Favorite ways to spend time in Venice
Venice, in my opinion, is one of the most romantic cities in the world. With those tiny streets, bridges and canals you feel as if you have time traveled to the Casanova era. While the carnival is arguably the most popular time there, I think the quieter times in Venice are when it really shines. That being said, even during the carnival it is easy to just make a few turns and be in a completely deserted part of town. The city is really built like a gorgeous, medieval maze. There are many reasons to love this place. The endless spots full of masks and colorful glass art, the skinny, winding streets, canals and bridges.. And of course the delicious, fresh seafood. Everything about this place will leave you wanting for more. After the many times I have gone, there are a few things that I keep finding myself drawn back to each time.
Get Lost
My absolute favorite thing to do in Venice is put away my map (or more like close that app down) and get wonderfully lost. The city is incredible and is built like a gorgeous, medieval maze. You can spend days wandering around town and you probably will not be able to trace back more than a few of the spots you had found. I am generally pretty good with directions, but Venezia is something else. Control freak or have crippling FOMO for that specific spot? Consider this your therapy - doctors orders!
Many of the amazing spots in Venice are not even on Google maps and can only be discovered by wandering around and following the rhythm, sounds and smells of the city. Trust the city.
The main center of the city is San Marco square as it is where all of the tourists congregate. There are very clear signs around the city pointing you to the piazza, so unless you have wandered off into one of the areas for the locals, you can pretty much always find your way back there. In this area of course you have the Duomo and the big piazza in front of it. There are many restaurants with outdoor seating here. Skip getting food here - you will likely be disappointed. However, do sit down for a glass of wine or an Aperol spritz.
It is a great spot to people watch during the day and a fantastic spot at night. At night, these restaurants are one of the few that are open until midnight int he city. Not only that, but they will have live bands performing classical music. It is a great spot to sit back and let the views wash over you as you listen to some of the venetian classics.
The north area of the city, around the Madonna Dell Orto church (and boat stop), is where the locals live and spend most of their time. There you will find schools and local grocery shops as well as favorite local restaurants. It is my favorite part of the city, but here it really helps to speak Italian. This is what Venice is for Venetians. It is quiet, tranquil and still very, very beautiful.
If you are interested to see what Venice is like for a local, this is a great area to wander to get some of that flavor. I personally had a very difficult time imagining living there the first couple of times I visited. To me, Venice seems like a fairytale place. It is so far removed from anything I consider ordinary that I couldn’t really imagine being there permanently, or even for long periods of time. Which is pretty odd, considering I certainly did not want to leave!
Cicchetti
My absolute favorite thing to do in Venice is wander, without a map, and follow the sounds and smells of the city. I love wandering aimlessly around the streets and finding cicchetti spots. Cicchetti are venetian tapas. They are all of the city during normal food times. Just like the rest of Italy, things don’t necessarily have specific operating hours. You can find these during “normal dining hours”. So around 12-3 and then again 6 and later.
Keep in mind that the selection and quantity will likely be limited. It is not unusual that a place will be packed and buzzing and then once all of the food is purchased people will finish up their snacks and move on to the next spot, leaving the part of the street that was buzzing a moment ago completely silent. It is really interesting to see – I haven’t seen anything like it anywhere else.
Grab a few various bites and a Spritz Veneziano and wander out of the packed bar to enjoy your drink and snacks in a piazza along with the locals.
Venetian Islands
Visiting Burano and Murano islands is a must if you are staying in the city for more than a few days. I would not trade it in for experiencing the main island, but if you feel you have explored it enough - spend the first half of a day visiting Burano and Murano islands. Vaporetto 12 boat will take you to both islands from San Zaccaria stop by San Marco in about 45 minutes and will cost about €6.50 per person.
Burano is currently very much a fisherman’s islands. With the continuous row of nightly colored houses lining the canals, it is one of the most colorful places I have ever seen in my life. It feels as if you are walking in a place that is not entirely real (to be fair, i think that sums up my feeling of Venice in general).
Seeing as this is a working fisherman’s village, a meal here will probably be one of the best you’ve had in Venice. So do stay for lunch. Find a nice spot outdoors (if the weather permits it) and dig in to some of the freshest seafood in all of Italy. Sitting outdoors will allow for your to continue to gaze at all of the colors and to listen to the town church bells as you enjoy your meal.
Burano
Is one of the most colorful places I have ever seen in my life.
