After a romantic week in Santorini, we decided to stop off on the way home for a day in the floating city. Considering our flights were £3 each, it was a no brainer!
11:25am is the time the plane hit the grounds of Marco Polo Airport. We quickly grabbed our luggage of the belt and got our £8 bus tickets to the island, which takes around 40 minutes.
By 12pm we checked into the beautiful, Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal, a boutique, traditional bed and breakfast. The hotel is in a great location and has a luxury rooftop bar which is perfect to watch the boats across the river. Our room here was £85 for the night.
At 1pm, after a quick freshen up and outfit change we headed for a walk around the
island, from our hotel we walked 15 minutes to San Polo where we jumped on a gondola, after a quick coffee break. I highly recommend walking as much as you can around Venice (not that theres the option for taxi's!) to get a good look at the small alleys, canals and shops!
1:30pm we took a half hour private gondola ride for 80 euros which took as across the grand canal and down the back streets, our guide told us some amazing facts about the island, like there are 177 canals in Venice. And we took lots of photos on the waters! A boat trip down the canals is the highlight of any trip to Venice... and make sure to look out for the Bridge of Sighs. The name, Bridge of Sighs, comes from the Romantic Period and speaks about the sound prisoners would make after being sentenced for their crimes in the palace and taken over the bridge where they would get one last glimpse of the outside world looking at the lagoon and San Giorgio through the very small windows placed there.
At 2pm we decided to take another stroll around the city, having a look at some of the interesting shops. Venice is known for (shops masks) and it's great fashion street. When walking around you'll notice every other shop is selling masks. The tradition of the mask started in the 13th century when Venetians would hold celebrations and parties from December 26th until the
start of Lent and wear elaborate masks to conceal their identity. These parties were the only time when the lower and upper classes mingled together, so they are a huge part of the italian history.
Venice also has a small quarter dedicated to luxury shops such as Dior and Luis Vuitton, for those looking for the perfect Italian self-gift.
By 3pm we headed into Dodges Palace for a quick soak in of the gothic culture. This is one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy and was made a museum in the 1977. The beautiful art and decor in the building is mesmerizing and definitely worth a visit.
5:30pm was time for dinner after all the walking around and building up an appetite. The cuisine in Venice, rightly so, is a mix between traditional italian pasta's and pizza's, and seafood. We found a traditional restaurant which overlooked the Grand Canal, called Ristorante Sapori di mare where we had lemon squeezed calamari, cheesy carbonara and Aperol by the river.
By 8pm we had walked off the carbs back to the hotel, and found ourselves at the rooftop bar of the Hotel Carlton for a nightcap, just before our early flight in the morning.
In opinion, Venice doesn't need more than a day to really explore the island for its good food, landscape and culture. Top Tip... just make sure you have your walking shoes on!
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