Italy: Venice

We finally scheduled a trip to Italy—it’s only been 20 years in the making. If you have a trip that has been planned and canceled and booked and rebooked and dreamed about for years, you know just how excited we were to have this beautiful country in our sights. Download our 8-Day Italy Itinerary

VENICE

  • Doge’s Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark’s Basilica - Our plan was to tour all of these, but we got sidetracked with a brunch and Murano glass experience that we’d never be able to replicate, and we decided to relax together was far more enjoyable than more tours. You may disagree, but we were so happy with our day on Murano that I can’t imagine our trip without it.

  • Murano - we looooved spending a lazy Sunday on Murano, wandering the streets and feeling quite at home. Brunch in the courtyard at Osterio al Duomo was incredible with a seafood pasta that overflowed with the freshest shrimp, mussels, scallops, and lobster.

  • Glass blowing class in Murano - This is one of our most reminisced experiences to date! We made these gorgeous glass beads with a Glass Master on the island of Murano and had the most amazing time! You can book this Airbnb Experience with Cristina and Andrea too! Tell them we said hello!

  • Pasticceria Rosa Salva - desserts and espresso to help you get through the afternoon

  • Ponte di Rialto - We knew we wanted to visit Rialto Bridge, but keeping the kiddos interested in all the bridges in Venice was a little daunting. Obviously, this one is unique and a must-see, so we found a unique vantage point. If you visit, be sure to go to the top of the T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi for a breathtaking view of Venice, Italy with your family. It’s a department store, yes. But it is also a treasured landmark and has been converted into a shopping mall only in recent years. Still, you can view the Rialto Bridge from its rooftop for free! During Covid restrictions, you had to sign up for a timeslot to limit the number of visitors at one time. We chose the last time of the day and were able to watch the sunset over the bridge and canal.

  • Gelato - While we left home with a list of gelato places to visit, we found that the long lines did not necessarily mean superior sweets. Looking for artisanal gelato in containers (not the brightly-colored kind in clear cases) yielded the best flavors and yummiest stops. It was warm enough in March that we still wanted plenty of it too!

  • Piazza San Marco - This served as our central hub from the Giudecca ferry boat. It was crowded during the day and closed up at night. While we do enjoy people-watching, we are more of wander-off-the-beaten-path style travelers. So, we avoided some of the main tourist traps, including waiting for coffee at Caffe Florian.

  • Maybe the biggest mistake of our trip was when we first arrived in-country. We followed some advice that recommended taking the airport bus and that dropped in the warehouse district of Venice to catch a taxi. On our way out of town, we took a private water taxi to the train station and that in itself was a tour, so we didn’t mind the added expense. Yes, the bus is cheaper, but not nearly enough savings for what you’re missing out on.

restaurants in venice

  • Osteria al Duomo *TOP 5 WORLDWIDE

  • Harry’s Bar Ciprani

  • Caffe Florian

  • Ristorante Principessa

  • La Palanca (Giudecca)