✈️ Arrival & First Impressions
Welcome to my Venice Travel Guide — an honest, experience-based story of Italy’s most magical floating city. From gondola rides and canals to the best local cafés and food, here’s how to explore Venice beyond the postcards. This Venice Travel Guide will help you navigate the city like a local.
I landed at Treviso Airport early in the morning, with that mix of excitement and sleepy anticipation that only travel days bring.
The distance to Venice is around 40 km — shuttle buses run every hour, and the ticket costs about €12 per person. The ride feels like a calm prelude before the sensory overload of Venice begins.
“This Venice Travel Guide shares my personal experience, practical travel tips, and honest impressions from Italy’s floating city.
This comprehensive Venice Travel Guide includes tips on hidden gems and must-see attractions.
As you explore, be sure to refer back to this Venice Travel Guide for the best local advice.
Once you arrive, you realize immediately — there are no cars, no noise, only water.
Transport here runs entirely by boats — vaporettos, water taxis, and gondolas gliding through canals.
The best option is a 3-day water transport pass (around €30), which gives unlimited travel — except for gondola rides, which remain a luxury at €100 per hour along the Grand Canal.
My Venice Travel Guide also includes must-try dishes and dining experiences.
🏨 Where I Stayed
For my three-night stay, I chose Hotel Saturnia International, less than 100 meters from St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace — the very heart of Venice.
My visit coincided with the famous Venetian Carnival, when the city becomes a living theatre of masks, costumes, and music. Prices rise slightly during this time, but the experience is worth it.
Check this Venice Travel Guide for the best tips on how to enjoy your stay.
Refer back to the Venice Travel Guide while indulging in the local cuisine.
The reflections of lights in the canals, the echo of footsteps on bridges, and the smell of espresso mixed with sea breeze make it feel like you’re walking through a painting.
☕ The Taste of Venice
This Venice Travel Guide is your companion for navigating the vibrant culture.
Venice isn’t just about what you eat — it’s about where you eat it.
A simple pizza averages €18, and a small espresso costs around €4, but the ritual is part of the experience.
The local classic drink is Aperol Spritz, bright orange and joyfully bitter, served everywhere from luxury terraces to tiny side cafés.
💡 Fun fact: Venetians only order cappuccino before 11 a.m. Ordering one after lunch is seen as bad taste — so if you want to blend in, go for espresso.
Be sure to consult this Venice Travel Guide for the best viewpoints in the city.
🎭 City of Masks & Reflections
Use the Venice Travel Guide to plan your itinerary for the trip.
During Carnival, Venice becomes a dream you can walk through — silk masks, candlelight, and the hum of violins in the air.
It’s theatrical, mesmerizing, and at times overwhelming.
By the second day, the crowds and constant movement start to tire you — Venice is breathtaking but intense.
Still, if you venture beyond the Grand Canal, you’ll find small trattorias, artisan shops, and quiet courtyards where life moves slower, untouched by the tourist tide.
That’s where the real Venice still lives.
💬 My Honest Impression
Venice is one of those destinations that everyone should see once — but probably only once.
Two or three days are enough to explore, experience, and understand its charm.
It’s magical and surreal, yet after a while, you long for silence.
It’s a place to witness, not to stay in forever — like a beautiful dream you’re grateful to wake from.
Ultimately, this Venice Travel Guide will help you cherish every moment in this iconic city.
🧭 Departure Notes
I left Venice on a quiet morning, taking a local bus back to Treviso Airport for just €2.50 — though I waited nearly three hours at the small station.
Even that wait felt poetic — a slow farewell to a city that never rushes, never apologizes, and somehow always stays unforgettable.
🇮🇹 Venice – Final Tips & Useful Links
Plan your gondola rides, vaporetto passes, and Carnival events with help from the Venezia Unica Official Tourism Portal.
After exploring the canals, continue your journey south to the French Riviera — my Nice Travel Guide reveals the elegance and rhythm of Mediterranean life.
Venice is a city that teaches you to slow down — to listen to the water, the laughter, and the echo of history.
Even when you leave, part of you stays in the reflection of its canals.