Venice travel blog
Stories, tips and inspiration for your Venice trip
A day in Valpolicella: what we drank, where we went, and what Amarone actually is
Valpolicella is 90 minutes from Venice and produces Amarone, one of Italy's great reds. Our day in the valley with honest notes on tastings and costs.
Best day trips from Venice ranked: our honest verdict after doing all of them
Every major day trip from Venice ranked: Verona, Padua, the Dolomites, Prosecco hills, Lake Garda, Treviso, Ravenna — with honest logistics and verdict.
Carnival without the crowds: how we made it work in 2026
Carnival is overwhelming on the wrong day. We went on the right days — found masks, performances, and a city still alive underneath the spectacle.
Venice's access fee one year on: what actually changed
The Contributo di Accesso has run two full seasons. What has the €5 day-tripper charge actually done — from visitors who paid and a local who didn't.
Where to watch sunset in Venice: ranked by actual experience
Venice sunsets justify the reputation. Seven positions we have actually used, ranked by view quality, crowd level, and what you need to do to get there.
Redentore fireworks night: what to expect and how to see it properly
The Festa del Redentore is Venice's biggest local celebration — lagoon fireworks, decorated boats, a tradition since 1577. Where to watch and how to plan.
A photography morning in Burano: what time to arrive and where to stand
Done Burano at noon and at seven in the morning — there is no comparison. Here's exactly how to photograph the lagoon's most colourful island properly.
The best cicchetti crawl in Cannaregio: our actual route
Six bacari, three hours, about €30. This is the Cannaregio cicchetti crawl we repeat every Venice trip — real names, real prices, honest opinions.
Murano or Burano: how we finally chose, and what we'd do differently
Two islands, half a day, one choice. We made the Murano vs Burano call and have strong opinions about what the other island gets right.
How we plan a Veneto week: the actual decisions behind our seven-day itinerary
The planning process for a week in Venice and the Veneto — what we include, what we skip, how we sequence the days, and where the decisions come from.
What 48 hours in Venice off-season actually looks like
A November long weekend in Venice with no crowds, honest prices, and what we'd do differently — a real trip report from two people who keep coming back.
Hidden canals by boat: what we saw when we left the Grand Canal behind
Exploring Venice's quieter rio by electric boat — the routes, the moments, and why this beat every gondola we'd taken before.
Going to Venice for the film festival: what it's actually like as a visitor
The Venice Film Festival at the Lido runs every September. No press pass needed — here's what the public can attend, what it costs, and how to plan your
A day at the Lido: Venice's beach that most visitors miss entirely
The Lido is 20 minutes from San Marco by vaporetto and has a real Adriatic beach, a film-festival palais, and none of the tourist crush. Here's what to
Going to the opera in Verona: a complete trip report
We booked last-minute opera tickets at the Arena di Verona and stayed overnight. What to do, what to bring, and what nobody warns you about.
Is the Venice Pass worth it? We ran the numbers on all three options
Three passes, €40 to €80, one decision. We ran the numbers on Venezia Unica, the city pass variants, and the church pass to find which actually saves
Padua is underrated, and Venice is the reason
Padua is 30 minutes from Venice by train and contains some of the most important art in Europe. Most visitors skip it. That is a serious mistake.
The day Venice flooded under our feet — an acqua alta diary
We woke up to sirens and 70cm of water in the streets. This is what an acqua alta day in Venice actually feels like, what we did, and what we'd do
Three days on the Prosecco Road: what we drank and what surprised us
We drove the UNESCO Prosecco hills, stopped at small producers, stayed above Valdobbiadene, and came back with twelve bottles and strong opinions.
The Dolomites from Venice: what a day trip actually delivers
We took the tour from Venice to Cortina and back in one day. What we saw, what we missed, and whether the time trade-off was worth it.
Vaporetto vs walking in Venice: how we actually decide
Venice is small enough to walk and has a public boat system for the rest. The real decision logic for when to take the vaporetto and when walking is
Romantic Venice on a budget: what we did for under €80 a day each
Venice can be genuinely romantic without the €200-a-night gondola dinners. Here's what actually worked for us on a tight February budget.
Torcello: the quiet island that was once bigger than Venice
Torcello was once bigger than Venice itself. Now it has around 150 residents and one extraordinary Byzantine cathedral. Here is what to expect when you
Why we always skip the San Marco restaurants
We've eaten badly near San Marco so you don't have to. The honest guide to Venice's biggest food trap — red flags and where to eat instead.
The truth about gondola rides in Venice
Three gondola rides, honest results. What they cost in 2026, what's actually worth it, and what gondoliers think of tourists.
Our Venice rainy day plan: indoor options, covered routes, and why rain isn't a disaster
Rain in Venice is fine — sometimes it's better than fine. Here's what we do when the weather turns, from galleries to bacari to covered walking routes.
Venice with toddlers: what actually worked (and what didn't)
An honest account of bringing a two-year-old to Venice — bridges, vaporettos, nap schedules, and the one afternoon that went perfectly.
Venice under snow: what we saw that almost nobody sees
It snowed in Venice in January 2021. We were there. Here's what it looks like, how long it lasts, and why we will never stop hoping it happens again.
Venice in 48 hours as a first-timer: what we got right and wrong
Our first Venice trip was 48 hours. We saw the major sights, made preventable mistakes, and came away knowing we'd done it wrong. Here's what to fix.
The Venetian spritz: history, recipe, and where to actually drink one
The Aperol spritz is not just a tourist drink — it has a real Venetian history, a specific ritual, and a few addresses where it tastes significantly