venice and you take in the best views, this little bridge might not be the most perfect spot, but I can only imagine what it would feel like as a prisoner coming from a dark and dirty room and getting that last glimpse of the beautiful blue sea. You can cross this bridge yourself if you visit the Doge Palace.
Enjoy your vacation to Venice
Venice will steal your heart away! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Comment below with your favorite thing you did there after you visit. I’m curious to see what you thought was the best. It’s so hard to narrow it down. Happy travels!!
PS- if you liked these things to do for a vacation in Venice, check out my article on traveling to Milan.
XOXOXO
