Venice is unlike any other city I've visited before. Despite the excessive amount of tourists, you can still manage to find peaceful streets with no people because it really is a huge city. Venice has something to offer to everyone. There is no shortage of things to do in Venice, Italy.
Gondola Ride
This one comes at no surprise. A trip to Venice would be incomplete without a gondola ride through the iconic canals and waterways. Despite being a touristy thing to do, it's still such a unique experience that really encompasses the culture of Venice.
Caffe Florian
Caffe Florian is the oldest cafe in Italy and the second oldest in the world. It resides in the heart of St. Mark's Square. It's elegant and reflective of Italian coffee culture. Stop by here for some breakfast and to listen to live music that makes you feel like you've been transported back in time.
Check out the Waterfront
The waterfront areas of Venice are an iconic way to experience the Venetian culture. Try to find dining places that are on the water to take in the views and sea life. You can also spot some crazy rich yachts coming into port by the waterfront near St. Mark's Square.
Doges Palace
Doges Palace is situated right beside the St Mark's square and is often not that crowded on the inside. The architecture is absolutely stunning and there's a lot of history to be seen walking through the interior of the palace. It's definitely worth a stop if you have the time.
Explore Bars & Nightlife
Venice had some of the coolest and most unique bar. There was a huge, random hailstorm that lasted over an hour when we visited in the summer, so we decided to just run into the closest bar and chill over drinks to wait it out! The bars can be super fun and creative to experience. We loved checking out one of Venice's new bars at the time, Bra's Bar!
Discover Bridges of Venice
There are several popular bridges scattered throughout the city. Some notable ones are the Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge. There's no shortage of picturesque bridges, just keep in mind there are tons of tourists on each and every one of them. Try to find bridges with less people for better pictures.
Tips
Google maps doesn't work well at all in Venice, so don't trust it completely. Leave 10+ minutes early to avoid getting lost by missing a bridge overpass to another alleyway.
Tickets for Doge's Palace should be pre-booked and PRINTED, we forgot to print our tickets and had to return to the hotel to get them printed out in order to enter.
Check whether your accommodations include an in-room/private bathroom. We thought ours did, and then found out quickly it was outside of our room, we just didn't read the fine print. Also make sure you have AC if you're visiting in the summer months.
Take the public water taxi to get to/from the train station or airport. It's much cheaper than the private water taxis and is very easy to use as they have many signs in English.
For your cute bridge photos, find a hidden, unknown bridge deeper into the city, away from the city center or main square. It's much easier to get good photos when you're not getting in someone's way.
