Venice

10.13.2024 – 10.15.2024 || Venice || Italy

I first visited Venice in 2002 during a 42-day adventure across 15 countries. I was thrilled that our Viking cruise started in Venice. This allowed me to revisit the city of canals. I was also thrilled to be back in Italy a year after our 2023 adventures in Capri, Florence, and Rome!

We arrived Sunday afternoon at Venice’s Marco Polo airport. We had 24 hours to explore on our own before boarding the Viking ship for seven nights. Once onboard we had enough time for one tour. We signed up for a boat ride to Murano and Burano islands through Viking.

We certainly maximized our time. It started with a private water taxi from the airport directly to our hotel’s dock! I shared a video to my Instagram stories.

Where We Stayed:

We spent one night in a hotel and the second night onboard the Viking cruise ship. The Hilton Molino Stucky is a historic hotel located on Guidecca Island. Before this became a hotel, it was one of Europe’s largest flour mills! I spent many hours researching hotels in the heart of the canals vs. staying a boat ride away. This location worked for us. The hotel’s free shuttle boat runs often. You can be transported to Piazza San Marco within 15 minutes.

We had a great view of Venice and the lagoon from our room.

The views were even better from the Skyline Rooftop Bar. Spritzes were the best way to power through the first afternoon while we got our bearings. I learned that there are many different kinds of spritzes. The red one is a Select Spritz and the brown one is a Cynar Spritz. The Select was bitter like Campari. The Cynar tasted a little like Coca Cola. It is made from a dozen herbs. It also has hints of an artichoke. I prefer an Aperol Spritz but am glad that I tried the Venetian way.

What We Did:

We spent a lot of time walking around the canals of Venice. I wanted to spend our time aimlessly exploring and stopping when we came across something of interest. I also wanted to take a private Gondola ride through the canals.

The first place we visited was Piazza San Marco. We experienced it from the square and did not go inside the basilica or palace.

Here are some of my favorite photos from walking around the canals.

The Rialto bridge is one of the main tourist attractions. It is the best spot to watch the boat traffic on the Grand Canal. It was unfortunate to see flooding due to the high water level this time of year.

PSA: Gondola companies take a lunch break so plan ahead. We didn’t do a lot of research. We found pricing to be similar across the companies. The experience was the deciding factor for us. You can experience the Grand Canal. You can also explore the main lagoon. Alternatively, you can experience the quieter canals and the Rialto bridge. We chose the latter and I am so glad that we did! We had a great experience and learned a lot about life on the canals from the gondolier.

We signed up for a tour of Murano and Burano islands though our Viking cruise. Murano is known for blown glass. I did enjoy the glass blowing demonstration but did not take any photos here. I was too busy in the shops in search of a blown glass wine stopper as a souvenir.

The highlight was Burano, which is known for its colorful painted houses and lace making. Legend has it that fishermen couldn’t find their houses through the thick morning mist. They painted them very bright colors to make them more visible upon returning home.

Venice was even better than I remembered it. While you don’t need a plan or a lot of time to explore, it is worth adding to your itinerary.

Where We Ate:

A co-worker was in Venice a few days before we arrived and highly recommended Osteria Da Bubi. The restaurant has a 4.8 Google rating and they take reservations on Open Table. I knew that we were in for a fantastic meal in Venice! We were sat at one of two tables in the front of the restaurant. The squid ink calamari, codfish, and sardine appetizer on crostini bread was a tasty start. The lobster carbonara was to die for! The bread and the wine just taste better in Italy. Trust me.

With our bellies full of pasta, I had pizza on the mind the next day. We walked across the Rialto bridge. Then we headed to the Rialto market area. There we came across Farini, a bakery that specializes in pizza. The photo on the left is a “piece” of pizza that we asked them to slice for us to share. It was the perfect mix of cheese, sauce, and chewy yet crisp crust for a mid-morning snack.

We ate a late lunch at Rossopomodoro. Sound familiar? We went to Rossopomodoro in Rome last year! We should have split a pizza but when in Venice… try it all! Their Naples inspired pizza was excellent but we liked the slice from Farini better.

Technically speaking, we ate at Trattoria Caffe’ Vecio since potato chips were involved. If you visit the island of Burano, it is a great place for a spritz. You can enjoy people watching while you wait for your boat to leave.

After Venice we set sail for Split, Croatia.

Check out the rest of our Viking cruise adventures! Here is what we did at the other stops: Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Katakolon (Olympia), and Athens.

Question: What is your favorite thing to do in Venice? Do you have any food recommendations? Where do you like to stay?