My niece wanted to visit Venice in July and my first response was “I’m not sure I love you that much”. The Venice I remember pre-pandemic was crowded with cruise passengers from May to September, add to that the daily tourists arriving by train each day and those charming tiny passages become chock a block with people. Add in the heatwave going through Europe and you could see my hesitation to travel to Venice in July. Of course, you know I did – it’s Venice, one of my first loves. Plus, I’m the best Aunt….the traveling Aunt.
So, after saying “Ok”, my niece said, “so I saw this on Tik Tok….” And I stopped her and said, “Aunt Sue is older than Tik Tok and has been visiting Venice for more than 20 years, I think I’ve got this”. I did submit our itinerary to her for approval and since it matched the Tik Tok Gen Z teens Venice “must do/see/eat” she approved. What did I plan for our two days in Venice?
Goals – visit highlights, avoid crowds, find air conditioning and/or shade. I would fail spectacularly on finding shade/air conditioning and would instead sweat my body weight many times over as the temperature were in the high 90’s with rarely a shady spot to find. Spoiler Alert: It’s not all water weight otherwise I’d be a curvy size 8 after this trip!
Venice Arrival
Arriving at 5pm from London, we had a small window for our Airbnb check-in, so Aunt Sue decided to splurge, and I mean splash out – we took a water taxi from the airport to the nearest boat dock to the Airbnb. In the past, I would take the Alilaguna airport transfer boat which takes over an hour with multiple stops and costs 15 euro one way. The water taxi would cut the transit time in half, avoid crowds but for a price, a high price. But I was competing with Tik Tok and a 16 yo first trip experience to Venice. I had to do it right if I’m going to win the “Best Aunt award” anytime soon plus I didn’t need a moody, heat exhausted teen to deal with upon arrival.
The Venice water taxi can be booked in advance for a flat fee (additional costs may vary depending on luggage, group size, etc.). Our Airbnb host pre-booked the water taxi, sent us the taxi number and had the driver text us (via WhatsApp) when he arrived to let us know the dock number. The cost was 140 euros and could be paid via credit card.
Obviously, this is a lot of money for two people so you will realize a good ROI with a larger party, however, we really enjoyed our time in the water taxi seeing the city from all sides.
Arriving at that the San Giglio vaporetto stop, our Airbnb hostess, Francesca, was at the dock to meet us and escort us to the flat with canal view (a short walk down the street). Francesca and her husband Maurizio are Airbnb Super hosts and I’ve booked with them before, so I trust them to sort everything. We took advantage of the “food shopping service” Francesca offered and ordered ahead so that the flat had some food items – ham, cheese, bread, yoghurt (yogurt), orange juice, bananas, cookies, etc. Francesca showed us how to use the keys and left us an invoice for Venice taxes (paid in cash) and the food service which we could leave upon check-out. (Cash Note: the ATM is at the post office opposite St. Mark’s Square – look for yellow post office sign).
7:30 pm – Dinner at Ristorante La Feluca. Francesca listed this restaurant as one of her recommendations so as we were hungry from our travel day, we went in search of dinner. We quickly found the restaurant (use google maps or citymapper) which had outdoor seating in a small courtyard. We didn’t have a reservation (make reservations folks!) but as it was before 8pm, we were seated inside the small dining room which quickly filled up once 8pm rolled around. The classic Italian restaurant had a good selection of pastas, meat and fish to choose from in the traditional (antipasti, primi, secondi, dolce) menu.
Venice Itinerary – Day 1
No time to sleep, I was keen to explore the city as early morning Venice is one of my favorite times as it seems I have the city to myself before the day trippers arrive! I wanted my niece to experience a local experience so w would visit the local pastry shop for expresso and donuts. It’s not a healthy breakfast. Italians are known to have a sweet treat with their coffee for breakfast so when in Rome Venice…..
10 am – Row Venice. What’s more Instagram and Tik Tok friendly than rowing your own boat in the canals of Venice? When I first did this rowing experience in Venice many years ago, it was nerve wracking, informative and fun. Supporting the all women rowing club is top of mind when booking this uniquely affordable experience. My niece ended up rowing for most of the 1.5-hour experience as Aunt Sue has suddenly become wobbly (with age and weight gain since her last visit) and was struggling with keeping her balance on the boat. Our 70yo guide, a former teacher, assigned me to take the photos/videos realizing that I was a liability on this boat ride.
12:30 pm – Venice Rooftop View – In all of my visits to Venice, I avoided shopping and avoided luxury stores but now I found that T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi by DFS near the Rialto Bridge has a free rooftop view of the city’s Grand Canal. You can book online in advance for a 15-minute visit timeslot. They limit it to 20 people per time slot. While walkup slots might be open in off-season, don’t take your chance in season and book in advance. The views are wow!
There is a lot of luxury temptation on the way in, through and up to the rooftop. If you can make it through without a purchase, then you have more willpower than my group. My niece found many things she liked (i.e., affordable jewelry under 100 euro) so we stayed to shop in the air conditioning. They have a lovely food selection (i.e., chocolates, candies) with the ground floor café but the temperatures were so hot, I didn’t chance it as they would have melted on the walk back to the flat.
1:30 pm – Lunch at Vino Vino Wine Bar near Fenice Opera
On my last visit to Venice, I stayed near the Fenice Opera and wandered into Vino Vino for lunch one day. The food was so fantastic, I returned for dinner that evening. It helped that their wine by the glass menu included a glass of Barolo for 10 euros and pizza started at 8 euro. As we walked back from shopping, we passed Vino Vino and decided to lunch here before our next tour. While the main dining room was closed, signs directed us to the hidden garden patio which was a wonderful, shaded surprise.
3pm – Boat tour of Venice with Walks of Italy. Meeting at the Lion statue in St. Mark’s Square, this private boat tour is two hours and limited to ten people. Tours are by water taxi and include a guide and headphones to hear her commentary over the boat noise. Go where the gondolas don’t and see a different side to Venice. The tour includes a stop at the church across the lagoon (St. Michael’s) with view of St. Marks. It’s about the views from above that give context to the amazement that is Venice. Our tour coincided with the four o’clock bell ringing. While you know they are coming, you still jump when they ring out. The tour included the Grand Canal along with many side streets to add context to the history. We also veered off the Grand Canal to visit Dorsoduro residential area and see the famous Nico’s Gelato on the waterfront. Our group was six people – a family of four, my niece and me. Given that we had experienced the water taxi already, my niece and I sat upfront with the driver and guide, while the family had the back seat and could stand up and watch the city from a unique vantage point. I tipped the guide 20 euro.
7:30 pm – Dinner at Trattoria al Gazzettino. My gluten free niece did her research to find our dinner option – a trattoria listed as one of the best gluten free restaurants in Venice. We tried our luck without a reservation (definitely make a reservation!) and waited in line. Without any seats inside either dining room on opposite sides of the street, we were offered a table outside and said “yes”. My niece was able to enjoy gluten free pasta and I dove into the pappardelle duck entrée which was everything Italian pasta should be.
Venice Itinerary – Day 2
Up early again to wander the streets as locals open their apartment windows to welcome the day. Early to see shopkeepers getting ready to open up. Watching the streets be cleaned. Everyone is preparing for a new day. The Venice show is about to begin now that the stage is set for the day.
8 am – Behind the Scenes Doges Palace & St. Mark’s Visit with Balcony access. This tour was with Walks of Italy. The attractions open up at 9am so we got early access which, of course does cost more, but it meets the goal of avoiding crowds and lines while also getting ahead of the heat. Meeting the guide in St. Mark’s Square, she quickly greeted and surveyed our clothes. Women need to be covered from shoulders to knees (cue memories of Catholic School uniforms). Many did not pass dress inspection (I won’t get into the ridiculousness of this – the Catholic Church should be happy they have visitors who are paying the fee to see the church). Anyway, my niece had covered her shoulders but wearing shorts failed the knee length requirement, so we were directed to the local vendor (only one open that early) that sold snacks, water, souvenirs and a few scarfs. We bought a scarf to use as a sarong for my niece to wear inside St. Mark’s while other women on the tour also were paying ten euros for their souvenir scarves.
Entering the Doges Palace at 8:15 am gave us a 45-minute head start on the crowds. The palace is not air conditioned and was extremely toasty – did I mention the iron roof? One way to keep the heat in during winter but not fun in summer. Having the place to ourselves was quite nice if I’m honest. The guide, an Englishwoman who is a professor of History at the local university. Her analysis was textbook classroom lecture which may or may not work for everyone. (Heat tip: bring bottled water and a towel or tissues to deal with the temperatures and sweat)
As St. Mark’s Cathedral was open to the public, our tour group had skip the line priority in the group line, separate from the normal queue outside. Our ticket included admission to the second-floor museum (additional cost of 7 euro), interior balcony and outside balcony overlooking St. Mark’s Square. The steps to the second floor are steep so be prepared for a workout both up and down.
1 pm – Murano Glass Factory. We were both excited to see the glass blowing but to be honest, it wasn’t worth the amount of effort we put into this (walking from one side of the city to the other for a quick two stop vapporetto, lunch in Murano, 10-minute demonstration and return to the city). I booked an afternoon demonstration (2:30 pm) and planned to find a restaurant for lunch. I thought of doing a glass blowing class via Airbnb Experiences but unfortunately, we weren’t in Venice long enough to allow the glass to cool overnight. The demonstration was definitely interesting but still disappointing as it was less than ten minutes. The goal was to get folks into the store to shop. While my niece found a few small pieces (under 20 euros each), we should have skipped Murano that extremely hot day. We were both grumpy from the commute and lunch fiasco (they forgot to make our order, so we were rushed to finish eating to get to the demonstration on time). I hate to say this, but if time pressed, I would skip Murano unless you are really keen to buy glass from a specific studio. If you have the time, try your hand at a glass blowing class when you get home to support local artists.
4:30 pm – we were back at the air conditioned flat to rest and change before dinner.
6:15 pm – Time for the Gondola Ride. I was in search of a gondola ride in Venice before the price change at 7pm. The price is fixed during the day at 80 euros per boat for a thirty-minute ride. After 7pm, the price rises to 100 euros. Mapping out a few options on the way to dinner, I found a small gondola station of two gondoliers, and we boarded at 6:30 pm which was perfect to explore the smaller, quiet canals before venturing into the Grand Canal chaos on the way back to the gondola station.
7:15 pm – Dinner at Rosa Rossa (Red Rose) which was an unassuming storefront that once entered surprised you with multiple rooms and an outdoor dining area (broken record, definitely book reservations). We lucked out as we arrived early and there was a table in the bar area. The pizzas start at 5.50 euro (a popular choice as you’ll see many folks with takeout orders) and the menu has diversity across pizza, pasta and the fresh fish. The day of our visit, there was a seven-course fish tasting menu for 80 euro (a great deal given all the fish and portion sizes). If you chose the tasting menu as my niece did, be prepared for a two-hour visit. I watched the other tables turn over with diners during my niece’s journey through the fishes of Venice.
Ciao Venice – Day 3
Our water taxi to the airport would pick us up at 9:45 am so we woke up early to do our last-minute wander of the streets, canals, bridges and all the fun things that happen very early in the morning. We considered a photo tour at 7:30 am but couldn’t get back in time. We had to accept that the discoveries we made over the past two days were enough to get us through until our next visit.
Airport tip: bring some food with you from the city as the airport offerings are limited and expensive. There is a general departures area with shopping and food but the options past secondary security are limited. Don’t go to the bus gate area downstairs until you have to – we learned the hard way and it made us grumpy.
Two Days in Venice – Final Thoughts
Venice is a first love city for me as I visited when I was 24 years old and on my first bus tour solo (that was a fun trip with the senior citizen). Venice hasn’t changed in all my visits, so it stays forever the same. It’s me who has changed with each visit especially from the shared rooms (with friends) to the single rooms to the luxury hotels and all in between. I’ve changed from the affordable but slow travel Aliluguna airport transit to the quick time saving luxury splurge of a water taxi.
I wonder how my Tik Tok loving niece will rediscover Venice when she starts traveling on her own or with family. For now, she should be happy that Aunt Sue loves her enough to visit Venice in July, I’m not sure I would have done that for friends, let’s be honest…..nearly 100 degrees with no shade in attractions with iron roofs? Seriously folks that’s hardcore traveling.