3 nights in Venice

[Champagneforeveryone]

Mid March, just DH and I. Its our first time using a house sitter so wouldn't feel comfortable extending, this is a test run to see how we all manage!

Arriving and leaving at around lunchtime, hand baggage only. No accommodation booked yet, it's on my to do list.

There's so much to see and do that it's hard to whittle down what we absolutely must do, and I'm also keen on any hidden gems anyone is happy to share 🙂

If you like art, combine Accademia with the Peggy Guggenheim - as you walk down the tiny alley towards the Guggenheim there's a tiny cafe on the right which does the heavenly mini sandwiches and coffee. Da Ivo used to be good but expensive. Also try the original ghetto with some superb synagogues and fascinating history.

What kind of hotel are you looking for ?
Once you have that then decide how you want to get there- Public transport , private taxi
Look at bus passes if you plan to use the vaporetti alot ( Hello Venezia)
Pre book yoru slots of the Basilica ( direct webiste) and the Fondaco terrace
If coming over a weekend pre book your Friday and Saturday night restaurants .
As for hints and tips I have so many that 3 days is not enough !
Acqua Alta book shop , Palazzo grimani , Miracoli Church Rosa Salva and Dal Mas for cake shops, AL Parliamento for Spritz , AL squero for Cichetti ... YOu can pm if you like - Travel Agent from Venice here !!!!

Just being there is fun - wandering around. Perhaps one of the islands - Murano or Burano, but for 3 days I wouldn’t waste much time queuing for sights. Have fun hopping on and off the ferries, eating and exploring the back streets.

My must do was arriving by water taxi from the airport. I made sure to choose accommodation which meant that the water taxi had to travel through a few of the canals to drop us off.

If on a budget of sorts (although if you need a house sitter I doubt it lol!), stay in Padua (Padova) hotels and accomm half the price of Venice itself, although the allure of staying in Venice is massive, I know....

Anyway for those who MIGHT be on a budget, Padova is a charming little city all on its own, have a google. The train takes 30 minutes to the station at the Canale Grande in Venice, and OMG the vista as you exit the train station is a sight to behold!

I'm too cheap to stay in Venice itself as I think it is far too expensive to eat, sleep and wander, but each to their own. Get ready for the crowds.... it is just heaving with people, but I suppose we all as tourists/visitors contribute to that.

Others will let you know what to see and do, and there is so much, have a lovely time.

We stayed at The Bauers Il Palazzo which was gorgeous. Pricey but it was worth it for the 7th floor breakfast terrace overlooking the Grand Canal.

I agree with pp who said take a water taxi. We took one back to the airport and it was amazing, I felt like a film star!

Obviously the Basilica is a must, the best part is the stairs at the right of the main entrance that take you into the rafters so you can see the Byzantine style golden mosaics up close.

I would also recommend a visit to Santa Maria della Salute which is beautiful.

I could spend days just wandering around. Churches often have beautiful art works in them.

Ca'Mocenigo was good too, it's a museum showing an aristocratic Palazzo and has an exhibition about the perfume industry and the role Venice played. It doesn't take long and the building is beautiful.

I love Venice. I've been three times and there's still so much I've not seen yet. Definitely stay on the island. Walking around the squares at night when all the mainland tourists have gone is just magical.

Ca'Mocenigo is a gem of a museum though was tricky to find 😂

I was there a couple of weeks ago. I had a small rucksack and rolled all my clothes and put them in ziplock bags. Amazing how much you can get in.

Murano and Burano trip is well worth it. We paid about £22 I think each. That took a morning up....about 4-5 hours in all. Other than that it was people watching and walking around...just at the start of carnivale so was plenty going on.

Enjoy.

Oh and the Doge's palace if you have time...I didn't sadly but I'm certain I'll go again.

If your budget doesn't stretch to staying actually on Venice then Mestre is a 10 minute train ride. Close to the station are a few large modern hotels. We stayed in one. It was absolutely fine and the trains are very regular and very cheap...I think it was 1.40 € each way

We went to Venice last summer. We got enagaged on the Rialto Bridge 😍

We stayed at the H10 which overlooks the Rialto and is one of the only hotels with a rooftop bar. Amazing breakfast as well.

Recommend the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doges Palace. You get a behind the scenes tour and then can explore on your own. Pretty much the same price as normal entrance tickets!

We used the water buses to go to Lido (seaside and beach), Murano and Burano. Try to fit it in if you can!

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There's a "secret itineries tour" of the Doge's palace you can book that goes up the secret passages through the cells and the across the Bridge of Sighs. The offices of the clerks and civil servants, how to report on a neighbour and the consequences of false reports, up into the roof, Casanova's cell, hidden torture and trial chambers, stairs hidden in furniture and then out into the big beautiful rooms. It was fascinating.

Recommend the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doges Palace. You get a behind the scenes tour and then can explore on your own. Pretty much the same price as normal entrance tickets!

I came on here to say exactly the same thing - DH and I went on this tour and loved it. You need to prebook, so there's no queueing, and you get to go into parts of the palace that the majority of tourists don't - including up into the attics.

If you happen to be there on a Saturday lunchtime, there's an open air kitchen in one of the squares near the Rialto market that serves Frito Misto and a glass of wine for £10 - on a paper plate, and you just sit where you can in the square. It was a mix of locals and tourists, and was really lovely.

For only three nights I'd go against the grain and say no to Burano murano.

Peggy gugenhiem is an absolute must... It's also in a cute area with some brilliant chichetti bars.
Definitely eat lunch or dinner in some bars.

The doges Palace, secret tour.

Roof top Danielle for drinks.

Ten was our favourite restaurant, not expensive, really nice food..

@Spinningplatesallday beat me to it - I was mid-post when the doorbell rang and in the interim she's said it all. Still, a ringing endorsement!

Also, it's very satisfying to waltz past the big queue with your prebooked ticket!

We stayed at the Hotel Carnival Palace which is right on one of the main canals. Was fantastic to watch all the boats come in and out. I would love to stay there again. Lovely hotel, a modern twist on Venetian style.

Oh I really didn’t enjoy the secret tour of the Doge’s palace. It was all about Casanova when we went and I wanted more varied history. Maybe it’s changed since then.

We loved Murano, wandering around the streets but particularly watching them craft glass (the further you go from the dock, the less commercial the viewing send to be and you can just sit and watch for ages).

Catch a Water bus to Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, which is opposite St marks square. You can climb the tower there either free or very cheap, far fewer people than the tower and the views are great.

Stay in San Polo. It's cheaper than San Marco plus you can walk to the Peggy Guggenheim and Accademia

It's been a few years since I was there but I really enjoyed an evening meal at Trattoria alla Palazzina. It has a gorgeous garden if the weather is nice, right next to the water. The good was really delicious too.

We used a water taxi from airport. Did the bridge of sighs, bell tower, basilica and doges palace one day. Loved it all but the bell tower was heaving. A glass blowing trip that the hotel offered free, it was good and included a boat tour but it was a bit of a sales pitch. And a food tour the third day which was fab we also visited rialto bridge that day. Any spare time we just wandered. So much to see. We had one meal on a canal (expensive) otherwise we found small squares off the track.

Stay in Venice if possible! So much nicer than travelling in. Don't stay on the ground floor though! The Jewish ghetto is really interesting but you'll need a guided tour.

margaritarita, I hadn't realised before that a house sitter sounded so grand! In the spirit of full disclosure, she's from the Trusted Housesitters site and I suspect is lured to our very modest end of terrace as she has family in the area, and our spectacular coastline 😉 Her purpose is so that DDogs don't have to go into kennels rather than the care of the mansion house.

These ideas are fantastic, thank you all. I'm actually getting quite excited now. We've got a "big" trip planned later in the year so Venice has become slightly eclipsed. My guide book arrived today so I've been mooching through that and making copious notes!

I also have every intention of arriving from the airport by boat 😆

There is a Man Ray exhibition on at the moment that I am planning on seeing. Also I have this photo saved on my phone - I don't know exactly what it is but I want one! 😁