Ciao from Venice! I am super excited to be here. Ever since Italy was marked as a COVID-19 hotspot, I was very sad to hear the country closed its borders to tourists. But FINALLY after 6 months, they’ve opened up their borders to certain countries and THANKFULLY residents of the UK are allowed to visit Italy again. I was so worried they wouldn’t let me past Border Control with a Canadian passport/Taiwanese passport. They asked some questions regarding where I was currently living. I said UK and they didn’t quite believe me – it was when I pulled our my Biometric Resident Permit they finally said OK and let me into the country!
I have very fond memories of this place, and the last time I was here was in 2013 with my good friend Emily from Imperial College and…. in WINTER! (How on earth did I manage?) Now it’s mid-August and temperatures here have soared up to 30 degrees (oh dear!) but I am ecstatic to be back. I planned a 9 Day Italy trip beginning in Venice, then Florence, Cinque Terre, and ending in Rome.
Hotels/Airbnb I recommend in Venice
- AC Hotel Venezia – £ where I stayed because I get Marriott member rates. Located right next to the bus station (10 second walk), 5 minute walk to the train station/vaparetto stop. 30 minute walk to major attractions.
- Airbnb Palazzo DaPont – £ where I would stay next time! Reasonable rates and the rooms looked spacious.
- Hotel Bauer – £££ luxury hotel but at a great location! Come to their first floor restaurant/terrace to take awesome photos of the Basilica de Santa Maria della Salute
WHERE TO EAT IN VENICE
- Frulala – Come here for smoothies that are made right in front of your eyes! Enjoyed them so much on a hot day.
- Enoteca Al Volto – my favorite restaurant in all of Venice! I came here 5 years ago and I always remembered this restaurant. Their tiramisu is amazing. I tried their squid ink pasta this time and it was superb! Felix enjoyed the squid ink pasta so much.
- Suso Gelateria – best place for gelato in Venice and highly recommended by everyone. Right next to the gelateria there is a canal so go snag an Instagram photo there!
- Acqua e Mais – best fried food in Venice. Come here for cheap eats and fried calamari.
- Fried Land – another cheap street food in Venice. Acqua e Mais was closed the day I went so I came here instead. Seafood is very fresh and cheap and their €6 squid ink spaghetti was SOOO worth it!
- Antico Forno – pizza for takeaway only! This was rated very well and on my list of to-eats but we didn’t have enough time!
WHERE TO TAKE INSTAGRAM PHOTOS
1. Hidden Pier – This is truly a hidden pier with an awesome view. Sit on the pier and watch the canal boats go by. To get here: go to the street across from the Chanel shop. Walk to the end of the street, turn left and then you’ll come across the hidden pier.
2. Liberia Acqua Alta – considered the cutest bookshop in the world. Come here only to be surprised by the amount of books, the design of the shop, and the cats that are curled up amongst the bookshelves sleeping! There are two bookshelf/bookstaircase places to take Instagram photos. BUT! wander to the back of the shop only to be surprised with an empty gondola sitting there with a sign that says “Free Entry”. If no one is around, pick up a book and sit on the gondola for a nice afternoon read, or pick up your camera and snag a few photos here instead of dishing out €80 for a 45 minute gondola ride.
3. St Mark’s Square – there are a lot of spots to take photos here, but most of them entails coming early in the morning around 6AM – 7AM when there are no tourists around. Try booking a hotel near St. Mark’s Square so you don’t need to wake up that early!
4. Hotel Bauer Terrace Restaurant – Taking a photo here at the hotel involves drinking at their terrace restaurant. Guests are welcome to sit here and snap some photos, but if you are just visiting, you can choose to dine at their restaurant or just come in for a cup of coffee/glass of Spritz. The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is in the background which makes it perfect for photos!
5. Rialto Bridge – The bridge is one of Venice’s iconic landmarks, with shops located right on the bridge itself! They’re mostly high-end boutique shops, selling jewelry as well as watches (Rolex included!) Some were closed during our visit due to COVID, but more and more shops are opening up in Venice as of today! There are lots of Instagram opportunities around Rialto Bridge and on both sides too.
I took this sunset photo of Rialto bridge on the OTHER side of the bridge. To get to this pier requires you to walk around a building, it is a little hard to locate but if you’re in the area, you can easily find out how to get here! Make sure to take a photo when a gondola passes by, it really makes your picture more interesting. I came during sunset so I got some nice warm colors in my photo!
6. Canals & Bridges – A lot of canals and bridges provide a great opportunity for photos. We spent a day walking around looking for the best bridges and canals to take photos of and recorded them down. Then the next day, we came early in the morning for shooting (at 7AM!).
After two days we were ready to head to our next destination – Florence! Continue to read on here!