I’ll come right out and say it – I didn’t love Venice. I went into the trip unsure of what to expect as I had heard mixed reviews of the place. Some people told me they loved Venice – it was one of their favorite destinations. Other people told me that it was stinky and over-touristed. Whatever side you’re on, I knew I wanted to see all the winding streets, canals and charming buildings for myself.

Where I Stayed

For accommodations I chose the Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection property conveniently located on the Grand Canal. My good friend Gina (remember her from Lake Como and Bali?) had stayed there during a recent visit and gave the place high marks. I was also able to book a reasonable Cash + Points rate before Marriott took things over. RIP, Starwood.

Getting to the hotel from the train station was a little different than other cities in Italy. I had the option to attempt public transportation (basically a bus on the water) or a faster, more scenic, over-priced water taxi. Walking thirty minutes was not an option with my luggage; throughout my visit in Venice, I watched people struggling with their rolling bags over the cobblestone streets, across bridges, through crowds (in June heat!) and thought, NO WAY. It looked like hell, especially after my experience in Granada. I halfheartedly attempted to figure out the public transportation, quickly gave up and hailed a water taxi. I’m all for taking public transportation in new cities, but not when I’ve already been traveling for hours and a much better (i.e faster, cooler) option is easily accessible.

Arriving at the hotel, the receptionist informed me I had been upgraded to a Venetian room. I couldn’t imagine that it was any larger than the standard room I had booked, and it didn’t have much of a view – but it was definitely gaudy. However, it was comfortable and clean, so I couldn’t complain.

The amenities at the hotel were very nice. I had breakfast on the terrace both mornings of my stay, which was lovely.

On my second night, I enjoyed drinks at the Riva Bar, which was a little cheesy, but the location on the Grand Canal was impossible to beat. Of course, the prices were steep (at least breakfast was included).

The gym was tiny, but serviceable. I was happy that it existed! I only went once, and had to share with a couple, which was tight. Thankfully, they eventually left, and I had the cozy room to myself for the rest of my workout. 

Sightseeing in Venice

First Day – Evening Tour

I had booked an evening walking tour through Airbnb Experiences, so after settling into my Venetian room, I ventured out to find the starting point for the tour. Naïvely, I underestimated how confusing the small, winding streets of Venice were, and how poor GPS would be on my phone. After a few wrong turns, I finally showed up to meet my group. Yes, I was the last person to arrive.

The tour was okay. Our guide was named Andrea (first of many reminders that Andrea is a very popular man’s name in Italy) and his family was from Venice. He was now married with a family of his own. While I appreciated his familiarity with the island (no way I could have explored the streets so adeptly), he also seemed to have ADHD. Or maybe he was on speed. Or both?

His tour didn’t have a cohesive story and looking back, I don’t remember anything that he was attempting to teach us. We did get to taste some good local snacks and drinks, and got some nice photo opps. My fellow travelers were nice enough, but I wasn’t going to become BFFs with any of them. I was impressed with one girl in her early 20s that had recently graduated from Harvard and then moved to DC to work in public policy. She had traveled to Italy for a friend’s wedding, and then continued her travels solo. At 23 or 24, this girl was already off to a way better start than I was throughout all of my 20s.

Second Day – Burano Tour

For my second day in Venice I wanted to visit the colorful village of Burano. In an unfortunate rookie move, I had booked a tour with Andrea, the same guide from my evening tour the prior night. All would have been fine if he was great to start with, but two days of his scatterbrained, jumpy energy were too much for me. I’ll give him credit for helping us to navigate around the crowds, but I wish he had been more focused and concise delivering his message.

We started the tour by taking the public water taxi (more like a bus on the water) to the island of Mazzorbo. It was a tiny island, but had a number of restaurants and art installations. We walked by one restaurant, Venissa, that looked like exactly the kind of place I’d want to visit. Then Andrea wrote it off as over-priced. Well, next time I’m in Venice I’ll be going there.

We were able to walk across a bridge from Mazzorbo to Burano. Burano was a very pretty, very Instagrammable destination of colorful homes. While filled with tourists, it didn’t feel quite as packed as Venice. I actually would have preferred to visit on my own so I could experience the place at my own pace and relax with a nice meal (and glass of wine). Another tip if you plan a visit – Also I’d suggest visiting in the morning or later in the evening to avoid tourists. Burano is known for its traditional lace-making artisans, Andrea of course took us into a lace shop where we awkwardly oohed and ahhed at the merchandise that we had no intentions of purchasing.

For our last stop, we took the water bus to one more island where we planned to sit in the shade and enjoy aperitivo. At this point I was finally able to chatted more with my fellow travelers – a family from Southern California. The mother was the sole parent traveling with her 20 year old son in community college and 9 year old daughter. She seemed to be a young woman to have a 20 year old kid, and then I learned she also had a toddler back at home! It was the first time they were traveling abroad together, and while they had numerous stories about logistical challenges (don’t we all?), they seemed to be getting along well. I was very proud of them for making the trip.

Second Day – Sunset Cruise

Everyone knows that one of the most popular things to do in Venice is take a gondola ride through the many canals. These gondola rides are of course very cliché and obscenely over-priced. As a solo traveler, I would’ve felt ridiculous taking a gondola ride on my own, although it also would have been the kind of FU experience I have learned to embrace as a single woman traveling alone in some very romantic places. Who cared if other people thought it was weird or sad that I was on my own? I was the one traveling the world on a trip that most people could only dream about, and I was going to maximize every minute!

Ultimately, I decided to skip the gondola ride and found a small group boat tour through Airbnb Experiences. We’d ride around the canals, then get out into the open water to explore some of the islands. Aperitivo would be provided. Two hours for less than the price of a 40 minute gondola ride. Perfect.

My group consisted of two couples (both Americans) and myself. Since I was the lone solo traveler, our (very cute) guide had me sit next to him on the boat. I was a bit far from the others, so it was difficult to make conversation with them. I guess I’d just have to talk to the charming Alessandro. Too bad…

Alessandro turned out to be a very interesting person. He had grown up near Venice (Padua), went to university in London and worked in Finance there for a couple years. As a hobby, he played multiple instruments and used to perform in an indie band when he lived in the UK. Suddenly he became even hotter in my eyes. He told me he always wanted to return to Italy, so he moved back in with his parents and figure out his next career move in the tourism industry. 

Given my obsessive interest in travel and tourism, the conversation turned to his plans and strategy in growing his nascent business. I admitted that I had no professional experience in the industry, but I suppose my extensive experience as a consumer and my success in building startups in general made me an expert in his eyes, so the discussion was quite lively. At the end of the tour, he told me it was very, very nice to have met me. We could’ve kept talking for hours; alas, it was not meant to be.

And that’s where my Venice story ends! Don’t worry, my Italian adventure gets more interesting starting with Florence…