My husband and I went to Venice, Italy, two weeks before he was supposed to deploy. This was a last minute trip as a lady from my church came up and asked us, “Do you want to go to Venice next weekend?” I looked at Nathan and we both were like, “Sure!” 

If you ever have the chance to go to Venice, I HIGHLY recommend it as it was beautiful, magical, gorgeous, and so full of history! It was simply amazing and I wished that we could have gone back while we were overseas. This is why I am writing to you now to beseech you to not only go, but to explore this city to the fullest! I am so grateful that we went to this beautiful city and if you ever go, I hope you’ll refer back to my blog to really help you plan your lovely and romantic Venice trip!

Tip 1: Stay in Venice more than one day.

Although I am so grateful we went, we only stayed there for roughly half a day. We were on a tour bus that dropped us off outside of Venice around noon and we decided to go to our hotel whenever nightfall came. We got up around 5 or 6am the next day and left. It was just a weekend trip, but a trip full of memories, laughter, and marveling at the city that will never be forgotten!

So my tip to you is to stay in Venice for more than one day. Venice had twelve or so islands that make up the city and we only saw maybe two of those islands. I know there was so much more to explore in Venice, but we didn’t have the time. Thankfully we got to stand on the Rialto Bridge, one of the most scenic bridge in Venice and we visited St. Michaels Square as well, which is another scenic place in Venice.

Tip 2: Take a Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal.

These boats are expensive and only lasts between 35-45 minutes. But they are so WORTH it! Take the money, give the money away, and enjoy a ride of a lifetime! How many people get to say they rode a Gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice? That’s something to talk about! 

The man who will be your guide will tell you all about Venice history as he takes you around the many canals. He will tell you the history, the current rent in Venice, and how many churches they are (which were over 100 I think). You can ask your guide questions about Venice and if he’s nice (which he should be!), he’ll take a picture of you two kissing like ours did!

Tip 3: Eat a REAL Italian Pizza.

You only visit Venice once (probably) so go ahead and eat a real Italian pizza! It’s probably not what you expect! 

I would also like to advise to eat their ice cream too if you can find an ice cream shop. I hear their ice cream is AMAZING! I did not do this while I was there, but it’s okay because I got to have Italian Gelato in Germany which was outstanding.

Tip 4: Explore to your heart’s content!

With this being said, I am talking about when you go to Venice, make sure you have plenty of money to get inside the churches, take gondola rides, get lost amongst the canals and narrow streets, and stay a few days! 

We wanted to go inside of St. Michaels Church, but the line was long and we didn’t have the time or money to do it. We were young and didn’t think to bring money ahead of time (surprisingly, we didn’t see one ATM while we were there… of course, we only saw a small portion of Venice. Also, a lot of European shops do not take credit or debit card, only cash, this will be a good note to self), so our reserves of money was low. This is just one example of what I mean when I say to explore and visit as much stuff as you can when you go to any foreign place.

I felt like our time in Venice was well spent despite the short time we were there. We rode a gondola, saw two of the most famous landmarks in Venice, and ate authentic Italian pizza! Whether you go one day or stay a week, you’ll make memories, laugh, and cherish the time spent! You’ll never forget your time in the magical city!