Venice, Revisited: What Three Trips Taught Me About Doing It Right
- tailormadetravels
- Jul 20
- 6 min read
Venice Isn’t Always Straightforward, And That’s Part of the Adventure
The first time I saw Venice, I was so eager to get there that I rushed my poor family out of the city we were in. My husband still jokes, “Let’s go! We gotta get to Venice!” anytime he tries to get me to hurry up to go somewhere. But honestly, can you blame me?
Over three different visits: a summer family trip, an autumn getaway with my mum, and a spring girls’ trip - I’ve learned how to do Venice well, and how to do it better. This isn’t a list of “top 10 must-see sights”; you can Google that. This is more of a practical, slightly chaotic love letter to the most unusual city I’ve ever stepped into.
First Lesson: Just Because the Bus Driver Yells "Venezia" Doesn’t Mean You’re There
(This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click and book or buy something, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I’ve used myself or would genuinely recommend to a friend.)
Spoiler: You probably want the version with canals, not parking lots and chain hotels.
Venezia Mestre = chain hotels, concrete, commuter life
Venezia Santa Lucia = postcard-perfect canals, faded grandeur, and a
whiff of sea air.
We made that mistake on our first trip. After a long haul from Czechia, our bus driver barked out “Venezia!” and everyone scrambled off, except we weren’t in Venice. Not the one with canals, anyway.
The driver, clearly fed up with tourists who couldn’t read minds, started flinging bags out of the undercarriage and yelling at us to get back on if we wanted “actual” Venice. Apparently, there’s a mainland stop and an island stop. Who knew!
We scrambled back on with backpacks half-zipped, and finally crossed the bridge into the version of Venice I’d been dreaming about: glittering water, boats bobbing at every turn, buildings in every state of faded glamour. It was magical. And humid. But mostly magical.
Where to Stay in Venice: Lesson From Three Trips
Each trip gave us a wildly different kind of “home.”
Trip 1 (2010 - Family Trip): A small family-run boutique hotel tucked just a few hundred feet from the Rialto Bridge (It's been a while, but I believe it was called Residenza Ca San Marco). We had one king bed between the three of us, me, my husband, and our son, and barely enough room to turn around. But the charm? Unreal. Breakfast was served across a tiny covered bridge that connected the buildings, a literal mini Bridge of Sighs, especially when we waddled across it full of pastries. The food was fantastic, and the owners gave us real-deal local advice over coffee.
Trip 2 (2019 - Trip with Mum): We stayed at Ca’ San Polo, tucked into the quieter San Polo district. Faded elegance, creaky floors, warm light, and it felt like we were visiting someone’s eccentric Venetian aunt.
Trip 3 (2023 - Girls' Trip)): We went apartment-style and stayed at Appartamento San Marco. It was perfect for mid-afternoon prosecco breaks and spontaneous evening cicchetti runs (more on that later).
Where to Eat in Venice (without getting ripped off)
Lesson 2: Avoid tourist traps near St. Mark’s. Instead, get gloriously lost in search of cicchetti, Tortino, and surprise wine quests.
Venetian Food: Wander Until Something Smells Amazing
Here’s what I’ve learned: Venice rewards those who wander, especially when it comes to food.
Avoid anything on or near St. Mark’s Square, unless you like paying €15 for a lukewarm cappuccino plus a sitting fee. Instead, follow your nose down alleyways. Get a little lost. The best meals we had were often total surprises, places we stumbled into when we were just hungry enough to take a risk.
On our 2023 trip, we discovered cicchetti: little bites of local goodness, served up at stand-up bars with a glass of wine in hand. Think Venetian tapas, but no fuss. We made dinner out of hopping from one tiny place to another: Tortino, seafood, tramezzini, bruschetta, and lots of laughter.
During my 2019 trip, my mum got on a mission to find Barolo wine, and I kid you not, she turned into a full-on detective. Every wine shop, every menu, she was determined. Next time, I’ll pair her wine quest with a cicchetti crawl and call it dinner and a show.
Breakfast? Skip the hotel buffet. Do what the locals do: pop into a coffee bar, stand at the counter, knock back an espresso like it’s a shot of tequila, and grab a pastry. You’ll be done in five minutes and fuelled for hours.
The Best Things to Do in Venice? The Ones You Don’t Plan
My Venetian travel mantra: You’re not lost, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Venice is not a city that rewards schedules. Every time I tried to stick to one, I got distracted by something better: a hidden church, a mask shop, a leather maker, a quaint piazza with locals hanging out their laundry.
Getting lost in Venice is like being given permission to be aimless, and somehow, it always works out. Even the locals get lost, and they live there. On every trip, I found myself turning corners I didn’t mean to and finding little slices of peace and beauty.
Hot Tip: Don't bother with Google Maps. It will weep openly in Venice. If you truly lose your bearings, find your way back to the Rialto Bridge and start again. Venice is small. You’re never too far from a landmark, or at least a gelato stand.
A Water Taxi at 4 A.M? Surprisingly Worth It
Lesson 3: The Best Way to Leave Venice? By Boat at 4 A.M. It’s not just transportation, it's a cinematic exit!
My most unforgettable moment? Easily the early-morning water taxi with my mum in 2019.
We had a ridiculously early flight, and my mum said, “Let’s go out in style.” So we booked a private water taxi. At 4 a.m., we wandered through silent alleys lit by warm street lamps until we found our unmarked dock. The city was still. Eerie and stunning.
And then: a beautiful mahogany boat glided around the corner off the Grand Canal like something out of a Bond movie. The captain welcomed us aboard, wrapped us in blankets, and led us into the soft warmth of the cabin, then, with barely a ripple, we glided off into the quiet Venetian night. The canals were nearly empty, the moon a burnt orange low in the sky, the water perfectly still. In just 30 magical minutes, we pulled right up to the airport dock at Marco Polo Airport, took an escalator up, and checked in for our flight like nothing had happened. But something had. We’d ended our trip like movie stars.
If you get the chance, take the boat.
Venice Travel Tips From Someone Who Learned the Hard Way
Buy the vaporetto pass (aka water shuttles). You’ll use it constantly, and it’s cheaper than buying single rides. Hot tip: Don’t forget to validate it each time to ride.
Don’t buy masks or souvenirs near the Rialto. Head into the alleyways and look for artisan workshops. The real deal has a tag showing it was made in Venice.
Skip sit-down breakfast. Stand at a bar, order an espresso and pastry, and eat like a local.
Get lost. It’s not a mistake in Venice, it’s the whole point.
Watch where you’re walking near canals. I once saw a tourist fall in while getting her picture taken by her boyfriend. He froze, someone else jumped in to get her out, and I’m still not sure if that relationship survived.
My Venice Do-Over Fantasy…
If I had one more day in Venice, I’d time it for Carnival (February), mask on, camera ready. I’d let the morning unravel with no plan, just wandering until I found a courtyard that felt like it belonged in a painting. By afternoon, I’d be elbow-deep in a food tour, taste-testing my way through the city’s edible cicchetti secrets. Then I’d find some lavish Carnival soiree, ideally one where barolo and prosecco flows and no one minds if my costume is from Amazon. And the next morning? You’d find me on a water taxi at first light. Because there is no finer way to leave Venice than slicing through its silent canals like you’re in the final scene of a movie.
Venice doesn’t ask you to conquer it, it asks you to let go a little. So my advice: take the wrong turn, sit on the steps, order the house wine with your cicchetti, and when someone tells you to hurry up; smile and ask, “Gotta get to Venice?”
Want the full scoop on where to stay, how to get around, and what not to waste your euros on? My Venice Travel Guide has all the details I wish I'd had before my first visit.
Have you been to Venice during Carnival season? If you have, share below. I’m always looking for an excuse to go back.
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