Venice, famous for its labyrinthine narrow streets, majestic palaces and the canals that surround them, finally our guide is ready!
Today, its narrow streets are filled with tourists, who make up the largest part of its economy, no matter what time of year you visit. One of the most touristic routes in Europe. However, no matter how touristic it may be, it is possible to find details, places and emotions in this city that are unique and worth mentioning.
Once you get over the shock of the first encounter with such a different city, it is hard not to get caught up in its extreme romanticism. Getting lost in the narrow streets of this city and looking at it constantly over the water are two things you should definitely experience in this city.
In this fascinating Venetian city, we have listed our favorite food stops and important places to visit as a result of our different travels;
Restaurants:
•Stappo Enoteca con cucina
•Osteria Bakan
•Trattoria Antiche Carampane
•Osteria alle Testiere
•Estro
•Ai Mercanti
•Vini da Gigio
Aperitivo/cicchetti/bar:
•Wine Bar 5000
•Osteria Bancogiro Venezia
•Al Mercà
•Cantina Do Spade
•La Prosciutteria Venezia
Coffee/Pastry Shop:
-Torrefazione Cannaregio
•Panificio Giovanni Volpe
•Sullaluna libreria & bistrot
•Pasticceria Rizzardini
•Pasticceria Martini Di Palombella Lorenzo
•I Tre Mercanti, tiramisu
Gelato:
•Bacaro del Gelato
•Gelateria Gallonetto
The ones we wondered about but couldn’t try:
•Experimental Cocktail Club
•Antica Locanda Montin
•Acqua e Mais
•Il Paradiso Perduto
•Al Covo
•Hostaria Castello
•Arcicchetti Bakaro
•Palazzo Ducale
-Rialto Bridge
•Ponte dell’Accademia
•Basilica di San Marco
•Peggy Guggenheim Collection
•Ca’Pesaro
•Gallerie dell’Accademia
•Ca’ Rezzonico
•Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
•Museo Correr
•Teatro La Fenice
•Museo Fortuny
•Museo di Palazzo Grimani
•Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
•Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
•St Mark’s Campanile
-Teatro Italia, a market converted from an old building
-Libreria Acqua Alta, a popular bookstore
→Venice, a city built centuries ago on 118 islets in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea with wooden piles buried in the marshes.
→ Platforms called “fondamenta”, which sit on foundations and connect buildings, form the streets of the city.
→It is notable for its brick and stone-dominated buildings and elaborate facade decorations in Gothic and Renaissance styles.
→The city’s main arteries are canals. Transportation is provided by sea vehicles such as gondola, traghetto and vaporetto.
→The islands of this city full of canals are connected by bridges of different styles. The two most important bridges are the Rialto over the Grand Canal and the Ponte dell’Accademia.
→San Marco Square: In Venice, narrow streets lead to small squares. San Marco square is the heart of the city, surrounded by the most important buildings. Basilica, Doge’s Palace and Campanile are located here.
→Acqua Alta: Water that rises during periods of high tide, especially in winter. The city is flooded from time to time. During these periods, elevated walking paths called ‘pavimenti’ were created. Flooding is the biggest threat to the city’s existence.
→Venetian Cuisine: Venice is a city blended with maritime culture. As in every detail, this has a great influence on the kitchen. Risotto al nero di seppia, spaghetti alla busara, sarde in saor and other seafood dishes. Cicchetti is the name given to their small snacks. Olives, crostini & bruschetta.
→The most popular tourist periods are Carnival and Biennale times. Dating back to the 12th century, Carnival is famous for its costumes and masquerades. A biennial is a contemporary art event organized every two years. Both bring visitors from all over the world to Venice.
→Murano’s glass, Burano’s lace: Two tourist islands you can visit from Venice. These centuries-old crafts with exquisite craftsmanship create inter-island tourism.
→Ghetto, the word is also comes from a 16th century area of Venice where the Jewish population lived with restrictions. Ghetto eventually became a term for areas of social isolation and restrictions.
Save this 3-day Venice itinerary for your next trip!
Day 1:
We usually spend the first few days settling into the house/hotel and getting to know the city we are traveling to, with less planning. One of the best ways to visit this city is to get lost in its streets;
On the first day, settle into your home, get lost in the streets, explore the nearby sights, observe the locals living in your neighborhood.
We spent the first day walking around Rialto and San Polo, where our house is located. We sunset with an aperitivo by the canal in one of the bars in Campo Erberia near the Rialto Mercato.
Day 2:
– Explore the streets of Cannaregio, morning coffee at Torrefazione Cannaregio. Visit also the Teatro Italia in Cannaregio, converted into a supermarket.
– Explore the Campo di Ghetto Nuovo and the nearby old Jewish settlement and discover its bakeries.
– Make your way to Piazza San Marco. Take a break at Caffe Florian, a classic here. Visit the Doge’s Palace and Basilica di San Marco, both a must-see. If it’s not foggy, you can go up to Campanile di San Marco. Another option is the Campanile di San Giorgio on a small island less frequented by tourists.
– After passing by Venice’s famous theater Teatro La Fenice and Campo San Maurizio, famous for its markets, take in one of the best views of the city from the dell’Accademia Bridge.
– Across the bridge you can visit Gallerie dell’Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute. You can add the ones that interest you to this route.
Day 3:
– Start your day with a quick and sweet snack at Pasticceria Rizzardini, one of the city’s iconic patisseries.
– You can spend half of the day on one of the islands: Burano is famous for its lace and Murano for its glasswork.
– Back to the center for lunch in the afternoon: Our reservation was at Estro, which is in the Michelin guide.
– After dinner, you can explore Dorsoduro, one of the city’s most lively and bohemian neighborhoods.
– We preferred the Museum Pass ticket for museums. After returning to the center, we visited Ca’Pesaro, which is included in the museum ticket.
The places to save for your trip to Venice! We tried restaurants, cafes, patisseries, gelato and aperitivo places.
For coffee in Torrefazione Cannaregio, put this place on your list for quality coffee. In Venice, as in much of Italy, it is difficult to find innovative coffee shops. Sullaluna Libreria & bistrot is also a good option for coffee in the same area.
Pasticceria Rizzardini and Pasticceria Bar Martini Di Palombella Lorenzo are two authentic patisseries if you want to have a quick breakfast at the bar like an Italian. Bacaro del Gelato and Gelateria Gallonetto: Two of the 3 places we tried for gelato. We did not find Suso, which is very popular, as successful as these two.
Wine Bar 5000 is a cicchetti/wine bar near Piazza San Marco. Another place for cicchetti and aperitivo is Cantina Do Spade, a historic restaurant dating back to the fifteenth century. Reservations are required to sit at a table.
In the Rialto Mercato area, we preferred Osteria Bancogiro and Al Merca for aperitivo. They are perfect for sitting against the canal and having a good time. La Prosciutteria, which also has branches in Milan, is another place we found not bad. It is a good option if you want to taste charcuterie platters or sandwiches accompanied by wine or spritz.
Rosa Salva, Caffe Lavena, Caffe Florian, Caffe Florian and Harry’s Bar are some of Venice’s most famous venues near Piazza San Marco. They are very touristy. Harry’s Bar attracts attention because it was once frequented by Ernest Hemingway and was the bar where Bellini appeared. The prices are above the Venetian average, but it’s worth a try.
We tried many places for dinner and lunch. While the pizzas we had in Venice were mediocre compared to the rest of Italy, we can say that they have a rich cuisine, especially in seafood.
Stappo Enoteca con cucina is an impressive wine bar. Here we started with 36-month-old prosciutto crudo from Parma. We tried Pumpkin and Potato Flan and Fassone piemontese beef tartare, the tartare was our favorite of the starters. We continued with Papardella Duck Ragu and Amberjack Ravioli. They make all the pasta themselves, we found it successful in general. We chose tiramisu and creamy chocolate for dessert. Here we drank Lambrusco with our meals. We paid 200 euros for 4 people meal with two bottles of wine.
Osteria Bakan, we don’t remember who recommended this place to us, but it was one of the places where we felt most comfortable and satisfied. Away from the tourist areas in Venice, a place that looks extremely shabby and ordinary from the outside but has a very cozy atmosphere inside. Here we started with Northern Italian charcuterie and continued with fresh pasta. We chose from the menu of the day. Simple, delicious and cozy. You’d better book in advance.
Antiche Carampane is one of our most frequent Venice recommendations. When Vedat Milor mentioned it in his article about his trip to Venice, we couldn’t resist trying it. However, it was not possible to make a reservation. It is better to do it well in advance. We happened to pass by the restaurant and had the chance to sit for a short time (1-1.5 hours) at a table outside waiting for the reservation time. Since our time was limited and we were going to have another meal afterwards, we could only try 3 dishes. We chose Prosciutto Crudo, Deep dried shrimp and calamari, Venetian style Cuttlefish accompanied by sparkling wine. This is a kitchen that stands out for its fresh and local seafood/seafood. The average price is a bit higher than other places but we were happy with the dishes we tasted. This is a historic trattoria that has long been preferred by locals, but it is also well known by tourists, so reservations are a must.
Estro Vino e Cucina was one of our Michelin guide recommendations. A place to book again. They have a menu with 100s of organic wines and a delightful Mediterranean cuisine. We started with Traditional Venetian Starter and oysters from the a la carte menu, Asparagus risotto, seafood tagliatelle were my favorite dishes. Pastas are 19euro and main courses are 28euro. We chose Asja Rigato Flower Power Pet Nat with the food, which was very enjoyable if you like Frizzante wines.
Osteria alla Testiere was originally a classic bacaro, but today it is one of the most popular bistros in Venice. In Venice, some restaurants source their produce from the island of Sant’Erasmo as part of a solidarity between some businesses. Like Carampane, this place is part of this solidarity.
Ai Mercanti, another Michelin-listed restaurant, opens onto a small courtyard. Mortadella & Lombardi pickled peppers, Venetian traditional risotto ‘secole’ and Pork Belly were our favorites among the starters. For dessert, we tried White Chocolate Mousse and Creme Brule.
Vini da Gigio, a classic family-run Venetian restaurant. It’s hard to be unhappy with fresh pasta in Italy, but the seafood pasta here is our favorite, especially tagliolini with spider crab.
This is one of the tourist islands in the Venetian Lagoon, famous for its lace and colorful houses. It is considered one of the most colorful islands in the world. Architecturally, it is quite different from Venice and Murano, which is close to it (but also bigger). So, why is Burano so colorful?
It’s actually quite practical. In the past, when fishermen went out to sea, they could easily find their homes on the way back.
The Venetian lagoon is foggy and misty. Even on foggy days, they can recognize their homes from a distance thanks to the bright and distinctive colors. For those who live in Burano, the issue of painting their houses is taken seriously. There is even a set of rules. It is mandatory to get permission from the management before painting their houses, and the aim is for the color scheme to be consistent and harmonious. Municipalism 👍🏻
It is a kind of cultural heritage of the island. Another idea is that choosing vibrant and cheerful colors reflects the spirit of the island.
What to do in Burano? There is really very little to do in Burano, apart from wandering among the colorful houses lined around 2 canals. This island is famous for its lace and there is a museum about this culture. Their cookies called “Bussolà” are also famous, it is not an enormous flavor. We did not visit Murano, famous for its glass workshops, but you can visit these two islands on the same day. The number 12 vaporetto departing from F.te Nove A port in Venice makes frequent trips to both. We did not visit Murano but we think it might be more interesting. In the thirteenth century, glass workshops were moved to Murano because they caused fires. Murano has glass blowing workshops and a museum on this craft. Visits to the workshops are 5€.
Other islands to visit include Torcello, which dates back to the founding of Venice, Mazzorbo, home to the Michelin-starred Venissa Ristorante, and Lido, the Venetian resort island. Nobel laureate Thomas Mann’s novel ‘Death in Venice’ is also set on the island of Lido. In 1971, director L. Visconti adapted this novel into a movie. The Hotel des Bains, featured in the book and the movie, is located on the island of Lido.
The gondolas have become a symbolic part of the city.
A traditional type of boat used on Venice’s water canals, its origins go back thousands of years and it is one of the main elements of transportation in the city.
Yes, transportation in Venice takes place by water on the canals. Gondolas are now mostly used for touristic purposes, but the ‘vaporetto’, which is also a sea transportation vehicle, is used for public transportation.
Gondolas are traditionally black in color. On the head there is an ornament called ‘ferro’. That ornament, usually made of lead or iron, is a detail identified with gondolas.
Gondoliers need a special certificate to practice their profession. It is hard not to recognize the gondoliers, symbolized by their straw hats with ribbons. Gondolas are also used for weddings, festivals and special events. Every year during the Venice Carnival you can see gondolas decorated with decorations.
Gondoliers move their gondolas using a single oar, and maneuvering, especially in narrow canals, seems to require a special skill.
One of the most romantic things you can do in Venice is a gondola ride. Venice is a beautiful city to explore on the water canals and watch over the water. We didn’t do a gondola tour, our vaporetto rides were more than enough. But if you want to try it, as far as we saw, there was the same price policy everywhere. A classic 30 minute tour costs 90euro.
This gondola tour with live music, which we came across while sitting at one of the cicchetti stops, is much more expensive. But luckily, if you happen to be like us, you can accompany this mesmerizing scene for a while.
If you want to go to this exact location, you can go to Wine Bar 5000, where we stopped to make cicchetti with wine.
