Duri i banchi!
In September, Stephen and I took our yearly trip down to Plymouth to see my Grandparents. This trip however was a little different – we took an incredibly spontaneous trip over to VENICE! We booked it about 2 weeks before we were due to fly and it was just too good an opportunity to miss out on.
Travel and Accommodation
Before I get into the ‘What we did’ portion, I’ll quickly chat about our travel and accommodation / what it cost etc! As I mentioned, we were staying in Plymouth with my Grandparents, so we had a couple of places to choose when it came to Airport. Our most cost-economical option was to get the bus to Bristol, stay a night and then fly from there. Our overall travel cost was £500.80
Bus to and from Bristol = £40.80
Hotel in Bristol = £85
Flight from Bristol to Treviso = £124
Hotel in Campalto = £251
We took about £500 worth of spending money between us taking our total overall spent to £1000.80 for 2 nights.
What We Did
Although we stayed 2 nights, we didn’t get the good of our 3rd day due to travelling home so we had a limit time to really cram everything in. That being said – 3-4 days is more certainly enough time to explore.
We were staying about a 15–20-minute public bus journey away from Venice which was extremely easy to use. Just be sure to validate your bus ticket when you get on board!
Once in Venice, the main thing we did was just get completely lost in the twists and turns of the streets. We walked from one end of Venice to the other in about an hour – admiring all the sights and shops along the way. This was definitely a mix of relaxing and also stressful trying to make sure I didn’t lose Stephen in the crowds.
Another big thing we had to do was of course admire Rialto Bridge. I don’t know if Spiderman No Way Home was actually filmed in Venice, but the bridge featured in the film. The big Marvel Geek that Stephen is, was incredibly excited to go see the spectacular monument. What I hadn’t realised before going to visit the bridge was that there are shops in the centre of it – in hindsight the bridge was incredibly wide to be able to fit so much within it.
One thing we couldn’t forget was to have an Aperol by the sea. We stumbled across the most perfect location for this quite by chance. The sun was scorching and there was just 1 little table left by the water – we were so close our feet would get splashed by the waves – it was honestly the height of perfection.
Last but not least, we obviously consumed carbs like nothing else! I’m a huge pasta lover but pasta in Italy…. oh, that hits different! I don’t know if it’s just all made fresher but not once did I get the dreaded pasta bloat – absolute miracle.
What We Didn’t Do
Whilst I’ve mentioned the things we did do; I think it’s good to mention the things that we didn’t get round to doing.
You may have been surprised to read – or no read – but we didn’t go on a famous Gondola ride. We really did toy with this one because it is by far the most hyped thing to do when you visit Venice. Firstly, we were on a fairly tight budget and most of the rides were between 60 – 80 Euros. The other reason we were put off is that the canals were incredibly busy. The amount of people on Gondolas that we saw just end-to-end with each other was incredible. They were moving so slowly, and I can guarantee you that they struggled to get nice pictures for other Gondolas ahead. It is something I’d consider doing if I went back at a less busy time of the year.
Upon planning Venice, I had really wanted to visit Murano and Burano Islands. The islands are popular and famous for their beautiful glass making. This was something we just did not have the time for in our short trip. If we had just one more day, it would have been a definite though. It was a really simple boat journey to get to each island.
Where We Ate
I won’t go into full reviews of everywhere we ate but I’ll give some overviews. (I have more full reviews over on my Instagram). Firstly, note that if you are going to Venice, trying to choose a restaurant can be incredibly overwhelming. There are cafes and restaurants everywhere you look. Mainly Italian but there was a surprising amount of Japanese dining too.
Breakfast; Magnum Pleasure Store Venezia (5/10) We picked up a quick coffee and marmalade filled croissant – the coffee was great but everything else was average. I would even say the service was poor to be honest!
Lunches; Riviera del Leon (9/10) This is where I had my Aperol by the water. We had also decided to share a Pizza here and they even split it over to plates for us. I was surprised to find this place has pretty bad reviews on TripAdvisor because our food and service was great
Dinner; Ristorante Vini Da Pinto (8/10) A wonderful restaurant tucked away in a corner that served fresh seafood. The pizza and pasta were amazing and they had a good wine selection too.
Ristorante Roma (8/10) If you can get a canal side table – it is absolutely worth it. Wide variety of food to choose from and pretty big portions too.
We also picked up gelato, fresh fruits and smoothies from smaller vendors through-out the streets!
Overall Thoughts of Venice
We loved Venice! I definitely wish that we had an extra day if not 2 there to really explore and be chilled too. I would say that 4 days is enough time to do this – I don’t think I’d book for any longer than that. Money wise – we spent everything. We got a taxi from the hotel to the airport on the way home just for ease which was about 80 Euros and we then tipped the driver with our remaining 20 that we had budgeted. We left ourselves about 30 euros for a bite to eat in the airport and that was our trip over!
I was so excited writing this post – it made me have a look back at my old travel posts about Berlin and other adventures.
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