If you’ve read my travel posts before, you might know that Sam and I like to gift each other trips rather than loads of “stuff”. For Christmas, I planned a city break to Venice for him for 4 days. We went to Rome this time last year, so I thought going to Italy again would be a nice idea.
And where better than the romantic city of Venice! Here’s what we got up to…
Monday
We flew from Bristol Airport and arrived in Venice by late afternoon. By the time we caught a water taxi & got to our hotel, it was evening so a stroll around and dinner was an ideal introduction to the city. The hotel’s location was perfect – just 100 metres from Saint Mark’s Square and not far from Palazzo Ducale, St Mark’s Basilica and St Mark’s Clock Tower.
Tuesday
We like to get our bearings on the first proper day in a new place so after breakfast at the hotel, we walked around and started planning how to spend the day. It was pouring down so we had to consider that – no gondola rides or boat trips!
Despite the weather, we still managed over 30k steps and visited St Marks Basilica, Alta Aqua Liberia and plenty of cafes. We had to sample arancini, cicchetti and gelato of course! Sam also had to continue his quest to eat as much pizza as possible. Fortunately, the rain cleared up a little later so we made the most of the panoramic views of the tower.
Then we made our way to Harry’s Bar, where the Bellini was invented in 1948. The bar is tiny and there’s nothing particularly lavish about it but worth a visit. I don’t drink and Sam rarely drinks so I was delighted that they had a non-alcoholic version of their famous Bellini. So grateful I could try it. If you’re wondering, a Bellini is €24 but we expected these kind of prices.
That evening, we dined at where I had the most amazing bigoli pasta. We sat outside by the canal and it was very cute. Then we made our way to Harry’s Bar, where the Bellini was invented. The bar is tiny and there’s nothing particularly lavish about it but worth a visit. I don’t drink and Sam rarely drinks so I was delighted that they had a non-alcoholic version of their famous Bellini. So grateful I could try it. If you’re wondering, a Bellini is €24 but we expected these kind of prices. A walk along grand canal finished our evening, I couldn’t wait to get on a gondola!
Wednesday
In contrast to the day before, today’s weather was glorious! Bright blue skies, warm sunshine and not a cloud to be seen. So naturally, we had to pack in as much as possible!
After breakfast, we made our way to Caffe Florian, the oldest Italian coffeehouse. A grand & opulent establishment, where we enjoyed espresso, biscotti and Affogato. This place is beautiful but busy. I can understand why though, it’s very ornate and impressive. Much like the city itself. Again, not a cheap place but the prices weren’t a surprise either as the cafe is in Piazza San Marco.
Next, we headed to grand canal and went on a gondola. A real, magical moment! It felt surreal, very romantic and like something out of a film.
It was €100 for 30 mins, which included a tour around Rialto bridge and information about the scenery. Personally, I thought it was worth the money – everyone needs to experience it once in their lifetime!
After our ride, we wandered around, called into T Fondaco dei Tedeschi before getting a culture fix at Palazzo Ducale.
Then, time for tiramisu at I Tre Mercanti. They specialise in different flavours and I hoped for matcha or mango but they hadn’t made any unusual flavours that day. To Sam’s relief, we settled on traditional and Nutella varieties.
That evening, we went to Hotel Danieli for dinner. We both appreciate fine dining so this was fantastic experience for us. We loved it all, the food, service and atmosphere were exceptional! A huge shout out to Abbey at front of house, who was actually from Bridgend and came to Venice to study Italian! Such a small world.
Thursday
On our last full day, we planned a trip to Murano and Burano islands. The tour included the boat ride, a glass blowing demo and some leisure time on both islands. Both were lovely but Burano was my favourite. The colourful houses were amazing! The tour was around 4.5 hours but much of the time is spent on the boat. Both are worth doing but Burano was my favourite. Isn’t it stunning?
Friday
Before leaving for the airport, we checked out early and strolled around in the sunshine. It was so nice to sit outside and watch the world go by! The perfect start to spring.
