Day Trip to Venice
If you are traveling to Italy, I hope you plan at least a day trip to visit Venice and catch a gondola ride. Venice is a historic city built on a Lagoon. It’s really beautiful 😍. It’s really something everyone should experience at least once! We almost decided not to go because of the distance in travel, but I’m sure glad we did! It was well worth it and another one of my favorite experiences that I had in Italy. Truly, unforgettable!
If you’re traveling from Milan or Florence you can take a high speed train. We booked through Italo 2 days before travel coming from Florence. It’s about a 2.5 hour ride from Florence and a little more time if you’re coming from Milan.
Tip: You can book the high speed train up to 4 months in advance with Italo and some other companies up to 6 months in advance. Changes and updates to your tickets can happen closer to the dates. Best time to book is 4-8 weeks in advance for cheaper tickets and more flexible departure times.
Once you reach Venice, I’d recommend going left out of the train station and crossing the famous Rialto Bridge. The fancy white one, you won’t miss it. It passes over the Grand Canal. From there, take a stroll through some of the canal walkways and explore. There are many restaurants and souvenir shops along the way.
We stopped at a seafood restaurant for lunch. It was delicious 😋! After all, we were right on the water and so it was fitting to do so. They served us complimentary lemoncellos after we ate. It was a perfect ending to our meal!
After our lunch, we walked around a bit more and found a bakery. We purchased a cannoli bowl, which was fun. We ate them on our way to find a gondola ride through the canal walkways.
We were able to find an open gondola and the gondolier gave us a few different prices that depended on how much time we would ride. We chose to do the 30 minute ride because we didn’t have a lot of time to spend here. Traditional gondolas can hold up to five passengers. Myself, my husband, and two children got on. There was plenty of room.
They charge by an official rate that is per boat and not per person. The day rate from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. is €90 for a standard 30 minute ride and an additional cost of €40 for every 20 minute increment added. The night rate from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. is €110 for 35 minutes standard ride and €50 added for every 20 minutes extra. You can book online in advance, but it costs more. Booking in advance would ensure that you will get a gondola ride.
Tip: Before getting in the gondola, discuss the price and duration of your ride with the gondolier. If you want the standard price, just confirm that you want to pay the official rate for a 30 minute ride.
If you only have time to do one thing in Venice, do the gondola ride. It was an excellent way to see a lot of Venice quickly! Especially, if you need to take a break from walking 😉. The gondolier brought us through the back smaller canals, then through the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge, and stopped near St. Marks Square in a smaller canal. It checked the box for all of the main points to see!
Surprisingly, the boat ride was really calming and relaxing. The city and water looked even more amazing in the gondola 🤩. The water was just beautiful and sparkling out on the Grand Canal. Really, romantic and charming. I ❤️’d it!
Tip: Make sure to wear sunscreen or bring a hat if you tend to burn easily. The water reflects the sun and makes it stronger.
If time allows, don’t forget to see St. Marks Square on your journey! It’s pretty spectacular and I was blown away by how big it was. It’s the main point of the city and should be a part of your itinerary if you’re going to Venice. Also, St. Marks Basilica is located in the square too. We didn’t have the time to explore the inside of the church, but if you do, you will need to have your knees and shoulders covered.
Tip: If you need to use the restroom, you can go into a bar or café. You might need to purchase something small like an espresso or a snack. There are also public facilities labeled as WC or WC Pubblico, but you will have to pay €1.50 to use them. You can also use the restroom on the train, located at the ends of the passenger cars. Those are free to use.
We had a total of five hours in Venice and I feel like that was enough time to experience it and get the vibes. It did feel a little rushed, so if you had two days, that might be better for you. If you plan on staying overnight, just know that it might be difficult moving your luggage around on the cobbled pathways and bridges. We noticed a ton of people struggling.
Tip: There are parts of Venice where you can’t get phone service, so try to look at your map ahead of time. It helps to take screenshots of the map, so you don’t get lost. It’s easy to get turned around with the many paths through there.