As you may know, my husband surprised me with a weekend getaway in Venice for my 30th birthday. Venice is a popular destination at all times of year especially during Carnival and in summer; but, if like us, you tend to prefer avoiding the crowds, October is one of the best months to visit.
We spent a half-day in Venice and a day exploring the nearby islands of Burano and Murano. Here's what we were up to and the top sites to visit while you're here.
First things first, I have to give a shout-out to the hotel we stayed in for 2 nights - Hotel Ca' Alvise (4★). We opted to stay right in the middle of Venice since we were only there for a couple of days but bear in mind that accommodation here is expensive. We arrived at the hotel around 11am, which is much earlier than the check-in time and they let us store the luggage in their locker room so that we could explore the city's main attractions. They provided us with one of the biggest rooms they have, Room 304 on the uppermost floor. Beds were comfortable and the room was spotless. Breakfast was a delight and they even packed us a to-go bag since we were checking out very early on Sunday morning. Moreover, the hotel was only a short walk from the main attractions and some of the best eateries. Cannot recommend this hotel enough!
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| Try to spot hubby hiding in one of the photos 😂 |
Venice
Ok, so back to the actual itinerary and spots to visit. We started with the Basilica di San Marco, a unique gem that's worth going in for it has priceless architectural value since it is the only Byzantine basilica in Europe. It is captivating both from the outside and the inside and it only costs €3 per person to be admitted inside. It is best to book online to skip the line. Also, try not to take big bags with you as they are not allowed to be brought inside but if you do, they will ask you to deposit them at a nearby post.
A couple minutes' walk will take you to the Doge's Palace which we only saw from outside because of the limited time we had. It is a majestic palace, synonymous with Venice's grandeur and a treasure trove for any architecture fanatic.
Further down the palace is the Brige of Sighs or Ponte dei Sospiri in Italian. It offers magnificent views of the Church of San Giorgio Maggore on the opposite end of the Grand Canal, making you sigh at the sheer beauty of it all.
Next we took a 10 minute stroll to Libreria Aqua Alta, the oldest book shop in Venice where you can find many genres of books and most of them sell at a very cheap price. You can also find a resident cat and lots of cat-themed souvenirs to shop here and there's also a surprise at the very end of the shop ;)
It was time to visit the famous Rialto Bridge to take some pictures of it before we headed to our pre-booked gondola ride. I pre-booked the ride online and we took the 5pm ride. We found this to be a good time as the canals aren't as crowded as later in the evening. We paid €105 for a 30 minute ride which is slightly more expensive than the supposed €80 they usually charge but we didn't want to risk having the gondoliers ask for a more expensive price. Oh and we had the gondola all to ourselves too!
By this time we were exhausted and headed to dinner at Osteria Leon Bianco which is a short walk from the hotel and we had a divine meal, worthy of the Italian food gods...mmmhhh squisito! And that concluded day 1.
Ok, so back to the actual itinerary and spots to visit. We started with the Basilica di San Marco, a unique gem that's worth going in for it has priceless architectural value since it is the only Byzantine basilica in Europe. It is captivating both from the outside and the inside and it only costs €3 per person to be admitted inside. It is best to book online to skip the line. Also, try not to take big bags with you as they are not allowed to be brought inside but if you do, they will ask you to deposit them at a nearby post.
A couple minutes' walk will take you to the Doge's Palace which we only saw from outside because of the limited time we had. It is a majestic palace, synonymous with Venice's grandeur and a treasure trove for any architecture fanatic.
Further down the palace is the Brige of Sighs or Ponte dei Sospiri in Italian. It offers magnificent views of the Church of San Giorgio Maggore on the opposite end of the Grand Canal, making you sigh at the sheer beauty of it all.
Next we took a 10 minute stroll to Libreria Aqua Alta, the oldest book shop in Venice where you can find many genres of books and most of them sell at a very cheap price. You can also find a resident cat and lots of cat-themed souvenirs to shop here and there's also a surprise at the very end of the shop ;)
It was time to visit the famous Rialto Bridge to take some pictures of it before we headed to our pre-booked gondola ride. I pre-booked the ride online and we took the 5pm ride. We found this to be a good time as the canals aren't as crowded as later in the evening. We paid €105 for a 30 minute ride which is slightly more expensive than the supposed €80 they usually charge but we didn't want to risk having the gondoliers ask for a more expensive price. Oh and we had the gondola all to ourselves too!
By this time we were exhausted and headed to dinner at Osteria Leon Bianco which is a short walk from the hotel and we had a divine meal, worthy of the Italian food gods...mmmhhh squisito! And that concluded day 1.
Burano & Murano
The next day we woke up early to head to the nearby islands of Burano & Murano which I'm sure most of you have heard about.
To get to the islands, it's no difficult feat. Just head to the San Zaccaria water bus stop and catch the ferry number 12 to Burano. We purchased a Venezia Unica ticket for €20 each which allowed us to travel by water buses for 24 hours (this came in handy the day after when we needed to catch the 5am ferry to the bus station as it was still active of course).
Going early has it's pluses, mainly you avoid crowds and you can get a lot of perfect pictures, especially on the colourful island of Burano. The island is home to brightly coloured houses which is something fishermen used to do back in the day to recognize their own home. This was definitely my favourite of the two!
While you're there, the lace museum is worth visiting just to admire the various types of lace worked through the centures on this little island. The shops around the area are worth checking out for some unique, handmade goods. We bought some very nice lace Christmas decorations here.
We had lunch in Burano at Campiello del Principe and we cannot recommend the food enough. We both had pizza and it was cooked to perfection, just they way I like it and the staff are super friendly too and provide an exceptional service. The caramel panna cotta was just the cherry on the cake - the right consistency and well, it tasted like a bit of heaven!
It was time to visit Murano so we made our way back to the ferry stop and got on ferry number 12 again, this time heading back. Murano is famous for it's glass work and our first stop here was of course the glass museum where we learned how they make the different types of colourful glass and how they shape it to achieve unique designs.
Our last stop before heading home was the Basilica of Santa Maria and San Donato. It is also in a Byzantine style but it is not as rich as the Basilica di San Marco and even the outside is rather plain. Nonetheless, it is worth visiting, if anything just for the peaceful aura surrounding the place.
The only two things we didn't manage to visit were the Giardini della Biennale and the Gallerie dell'Accademia and I would consider visiting them if I go to Venice again.
Have you ever been to Venice and it's islands?
The next day we woke up early to head to the nearby islands of Burano & Murano which I'm sure most of you have heard about.
To get to the islands, it's no difficult feat. Just head to the San Zaccaria water bus stop and catch the ferry number 12 to Burano. We purchased a Venezia Unica ticket for €20 each which allowed us to travel by water buses for 24 hours (this came in handy the day after when we needed to catch the 5am ferry to the bus station as it was still active of course).
Going early has it's pluses, mainly you avoid crowds and you can get a lot of perfect pictures, especially on the colourful island of Burano. The island is home to brightly coloured houses which is something fishermen used to do back in the day to recognize their own home. This was definitely my favourite of the two!
While you're there, the lace museum is worth visiting just to admire the various types of lace worked through the centures on this little island. The shops around the area are worth checking out for some unique, handmade goods. We bought some very nice lace Christmas decorations here.
We had lunch in Burano at Campiello del Principe and we cannot recommend the food enough. We both had pizza and it was cooked to perfection, just they way I like it and the staff are super friendly too and provide an exceptional service. The caramel panna cotta was just the cherry on the cake - the right consistency and well, it tasted like a bit of heaven!
It was time to visit Murano so we made our way back to the ferry stop and got on ferry number 12 again, this time heading back. Murano is famous for it's glass work and our first stop here was of course the glass museum where we learned how they make the different types of colourful glass and how they shape it to achieve unique designs.
Our last stop before heading home was the Basilica of Santa Maria and San Donato. It is also in a Byzantine style but it is not as rich as the Basilica di San Marco and even the outside is rather plain. Nonetheless, it is worth visiting, if anything just for the peaceful aura surrounding the place.
The only two things we didn't manage to visit were the Giardini della Biennale and the Gallerie dell'Accademia and I would consider visiting them if I go to Venice again.
Have you ever been to Venice and it's islands?
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