72 Hours in Venice

This past weekend, I spent 72 hours in Venice, Italy as a solo traveler. Here’s how I got around and what I did while in that time. 

Arrival

I flew Ryanair into Treviso airport. For my American readers, Ryanair is the Spirit Airlines of Europe. And that means that it's a very basic low-cost airline where you pay extra for things like baggage, food and drink on board, etc. But it was easy to use their website and app. The planes themselves are basic but comfortable. Be aware that Ryanair often lands in smaller airports outside of a major city. So if you're booking a flight on Ryanair, pay attention to where you are landing, in order to figure out how you will get transit into the city. For example, Ryanair flights to Paris land at Beauvais airport, which is an hour bus ride from Paris. So, bear in mind that cost and travel time when choosing Ryanair.

In this case, the flight landed at Treviso airport, which is about 30 to 40 minutes outside of Venice. Flights coming from the U.S. won't land there due to size; they would land at Marco Polo airport, which is closer to Venice, but also not in the city, because of course there are no airports or cars in Venice. So either way, I knew I would have to get transit into the city.

Treviso airport is small and easy to navigate. We disembarked the plane, walked across the tarmac, and into the terminal. Our luggage was right there, and so was the exit, with the waiting bus to Venice, so there was very little walking. I had booked the bus in advance. It was 12 euros round trip on a cheap, comfortable coach bus.

Once arriving, in Venice, I took public transit to my hotel. Public transit in Venice consists of water buses or “vaporetti” in the plural (vaporetto in singular).

A single vaporetto ride is 9.50 euros, but you can buy a two-day or three day pass. I purchased the three-day pass that is currently 45 euros, so it paid itself off in five trips. I ended up taking about nine trips, so it was well worth the cost. But obviously, it's a little more expensive than public transit in another city. 

That is, in fact, true of pretty much everything in Venice: it's going to be a little more expensive than most other cities. Maybe not more expensive than Paris or London, but definitely more so than most cities in Europe. So you want to plan for that when you are visiting.

Like buses on land, every vaporetto stop has a map where you can figure out how to get where you're going, what line you need, and what direction to take. That will determine which pontoon you step out onto to wait for the boat.  There are also now digital signs which tell when the next line is coming and how long you'll need to wait. I found the whole vaporetto system super easy to navigate. 

Pontoons at the Accademia vaporetto stop.

I chose to stay at a hotel in the Dorsoduro district. It's the southern district out of six districts of Venice. It is not right in the touristy area, but still fairly close in terms of walking distance. I was out of the bustle but could easily access things that I wanted to visit. My hotel, La Calcina, was a lovely hotel with friendly, helpful, welcoming staff. I was treated to a strawberry prosecco when I arrived.

Drinking my strawberry prosecco upon arrival.

The hotel was right on the water looking out into the lagoon, not far from the Zattere  vaporetto stop. And the hotel had a restaurant on the first floor, including some outdoor seating right on the water that was very beautiful.

The First Afternoon

After checking in and getting settled, I headed out. I’d arrived in the afternoon, so I was looking for a late lunch. Wandering the neighborhood, I settled on a place called Agli Alboretti. I had spaghetti alle vongole, which is spaghetti with clams, fresh from the lagoon.  Venice does seafood well, and it was quite delicious. Because I arrived in the late afternoon, I was the only one in the restaurant.  (It would have been normal lunch time here in my home town in Spain, but it was late for Italians.) If you are someone who feels conspicuous eating by yourself in a restaurant, maybe consider dining in off hours, because it was nice to have the restaurant to myself. 

Then I walked over to the Accademia Museum, which has a collection of Venetian painters from the 1500s such as Veronese and Tintoretto. While my preference in art runs a little more modern, it was a nice glimpse into Venice at its height.

After I was finished there, I still had time to hit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, one of my favorites in Venice. Both the Accademia and the Guggenheim are in Dorsoduro, a short walk from each other. The Guggenheim has modern art. Including some Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, and Max Ernst. I had visited the Guggenheim on my last trip but was quite thrilled to go again this time. The museum is housed in a former palazzo where Peggy Guggenheim lived. If you enjoy modern art, I highly recommend it.

For dinner that evening, I figured out which vaporetto I would need to take across the lagoon to the island of Giudecca. Walking along the lagoon, I found a pizza place where I got funghi and prosciutto pizza. Giudecca is less expensive than Venice, and I had a lovely romantic view of Venice at night from across the lagoon.

Day 2: Food Tour

I had signed up in advance for a food tour. There are two different food tour groups I recommend: Secret Food Tours and Devour Tours. Both have always given me great tours. So this morning, I got up and made my way to the Cannaregio neighborhood. I had initially intended to take a vaporetto but I wanted to stop at the Rialto Market while it was open. 

The Rialto Market on a Saturday in January had a number of produce stalls and a few fish markets right along the Grand Canal. While smaller than the markets I’m used to in Spain, I always find Europe’s fresh markets to be a feast for the eyes.

I then decided to walk the remaining distance to Cannaregio. The whole walk from the south end of Venice to the north took me probably about 30 minutes.

My food tour was conducted by Carlotta, a native Venetian who had lived there most of her life. Carlotta had a lot to share about her favorite restaurants, but also what it's like growing up and living in the city of Venice.

One benefit of traveling in the off-season is that I was the only one who signed up for the tour, so I got a private tour. Carlotta chose seven of her favorite restaurants. The first was a place called Pastisseria Nobile for a Venetian raisin donut that is popular around Carnavale. Although most Italians would drink a cappuccino with it, I don't drink coffee, so I got a nice thick hot chocolate. 

Next, we went to Panificio Baldin for some traditional cookies that fishermen’s wives made. As we ate, we walked through the Jewish ghetto. The term ghetto actually originated in Venice. I learned a lot about the treatment of Jews in Venice during the 1500s.

Next, we headed to Vecia Carbonara for cicchetti. Cicchetti are Italy's version of tapas. They're little small dishes that you can eat while standing up at a bar. Often they are either a small sandwich, particularly open-faced sandwiches, or something on top of polenta. There were many options to choose from, and I wish I could have tried them all. 

But we had to continue on. So we went to a place called Da Sepa for more cicchetti! Here they were on polenta. I tried one with bacalao (cod) and one with shrimp and saor, which is vinegar-marinated onions. The latter was probably my favorite dish of the whole tour. Next, we went on to Rosticceria Gislon for some fried cheese with ham. The cheese is deep fried and served hot. Very tasty! 

Osteria al Portego was our next stop. They make homemade risotto every day. We did not know what we would receive until we arrived. For that day, it was a sausage and pumpkin risotto and a glass of Prosecco, both of which were quite delicious. 

Our last restaurant was Pasticceria Rosa Salva for a tiramisu. Again, because I don't drink coffee, I chose a raspberry tiramisu, which was quite delicious and also one of my favorites. To end the tour, Carlotta escorted me into Piazzale San Marco, the center of the city.

As is usual for me, I found the food tour to be the highlight of my trip. I've taken food tours in many cities around the world now, and it is a great way not just to get to know the food, but to learn about the history and the culture while getting a walking tour of the city. I highly recommend a food tour on the first or second day of your stay in a city to help you get your bearings. 

Carlotta is a lifelong resident of Venice, except for a year in Rome and six months in Malaga, Spain. We discussed cultural differences in Italy and Spain, learning languages, and the impact of tourism on Venice. She lives in Dorsoduro, the same neighborhood where my hotel was, but many of her family have had to move to nearby islands for affordability. Venice is losing its grocery stores, hardware stores and local shops in favor of restaurants and souvenir shops. But after living a year in Rome, she hated the cars and traffic, and missed the water. “Once you live in Venice,” she said “it's hard to live anywhere else.”

After so much walking, I decided to take a vaporetto back to my hotel for a late afternoon nap. I chose to ride the long way up the Grand Canal.  It's one of the best ways to appreciate Venice. You get to see all of the gorgeous palazzos along the canal from the water. For a splurge, you can do the same by taking a gondola ride. Gondoliers will also take you down some of the side canals, and you can see Venice at its finest, from the water.

I'd eaten so much on the tour that I didn't really even want to go out to dinner that evening. Instead I snacked on all the leftovers that I had shoved into my purse during the tour! But I did venture out that evening after dark to wander around. I took some lovely photos of Venice at night, ending up in the Piazzale San Marco.

Day 3: Tourist Sites

On Sunday, I chose to do the main tourist activities. It being January, I had not made reservations, deciding instead to play it by ear, which worked out fine. I would NOT recommend that in the high season in Venice.

I headed across the Accademia bridge and back over to Piazzale San Marco to see Saint Mark's Basilica. The church is amazing with its gilded mosaics, and well worth the 7 Euro admission price.

Then I walked behind the church a few blocks to Campo Santi Filippo i Giacomo, a little neighborhood recommended by Rick Steves, to grab some lunch at a place called Birreria Penasa. I watched a jovial waiter switch seamlessly from Spanish to French to English to Italian as he moved from table to table. Carlotta had told me that Venetian kids start English at age six, and can add another language or two in middle and high school. The waiter was definitely evidence of having taken many languages. I ordered three delicious chicetti sandwiches and a drink, all for the cost of 12 euros, which is great for Venice!

I then headed back over to the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace. It's where the various dukes in Venice lived. It is a little pricey at 30 Euros, but includes a walk across the famous Bridge of Sighs to the former prisons.

The prisoners’ last view of freedom from the Bridge of Sighs.

For dinner, I found a seafood stew at a place called Ristorante Oniga. It was gorgeously presented and delicious to eat, with shrimp, clams, mussels, squid, and baby octopus, all of which were tasty and filling.

It was time to pack up. My flight was leaving the next afternoon.

The Last Morning

While I could have fit in another museum or church visit, I chose to spend my last morning just wandering around Venice, writing in my journal, taking more photos, and enjoying the beauty. I stopped in a little grocery store to pick up some snacks for the plane. 

To return to the airport. I checked out of my hotel and took my last vaporetto trip back to the Piazzale Roma, which is sort of the entry point for Venice. It's where the train station and buses and cars all stop, and can go no further into Venice.

I did learn an interesting lesson about taking the bus back to the airport. To my surprise, there were many people flying back the same day, and the first bus that I tried to get on was full. I had to wait a half hour for the next bus. Fortunately, I had given myself plenty of time, but it could have been a problem had I not. I also found that Treviso airport was much more crowded than on the day I arrived, and the lines for security were quite long. So a word to the wise: plan plenty of time for transiting back to the airport for your first trip, particularly if you're not familiar with an airport,

I absolutely loved my solo trip to Venice. I could have crammed in more sights, such as a trip out to the islands of Murano and Burano, but I chose to take my time and relax. If you’re considering a trip to Venice, depending on how much you want to see, I recommend two to three days to truly enjoy your stay.