Your Guide to Venice — Destination Dreamer Diaries

Ah, Venice… Gondola rides, stunning squares, reminiscent of Paris on water, and… the smell of sewage.

I can’t speak for other times of the year, but if you have a sensitive nose and go in the middle of July like me… there’s a good chance you’re going to find that the stereotype is true.

Here’s the good news: the stereotypes in Venice are pretty much all true.

Meaning?

It’s just as magical as everyone says it is.

Venice has an enchanting personality and some of the most beautiful architecture I’ve seen around Europe. Now, how do you spend your time there?

Let me break down our 36-hour itinerary to you:

Day 1:

We got to Venice late in the afternoon, and our tour group had an optional excursion to go on a Venice by night water taxi tour. It was actually almost cancelled because there was supposed to be a massive rainstorm, but we had a change of fate…

…and I’m sure glad that we did.

Riding the Grand Canal in Venice; July 2018.

Watching Venice shift from sunset to moonrise is a must. In my opinion, this was better than taking a Gondola ride: as we actually covered ground and saw major sights instead of just dwindling in one area.

We saw the Rialto bridge from the water…

Rialto Bridge from water taxi in Venice; July 2018.

… and witnessed this mind-blowing sunset.

It’s well worth it and I highly recommend you put this on your to do list while you’re in Venice.

Day 2:

Our day started with a photo stop at Ponte di Rialto.

We were informed by our tour leader that the best way to discover Venice, is on foot. It’s true; public transportation in Venice can get expensive.

The best way to discover Venice and it’s endless-narrow-streets is on foot.

One of the first things on our list that morning was St. Mark’s Square – as we were told it gets crowded in the afternoon.

I advise you do the same. In all of my European travels, I think this is one of the most stunning square I have ever seen across the continent… others that come to mind are Grand Place in Brussels (which really takes the crown) and Hero’s Square in Budapest… but this one is up there…

… and I’ve seen a lot of squares in Europe.

The clock tower, the pigeons, the distinct color of the water surrounding the square, the Basilica, the intricate, lace-like detailing... it’s stunning.

We also opted to take our gondola rides early in the morning to avoid gondola traffic (yes, in Venice – that’s a very real thing).

Smiling, because I was on a gondola in Venice!

Now, I don’t get motion sickness or anything – but if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing… you might want to hold off on this one. After the ride, I had a really bad headache.

Yes, I was in Italy in July and it was hot. Yes, I could’ve been dehydrated… but I knew I wasn’t.

My mom, who sat out the gondola rides and watched us embark, said that the gondolas were rocking back and forth pretty vigorously, and I quickly realized, in retrospect…

… she was right.

It took a long time for that headache to subside, so I advise that if you’re migrant prone – to skip the gondola ride all together.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad that I did it – because you get to see the crevices of the houses that you couldn’t see on foot; you get to see where the house meets the water of the canals and it’s really cool.

Viewing the Venetian houses up close whilst on a gondola in July 2018.

My mom and I then opted to walk through the Jewish Quarter. We had realized in our time in Italy that a lot of the good Italian dishes are served with pork or seafood – and being someone who keeps kosher, my mom had her heart set on finding some seafood-free linguine.

We didn’t find any, but we did peruse the Jewish Quarter and enjoyed it. Why?

Because it was still Venice in all its charm – without the crowds.

After that, we went back to St. Mark’s Square because I had my heart set on going up St. Mark’s Clock Tower, and the rumors were true… it was crowded by three in the afternoon.

The tourist filled, summer crowd at St. Mark’s Square in the afternoon.

However, surprisingly, the line for the clock tower wasn’t bad at all – and for only €8… the views were epic.

Views from St. Mark’s Clock Tower in Venice; July 2018.

The view of Venice from St. Mark’s Clock Tower looks a lot like the views of Berlin and Prague from their T.V. towers… massive.

Venice is huge! Did you know it’s made up of over 100 different islands? — Venice is huge! Did you know it’s made up of over *100* different islands?

We ended our day with Gelato and gondola watching. I had Gelatoteca Suso in my phone for the longest time; it’s known for having a lot of dairy free options… and it was good.

Strawberry & Dark Chocolate Gelato from Gelatoteca Suso in Venice; July 2018.

I do have to say, that all of the gelatos in Italy start to taste the same once you’re there for two weeks and eating it kind of (absolutely) every day… but this one was exceptional. The line is long, and for good reason – it’s in a good spot and they have flavors that you can’t find anywhere.

When in Venice, you should get a gelato with a macaroon – as there’s a lot of French influence amongst Venetian cuisine.

We sat on some steps and gondola watched… because we were in Venice, and we could.

It’s kind of the only place in the world where you can gondola watch… so I suggest you do it, too!

Gondola watching in Venice; the traffic there gets amusing!

The final takeaway? I liked Venice, I liked it a lot, but it’s not my absolute favorite place in Italy.

It’s always crowded, especially in the summer, gondola rides are slightly overrated, it smells… but it has its beautiful moments, little side streets, and distinct pockets of charm that are hard to find elsewhere.

If you’re looking for other things to do in Italy, click here.