Venice, the ultimate romantic destination or is it? The city gave me controversial vibes due to the tourist masses that were occupying the streets of Venice in July. But despite the huge amount of tourists the canals as well as the characteristic buildings give a romantic feeling to the city. Here are my tips for a short city break in Venice!
One-day ticket to the ferry to save time
However you arrive in Venice I suggest you to buy a day ticket for the ferry bus. Basically you could also walk to the center of Venice but I would suggest you to save your legs and take the ferry. I also recommend the ferry because there are beautiful views along the way when you float along the canal. You can take the ferry as many times as you want during the day so you can get to the different attractions with the same ticket.
I visited Venice in July which I cannot really recommend. It was beautiful weather, +30 degrees Celsius and sunshine but the crowd was a bit too much for me. The crowd was mainly focused on the main streets and attractions of Venice but I still think it was a lot.
Must-see sights on a city break in Venice
In one day you can experience the main sights of Venice and a bit more. St. Mark’s Square and St. Marco’s Basilica is worth seeing but they do get super crowded during the summer months. You also need to see the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge and San Polo. In Venice there are interesting buildings everywhere so you will feel like walking in an outdoor museum.
Beautiful St. Mark’s Square!
Use the ferry ticket for sightseeing! It’s very useful to see most of the great sights from the water and I highly recommend it. That’s the best way to see the beauty of Venice.
My suggestion is to go to Venice early morning to see the main things that you want to see and when you’ve seen them, you can use the rest of the day to wander off the beaten paths. It’s crazy how different the amount of people is between the crowd on the main streets and the silent side streets. On a side street you might be the only one wandering there which is quite awesome. It feels like you have the whole Venice to yourself. Beautiful buildings and endless canals! So please do go wandering too and don’t just stay in the most touristic places.
If you have extra time I would recommend seeing the other nearby islands of Venice like for instance Lido di Venezia. It will be a lot less crowded there but still a lot of interesting things to see. I unfortunately didn’t have time to wander too much off the main tourist tracks.
Low-season is the best season?
My tip to Venice would be that travel there during low-season or at least not during peak season. During peak season the amount of people is crazy and I cannot recommend traveling there then. If you can, reserve a night or two to stay in Venice and stay on the nearby islands – not the main island. You will have a totally different and calmer image of Venice.
During low-season there may be flooding and rain but maybe the shoulder seasons spring and autumn would be ideal to visit Venice.
I stayed in the Venice mainland near a shopping mall Nave de Vero. I have to say that if you’re look for shopping in Venice, this shopping mall is a good choice!
Traveling to Italy? Check out my article of Rome!
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