Ahhhh, Venice! This city is quite remarkable! Right away you’ll be taken back by the sites and sounds…gondoliers serenading lovers as they float down small romantic canal ways. So dreamy! By the time we reached Venice, we were pretty exhausted from walking miles and miles exploring Rome and Florence. So, we decided on more of a relaxed approach to exploring this magical city. Maybe next time we’ll visit more of the museums and attractions…any excuse to return one day!
To do:
-Explore Venice at night when all the tourists leave
After we settled in our hotel for a bit, we decided to explore Venice at night. I highly recommend it! Most of the tourists (I say this like I’m not one, haha!) had left for the day to return to their hotels. You’ll get a better sense of local life at this time of day. St. Mark’s Square is stunning…restaurants are open late, musicians playing music beautifully, couples dancing in the square, the reflection of Venice as it glistens in the water that rises in the streets! Pure magic!
Tip: pack rain boots! You’ll need them:-)
-Shop for Murano glass and handmade lace
I knew that Venice was known for having a wide variety of hand blown glass made in the nearby island of Murano. I didn’t know, however, about beautifully handmade venetian lace and that it is becoming a dying art. We stumbled upon (when I say stumbled upon, I mean my husband found this place and walking directions on his smart phone. I love technology!) a wonderfully quaint lace factory where the owner’s son gave us an Italian history lesson on lace making and personally showed us around Kerer Lace and Linen.
-Get wonderfully lost
It’s true! Everyone that says getting lost in Venice is a wonderful experience, they’re right. I’m thinking Venice is possibly the best place in the world to get wonderfully lost! Don’t over think it, just wander down quaint little alleyways, explore unique little shops, go over charming bridge after charming bridge. The more lost you get, the better!
Tip: ask for a business card at any shop, hotel, etc…there will be a map on the back that shows you exactly where you are.
To eat:
-Skyline Rooftop Bar at the Hotel Molino Stucky
This rooftop bar has amazing panoramic views looking over Venice, a great place to have a couple of drinks and an appetizer or two!
To stay:
This hotel was once a flourishing flour mill that received a complete renovation that is now a Hilton Hotel complete with rooftop pool, restaurants, bar, and my personal favorite…spa! We splurged an a massage to celebrate our fifteen year wedding anniversary. Best decision ever and my first Turkish Bath experience!
Tip: consider joining Hilton Honors, you can earn points that can be used for hotel stays at any of their locations around the world.
If you would like to read the rest of the Tour of Italy series click on the following links…
Have you been to Venice? Any tips to share?
So jealous! I told my husband last night that I wanted to do more traveling. He’s been all over Europe, thanks to trips with his parents as a child, so doesn’t see the need.
Cori, I hope you can talk your husband into traveling with you soon…or maybe you should just travel with a girl friend, other family, maybe even solo?! Either way, I hope your dreams to travel more come true!!
Amazing pictures- one of my favorite places ever!
Emily http://www.freshpuresweet.com
Thank you, Emily! Italy will always have a special place in my heart…can’t wait to explore more of it!
I can’t wait to get to Italy. My in-laws are going for a month in September and I wish I could put myself in their suitcase and go with them. Looks lovely, especially at night.
Haha! Yes, pack yourself into their suitcase…no one will notice;-) Hope that you get to plan your own Italy adventure soon! Thank you so much for reading, Rae!
What a magical place! I can’t wait to return one day either. We didn’t bother going to any of the museums because I couldn’t get enough of the sights! I could walk and look at all of the old rustic buildings and charming alley ways all day long. Next time, I think we’ll actually take a ride on a gondola. That was the only thing we didn’t do because it was so expensive! Maybe we can finally do a couples trip with you guys and can split the cost, haha! That would be a lot of fun 😉
Yes, next time we’ll split the gondola ride! I hope to go on an adventure with you sometime very soon!! We had the best time with you guys in the Outer Banks:-) Can’t wait to make our travel plans together!
such a beautiful pictures!! thanks so much for sharing 🙂 Venice is definitely on my bucket list :)) http://www.nextstopabroad.com
Nika, hope you get to check Venice off your bucket list soon! Thank you for the lovely comment…taking pictures are my favorite:-)
Italy looks so amazing! It’s been at the top of my travel bucket list for a while now! With my husband being in the military, it can be challenging to find the time and money to take a trip like that, but we’re working on it! 🙂
Yes, Keating, it can be challenging to find time and money for travel. It took me a year to save up for this trip…that included saving up enough hotel points to stay in Venice for a couple of nights. But, it was SO worth it! We have memories that I will have forever and loved learning about Italian culture and history! I hope that you can see a trip to Italy and other destinations on that bucket list checked off very soon! Thanks so much for reading:-)
OMG, my favorite European city. I’ve been there many years ago… I must go back. Thanks for sharing. Lovely pics!
Thanks for reading! I hope you can go back too!!
ahhh Italy! I have a long distance relationship with Italy (specifically Rome & Venice) since I visited back in 2011. Great post!
Andrea, thank you so much for reading and for your lovely comment! Hope that you get to visit Italy again really soon:-)
I agree, the Hilton Molino Stucky was a really great stay for my wife & I in Venice. The rooftop pool and panoramic shots were surreal! We loved the Venetian vibe, culture & food. I remember the theatrical masks as well. We didn’t experience any of the street flooding, but great tip on the rain boots for when we travel there next time. St. Mark’s Piazza was another epic highlight. Great pictures here! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Rafeal, you are so kind…I love taking pictures! So glad to hear you had a memorable and wonderful stay in Venice! Yes, those panoramic views from Hilton Molino Stucky were epic! Thanks for reading!
We spent two weeks in Italy the summer of 2014. One tip I can pass on regarding Venice, ride a gondola! We were able to get a better price on one of the smaller canals, that was off the beaten path, later in the day. We paid $80 and it was worth every penny! I love photography, and the pictures I took from the gondola were spectacular! Plus, I have a great photo of my husband and I riding in a gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice! Just do it, you won’t be sorry!
Thank you, Laura! I definitely plan to ride on a gondola my next visit? I hope to travel with friends or family and split the cost? Isn’t travel photography the best?! Happy Travels!