Venice in 48 Hours

Venice in 48 hours was a gamble, but it was a city that had been on my bucket list for a really long time. Mostly, because I felt the images I kept seeing weren’t doing it justice. I just needed to visit this magical destination for myself.

The city has been in the news a lot in the last few months. Particularly for its residents’ outrage at the sheer number of tourists arriving each Summer from cruise ships. It started to feel like somewhere I needed to see before the local government really does start to impose restrictions. Also, for this reason, it made complete sense to visit out-of-season, when hopefully the crowds would be less.

Turns out this was a great decision. I experienced far fewer crowds than expected and the canals and laneways weren’t smelly (as we had heard this was an issue). A little more warmth could have been nice but crowds vs warmth on a European city break is a bit of a no brainer!

Where to stay

Due to our Friday night flight being a late one, we chose to stay in a farmhouse nearer to the airport. Ca’Tessera Hotel was the perfect base outside of the city. They offered a free pick up late at night, as well as really adorable, old, quaint rooms and lovely staff.

The next morning, we enjoyed early morning dips in the pool and a slow breakfast, before heading into the city by public bus.

A fairly long walk through the canals and using the delight that is Apple Maps, we arrived at our truly palatial hotel, the Palazzo Paruto. Booked as a treat (€220 a night!), this was an incredible stay with an amazing breakfast spread and opulent rooms – perfect for a princess!

Where to eat

Venice is a bit of a tourist trap, but we paid up for the experience of eating by the River and the Rialto Bridge. This restaurant was the Riva Del Vin – pricey but good. Due to the sheer lack of time we had in the city, the other main meal we had was in Burano – less expensive and definitely more tasty!

What to see and explore

Venice is a wonderful city to explore by foot (and gondola, of course), even in just 48 hours. To enjoy a ride on a gondola though is more than €80 euro for just a short time, and as savvy travellers, we decided to just enjoy the city by foot. We of course stopped by the famous Piazzo San Marco, Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Rialto Bridge. But we found the real joy in the city just came from wandering and exploring the canals and laneways. From tiny coffee shops and artisan clothing stores (just ignore the tourist tack, of course).

We had the greatest surprise when our hotel offered us a free private speedboat over to Murano, a Venetian island famous for its glass-blowing. We had such a brilliant day exploring Murano, before hopping over to Burano on the public ferry, which we also used to head back to the mainland of Venice. Its a simple vaporetto ferry, with line 12 running to and from Venice and Burano, taking about 45 minutes and costing €6.50 per person.

Have you been to Venice? Let me know in the comments below!

If not, I hope this post on 48 Hours in Venice has been helpful if you’re planning on heading to Venice in the coming months, or inspiring if you didn’t already have plans!

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