Exploring Venice In Less Than 24 Hours

When somebody mentions “Venice”, what comes to your mind first? Perhaps you will say one of the following: a beautiful and romantic place, canals and gondolas, masquerade masks and Murano glasses. This city is known by many nicknames. It’s been called City of Bridges, City of Canals, City of Waters, City of Masks, The Floating City, just to name a few. But did you know that behind its crowning glory, Venice is disappearing? Yes, Venice is literally sinking and tilting slowly. Many locals would say that it’s a losing battle and nobody can stop it. It’s sad to know that perhaps the next generation might not see Venice as what it is today.

Venice is one of the places on my bucket list that I never thought I will see one day. Surreal as it may seem, but somehow I can say dreams really do come true. I felt blessed that I was able to see it before it sinks totally.

Enough of the drama. When our tour bus made its stop in Venice, Derick and I had only less than 24 hours to see what this city has to offer. We arrived early afternoon at our hotel and we wasted no time exploring the place. Wanna know what are the things we experienced and enjoyed in less than 24 hours in Venice?

Filled our tummies with Italian delights

Along the narrow alleyways there are many fancy cafe’s and restaurants that offers authentic Italian dishes. However, nothing beats the classic street food in Venice. You got it right! Pizza and Gelato. I melted when I saw it. Who can say no to pizza and gelato?

Would you believe that the huge pizza I’m holding and 2 scoops of gelato plus a bottle of soda or water is worth only 5 euros? I’ll tell you, it’s the best pizza I had in Italy. Definitely a must-try when in Venice.

Gondola Ride

After we had our fill of pizza and gelato, we were ready to really explore Venice. For any traveler, the very first thing that needs to be ticked off the list is the Gondola Ride. Seriously, it was the main reason why I came to Venice. So we headed to the Grand Canal and went straight to the Piazza San Marco where the gondolas were waiting.

After paying the necessary fees, we finally boarded the gondola assigned to us. As our grouchy gondolier (sorry for the word but he seemed like he’s not happy to serve us because he complained a lot)  started to maneuver the boat, we encountered strong winds that caused the waters to get rough… Oh boy! That bumpy ride made me so scared. I felt like the boat might flip over and I was like “where are the life jackets?” At that very moment, I couldn’t wait to get off the boat. Hahaha. It was a mixture of everything… fun, exciting adventure, heart-pounding experience in Venice that I will never forget.

Roam around The Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco is usually the assembly point of tour groups and tourists visiting the city. The picture above was taken after it rained. Normally the square is full of people and pigeons. Feeding the birds and taking photos are the main things you can do in this place.

Basilica di San Marco is the famous church located on the eastern end of Piazza San Marco. Its magnificent facade showcased the Italo-Byzantine architecture and impressive mosaic work which was intricately done to produce beautiful art ornaments.

This photo is one of my favorite snaps of Venice because 4 of the iconic landmarks were captured in one shot plus the gondolas in the foreground…the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Campanile de San Marco, Colonne de San Marco e San Tadaro and Doge’s Palace. Thanks to my assistant photographer, Derick.

Souvenir Shopping

Venice has a lot of souvenirs items that you wouldn’t want to missed like the decorative masks and murano glass. These are good souvenirs and gift ideas you can bring back home. I bought few pieces of porcelain masks ref magnets, a complete set of accessories made of murano glass and a genuine leather bag. How I wish I still have extra space in my luggage to accommodate more stuff. Unfortunately no more and we’re still in the middle of our Euro trip.

Sightseeing and wandering through the bridges and canals

Ponte della Paglia

Getting lost through the bridges and canals gives you the feeling of excitement of what you’re going to see on the other side. Every turn is always full of surprises. Actually Venice is easy to navigate, every street has arrows that points you the main attractions and if you follow the arrows I’m sure you will be fine.

Venice is very picturesque and I’m sure photography enthusiasts will never get enough of this charming city. Yeah it might be overrated but what can I say, Venice is Venice and you can’t get any better than that.

Witnessed different Love Stories in Venice

There’s no doubt that Venice is one of the most romantic places in the world because even the birds know it too. I don’t know how to describe it but I caught these two getting cozy with each other while we were cruising the canals on the Gondola. Isn’t it amazing that even these creatures know how to express love to their partners. Awww! They’re so cute! If these birds are capable of expressing love, why can’t we? Truly an inspiration! ❤

Unlike the birds, this lady was on her own having picnic by the canal. I assume she’s with her significant other because there were two bottles of drinks with her. I don’t know what happened but I sincerely hope she wasn’t left alone heart broken.

Finally, there’s no better way to enjoy Venice than sharing happy moments with the one you love. I must say that our experience was truly special and unforgettable because we were together. We may not have a lot of time to explore Venice fully but I think we saw most of the beautiful things the city has, although it would have been nice if we saw the Rialto bridge. I was really disheartened to see the iconic bridge in a renovation state.  *sigh* Perhaps it’s one good reason to revisit Venice in the future. Hopefully!

How about you, have you been to Venice? What were your experiences? I would love to know your stories, feel free to leave a comment below. ❤

Photo Gallery: Venice in Pictures  or you can watch our Venice Italy video here.