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A few years ago, I made my first trip to Venice, Italy’s most famous city in the Veneto region.
Our time in the city was severely limited to a single afternoon. Still, the lagoon city’s beauty drew me back, and I knew I had to go back.
However, with more time on my hands, I was able to take in all of Venice’s most notable attractions.
It was a three-day whirlwind of seeing Venice’s 175 canals, eating ice cream on Venice’s 398 bridges, and scouting out ideas for the ultimate Venice city vacation.
As a result, the scene is now prepared for Venice, also known as La Serenissima, which means “The Most Calm.”
It was beautiful to let my mind wander and become engrossed in her captivating presence.
Walking and meandering about the lagoon city is an excellent method to discover the city’s hidden alleys.
A different kind of beauty may be seen from various vantage points while looking out over the city’s rooftops, canals, and lagoons.
I visited three of them and were delighted by the variety of Venice’s beautiful sights, you’re about to see in this piece.
Palace of the Contarini della Bovola
In the weeks preceding our trip, we kept running across images of the spiral tower of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo while researching exciting places in Venice.
While just 28 meters tall, the view of the red rooftops from the top is stunning, isn’t it??”
Contarini del Bovolo (the palazzo’s snail-shaped staircase) is located in the center of San Marco, near St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge, and Grand Canal, making it a convenient location for tourists.
The lovely palace is hidden on a side street, making it challenging to locate. We used Google Maps to enter the address and followed the app’s instructions, which was the most straightforward choice.
It was a surprise to get to the palazzo and discover that the “tower” we had expected was only a tiny front garden on the main street just in front of it. A barrier provides an unobstructed view of the Scala Contarini del Bovolo from the outside. You must pay a 7-euro entry charge to see the picture from the top.
Visitors may explore the snail shell tower every day from 10 am to 6 pm. The palazzo will be closed for a short lunch break between 1:30 and 2 pm. Please arrive by 10 am on the first day of the conference, if possible.
You might have the entire tower to yourself in Venice for a brief period.
Fondaco dei Tedeschi department store
To get a bird’s-eye view of Venice’s canals, you’ll have to climb a bit higher than the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo allows. That’s why we opted for the Fondaco Dei Tedeschi rooftop patio, a high-end department store.
The view of Venice’s busy Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge from the top of the Rialto Tower is stunning!
You may either schedule a free 15-minute time slot on the department store’s website or just browse through the main floor and spend anything to go to the upper terrace.
Afterward, you’ll receive a membership card in two minutes and complimentary VIP access to the roof terrace for you and two other people. The retail store, by the way, has a fantastic interior design.
My favorite escalators were the red ones. After seeing the long line of people eagerly anticipating their 15-minute allotment, we opted for the Loyalty Card.
Our recommendation: It costs about 3.50 euros to get 500 grams of elegant-looking pasta in a beautiful box.
All this comes with access to the rooftop patio and a special gift for your loved ones back home.
The hours of operation of the rooftop patio are not always consistent.
Depending on the time of year, it may open later or close sooner than a department store.
The Loyalty Card can be used twice throughout your visit to Venice, for example, in the morning and at night. One of our readers had the brilliant idea that Venice should be beautifully lit up at night!
The Rialto Bridge
Although the world-famous Rialto Bridge in Venice may not appear so at first glance, it offers some of the most breathtaking views in the city. This spectacular building has views of the Grand Canal and the bustling embankments on both sides.
We recommend getting at the Rialto Bridge as early as possible, preferably about 6 am, to catch the sunrise.
There aren’t many tourists around to distract you from taking in the bustle of Venice’s main thoroughfare, the Canal Grande, in the early morning hours. On the way, get a coffee and a cornetto to enjoy on the bridge.
The island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.
The Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore, located on the Venetian Lagoon’s San Giorgio Maggiore Island, features an accessible bell tower.
From a higher vantage point, you may see things very differently. Specifically, a view of St. Mark’s Square and Venice from the lagoon.
The San Giorgio Maggiore Church’s entry price is 6 euros. Use Vaporetto line 2 to reach the island.
The Acqua Alta Library and Its Feline Residents
Libreria Acqua Alta, an antique bookseller in Venice, was a must-see on my city trip. Because of the cute cats who live in the bookshop, not simply because of the small garden with the beautiful book tower.
As a side note, the antique bookshop’s name translates to “bookstore flood.” The canal right next to this little company regularly floods when the water level rises.
Keeping books in old bathtubs and Venetian gondolas would explain why so many of them have been preserved this way.
However, returning to our feline friends, three of the Libreria Acqua Alta’s lovely house tigers were visible throughout our visit. It’s not uncommon for staff members to refer to them as the store’s actual owners.
Do you think it tastes good?
We suggest that you arrive with a bit of extra time. Especially if you’re a bookworm like me.
A historic Venetian gondola and a beautiful antique chair line the canal, beckoning you to explore further.
Venice offers a lot, including In the dawn and St. Mark’s Square.
At dawn, the sun barely sinks over Venice, making the world-renowned St. Mark’s Square all the more beautiful. As early as 6 am, the lagoon city is practically deserted, so you can observe as it gently rises out of its slumber.
Walking to the water is an excellent habit to get into.
You can view Venice’s lagoon and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore from there in the morning, while the island is still covered in the morning fog.
However, one hour later, the magic is broken. Between 7 and 8 am, the first tourists arrive in St. Mark’s Square. To ensure that you receive the best seats, arrive early.
The ice cream at Suso Gelatoteca
Suso Gelatoteca is Tripadvisor’s top-rated sweet shop for a good reason. Undoubtedly, the artisanal ice cream made from local organic ingredients is delicious!
Pistachio amarena, Moro di Venice (dark chocolate with sweet brittle and coffee), and our personal favorite, peanut with huge salted caramel bits, are just a few of the various available flavors.
There may be a long line at Suso Gelatoteca, but it’s well worth the wait.
Furthermore, we thought that the price of fantastic ice cream in Venice’s central old town was reasonable at around 5 euros for two big scoops, including the unique waffle with chocolate and nuts.
The lagoon city is a haven for bakeries and pastry shops, where you can try one of the brightly colored green biscuits.
They may look fake because of their hue, but the “Pan Pistacchio” tastes like almonds and pistachios!
Venice’s attractions include a wide range of styles and interests. Burano
A trip to Burano, Venice’s beautiful sister island, puts you in a good mood.
The fishermen who live here painted their house a bright color to make it easier to spot when they returned home due to the fog that occasionally engulfed the island.
There are now brilliantly colored homes all across the island of Burano as a result.
The best time to visit Burano is in the early morning.
Or in the afternoon, when many of the (unfortunately extensive) guests are expected to be heading back to Venice.
The alleys are a wonderful place to spend some time. Views of the island’s waterways may be had from the island’s many bridges, and the Chiesa di San Martino’s oddly shaped church tower is a sight to behold.
Restaurants Recommendation in Burano
Are you planning to have lunch in Burano?
Walking through the Ristorante da Forner on an island canal, we fell in love with its stunning location. In most cases, tourists spend most of their time in the town center and never get lost.
I tried the spaghetti dish with mussels and found it tasty!
I propose that if we had more time, we would have taken the footbridge to Mazzorbo, a little island just off the coast of Naples.
Murano, the island famous for its molten lava, was an obvious choice. These trips would not have necessitated a separate boat ticket for us.
We got sidetracked this morning and ended up running out of time. As a result, plan your trip to the Venetian islands ahead of time!
From Venice, we fly to Burano.
From Venice to Burano, there are several options.
Those were the most straightforward for us.
The Fondamenta Nuove station in Venice’s old town is where the Vaporetto (the number 4.1) leaves regularly.
On both journeys, the regular ticket is 15 euros. After the fact, we learned that a day pass is somewhat less costly.
Burano is a 45-minute ferry ride from Venice, including stops at Murano, the cemetery island of San Michele, and Torcello.
Every one of these islands is a must-see in Venice if you have the time. You can get on and off the train anytime with a day ticket.
Cafes in Venice You Can’t Afford to Miss!
We sipped endless creamy cappuccinos and ate delectable almond cakes, and some of our favorites are as follows:
It’s Calice Restaurant
Café Il Calice’s cappuccino was creamy and delicious, and the atmosphere and staff were top-notch. You can view what’s happening on the ground floor through a large glass window in the ceiling. Unfortunately, we could only enjoy the evening meal because we were only there for breakfast.
Cafe Dolce Vita in Venice, Italy
The small Café Dolce Vita in Dorsoduro, a Venice neighborhood, is highly recommended. We stumbled into it by accident as we were walking past. We were enchanted with the plush, colorful cushions on the comfy seats in front of the large glass windows. The cappuccino is excellent, the atmosphere is bright and cheery, and the staff is kind and accommodating. We’d be back in a heartbeat if we could!
Farmland in Frulalà is fertile.
It’s a shame that the modern Frulalà Fruchtbar doesn’t have any seating options for patrons, but the place does have some excellent smoothie, juice, and milkshake options for customers to choose from. Filling up on vitamins in the Cannaregio district of Venice is easy and delightful!
The Mercato di Rialto is one of Venice’s main attractions.
The Mercato di Rialto, Venice’s most famous market, was just a short walk away from the Airbnb flat Nina and I rented.
At 7 am, when we opened the windows, we could already smell the fishy stench. There’s more than enough of a reason to join the commotion at the market.
It’s a lot of pleasure to browse the different market stalls: At the Mercato di Rialto, you’ll find a wide variety of fresh seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables that look fantastic. Also, they’d make beautiful presents for loved ones back home!
You could look forward to it if you appreciate street food as much as I do. In Venice, there are several food-focused tours, and the Mercato di Rialto is one of them. In Dorsoduro’s less-visited fruit and vegetable market, we accidentally stumbled upon this exciting boat. What a fantastic concept!
Spectacular “unique” city excursions of Venice.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend enough time in the city during our city break. City excursions and tours that focus on anything other than the dreary history of old buildings and monuments are increasingly available.
All possibilities are possibilities for a mask-making workshop, a ghost tour of Cannaregio, or a lesson in the art of Murano glassblowing. Isn’t it all wonderful??
Take a good night’s rest in Venice.
I can’t recommend a specific Venice lodging option for the first time because our Airbnb was a bust.
However, here are a few tips to help you improve the next time around;
In comparison to San Marco and San Polo, Dorsoduro is much more tranquil. There was a bar on the top floor of our San Polo flat overlooking the Mercato di Rialto market. To be in such a prime location seems like a dream come true.
It was, in fact, always a deafening noise.
There was some noise from the bar below us till two o’clock, then from five to seven o’clock by the traders setting up their markets. I’d prefer to stay in a quieter part of the country on my next visit.
You’ll have to walk a bit further, but you’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep.
The next time I travel, I’ll still use Airbnb.
For starters, it’s more affordable than many other Venice hotels, and having even a small kitchenette is priceless in this city.
For the first time in my life, I created my own food instead of relying on expensive restaurants for every meal.
Alternatively, the B&B Bloom Settimo Cielo offers a lovely rooftop patio and a delicious breakfast for those who insist on staying elsewhere.
Well.
I’ve always wanted to visit Venice’s famed sights in person. As for the lagoon city, I’ve definitely been there.
But is there anything else you’d like to add? On our journey blog, I’d love to hear from you!
