A Day Trip to Venice, Italy
To be honest and as sad as this sounds, I did not realize Venice was surrounded by water. I mean I knew there were parts on water and such, but didn’t realize the extent of it. By extent, I mean that when you walk out of the train station you have to take a WATER taxi to the mainland of Venice. So cool right!! Once you are on the mainland though, you can walk everywhere until you reach water. So for anyone who wasn’t sure like myself, this is for you! It was truly an incredible and unique experience. We just did a day trip to Venice from Florence and I honestly think that is plenty of time to enjoy the city, especially if you are trying to fit it into a packed itinerary.
If you are staying in Florence or the Tuscany area, I would suggest getting to Venice by Train. I love the train system in Italy, or in all of Europe for that matter, it is very easy to figure out AND super affordable. Since Venice isn’t the closest, I would suggest taking the high-speed train which takes only about 2 hours. Like I said we did this in one day which is most definitely doable. A one-way ticket can cost about $26 and you can purchase them here. Since Venice is on the smaller side, you can explore it within 4-6 hours depending on how much you want to do and see.
First Things First
The first thing and probably the most famous thing you need to do is, ride a Gondola. I was with my parents so there was nothing romantic about it but if you are going with a significant other, I would highly suggest doing a gondola during sunset. There are many different gondola places to choose from. It is about 40 minutes long and costs about $80. We decided to do a private gondola so it was just myself and my parents. The gondolas usually can fit 6 people. I would suggest choosing the gondola tours that go through the quieter canals rather than the main busy Grand Canal. Some people do think the gondola rides are a let down but I thought this experience was truly something I’ve always dreamt about and it lived up to it! It is a simple yet unique way to see the city from the water. And what better way than to do an epic gondola ride?
And Secondly
The second thing you must do is see the Saint Mark’s Basilica. It is a cathedral that is centrally located. This church is the most famous in the city for its architecture. For me, I regret not going inside. It is located in a plaza which is a great place to walk around and find food. If you do decide to go into the church, admission is free. If you wanted to check out the museum it would be about 6 USD. Admission into the Pala d’oro costs about 2 USD, and admission into the treasury costs about 4 USD. The church was built in honor of St. Mark and some say it is a must-visit experience. The lines can get very long on a busy summer day so consider that. For this church backpacks, photography, and videos are prohibited.
Lastly
The final thing I recommend when visiting Venice is going to Burano. I didn’t make it to Burano because I had no idea that it was a different portion of Venice. When I thought of Venice, the pictures of Burano popped into my head. If you are looking for a quiet canal with the most colorful buildings then Burano is the place to visit. From friends and reading online, people do highly recommend visiting. If you are doing Burano, fitting it all into a one-day itinerary might be tricky. It can be doable though if you are willing to walk with a pep in your step. A lot of people who spend an overnight experience in Venice usually plan Burano as a day trip away. You can either take the number 12 water bus that runs right into Burano and takes about 45 minutes and costs about 8 USD one way. My other suggestion would be to book a day tour. It is called the Vaporretta and heads to other small towns outside of Venice as well. You can buy tickets at self-service ATCV stations at major docks in Venice or even at the airport.
Venice is truly a special experience and like I said, you won’t experience anything like it. My favorite part of the whole trip was walking around the pathways in between the buildings and finding cute shops to look around in. It was so fun walking in one direction until the water hit and then turning around and heading back. I would suggest bringing your camera because there is so much to take pictures of. If you are going in the middle of the summer, like we did, know that it will be crowded and it will be very hot out. Hope you have the best trip ever.
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