Here is my top ten guide of things to do in Venice;
1. Wander aimlessly around the city
This was the running theme of our trip. The only thing planned was two of our evening meals. You could easily spend days just wandering the back streets, like we did, and I promise you that you won't end up in the same place. By doing so you will be able to find many of Venice's charming squares, bridges and streets, which I think is key for appreciating the city. If you do anything in Venice forsake the rest of this list and just do this!
But since that isn't much of a guide, here are other suggestions;
2. Visit the Piazza San Marco
I would recommend visiting Piazza San Marco. As I said before, the square was very accessible to our hotel and we visited it everyday, no exaggeration. It houses the Doge Palace, St Mark's Basilica, and is surrounded by lots of little shops which sell everything from jewellery, glassware, and lots of tourist tat.
Personally, I preferred visiting the Piazza in the evening as I found it easier to appreciate the beauty of the architecture; the lights and the scarcity of tourists made it easier to have a good look around. But this is just me, andI'm not really a fan of crowded spaces.
3.
Visit the Rialto bridge
The main bridge across the Grand Canal, which houses lots of little shops, and in the mornings a market. From the peak of the bridge you find incredibly views down the river, however, if you want a photo at the top of it then I suggest going early as it will get incredibly busy. While at the Rialto Bridge you could also cross out #4 on my list.
4.
Have a trip on a gondola
This isn't cheap, eighty euros for half an hour, but it is definitely worth it. I'm not a fan of boats or water*, but it was one of the best experiences I've had. It was beautiful to pass through the city by boat. The gondola operator, also provides a little running commentary of the city as you pass the beautiful landmarks.
While they where gondolas straight outside our hotel, we opted instead to take one from the Grand Canal, mainly because the water looked too choppy on the main river which is used by the water taxis and buses. While there are gondolas situated all over the city, I would recommend catching one from the Grand Canal.
*Yes, it's surprising that I wanted to go to Venice!
5.
Visit the Doge Palace
For this I would recommend buying your tickets in advance to avoid the queues. However, it is a lovely place to visit. You can take a self guided tour around the painted rooms of state, which are breathtaking. However, after visiting one room I kind of had a 'seen it already feeling'. But don't let that put you off! You can cross the famous bridge of sighs to visit the men's prison, which isn't nearly as bleak as it sounds.
While crossing the bridge Mama C & I did sigh. We really are dorks.
6.
Have an ice cream in Piazza San Marco
It may have been March, and it may have been a little chilly when we were there, but to me this was pretty high on my to-do list. Two large scopes for two euros. Yes please!
7.
Purchase a Venetian mask
Venice isn't a great place for shopping, which didn't bother me, but I did have one thing which I was hell bent set on buying; a Venetian mask. For this I would recommend moving away from the tourist hot-spots like #2 and #3 as prices will be high. My mask, which I love, cost me three euros and is currently decorating my best side table. But, the prices of masks do range right up to forty euros, so I would shop around.
If you want a more traditional painted mask, like the one I got, or a glittery little number, like Mama C's; you will be able to find it.
8.
Take a trip on a waterbus
Venice has no cars, so if you want to get around you need to walk, or take a waterbus or taxi. We did take a watertaxi from the airport to our hotel, which was a strange start to the holiday. We weren't originally going to travel by waterbus, but after ending up at the other side of the island and after four days of solid walking we were too knackered to even consider walking back, so waterbus it was! As silly as this sounds, it is exactly like a normal bus, but on water!
9.
Eat at a restaurant away from the Grand Canal
This sort of counts on #1 wandering aimlessly. While I'm sure the restaurants along there are lovely, but they are, how do I put this nicely, tourist traps. We had some amazing food in restaurants populated by true Italians, always a good sign. I can't really recommend anywhere, as that would defeat the purpose of wandering aimlessly, but you will no doubt find somewhere pretty fast once you get hungry!
10.
Eat at Osteria Oliva Nera restaurant
However, here is my recommendation for a restaurant; Osteria Oliva Nera. This was one of two places we had booked before hand, and on our travels we decided to direct ourselves towards it to look at the menu. I'm glad we did. I have only recently given up vegetarianism and started to eat chicken and duck, and upon surveying the menu I noticed that they didn't have any dishes I would be able to eat.
I felt incredibly disheartened, but after a quick talk with the owners, a lovely couple, they suggested that they could come up with an alternative menu for me. How sweet! They were more than accomodating, and I had eggplant parmesan and g
nocchi with duck ragù. It was so yummy!! Our best meal in Venice!
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