Weekend in Venice

Thanks to many recommendations from friends,and the help of Expedia and TripAdvisor, Bo and I enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Venice, Italy.

Weekend in Venice

Venice is unlike any city I’ve visited before, which makes it wonderful and complicated at the same time. It is grittier than most cities we’ve visited in Western Europe, spray paint around every corner. Many of the locals seem to be annoyed by tourists, even though Venice’s economy is based primarily on tourism.

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Even during the “off-season” in late February, after carnival and before the summer crowds, there were tourists everywhere.  There are no cars within Venice, therefore your two modes of transportation are on foot or via water. Similar to other cities, there are public and private water transport options which range in price from a few euros to over 90 euros for a private water taxi.  Though we didn’t use it, many people recommend using their public transportation website ACTV to understand your route options, especially if you plan to explore other nearby islands.

Venice view from above

You will get lost in Venice, regardless how strong your GPS signal or your Google Maps skills. Getting lost is part of the fun, as long as you plan accordingly. In order to make sure you never get too lost we highly recommend traveling to Venice with a data package, a paper map or tour book and an extra phone battery or charging pack.

Trying not to get lost in Venice 

Once you choose Venice as a destination, make sure you include the following stops on your itinerary.

Enjoy sunset cocktails at Bar Gritti or one of the other hotel verandahs or bars over looking the Grand Canal.

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Treat yourself to an afternoon snack of tiramisu, made in front of you, at I Tre Mercanti.

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Try local wines and cicchetti, Italian bar snacks, at Do Mori, while chatting with the very friendly staff. Tucked into an alley way, this wine bar has been serving to locals and tourists alike for more than two hundred years!

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Get your daily caffeine jolt with the locals at Torrefazione Cannaregio and buy some beans to take back home. Their espresso will only set you back less than a euro!

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Hop in a gondola right before sunset for a relaxing 30 minute tour of Venice’s canals. It is the best way to view the city! Ignore the 60-80 euro price tag – at the end of the day you’re in Venice and what is more characteristic of Venice than a gondola ride? Before getting in the gondola, confirm that you gondolier will take you through the smaller canals, or you’ll feel like you’re on a Disney World ride.

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Explore the city at dusk and dawn, the two best times to enjoy it without the tourists and have the streets and squares to yourself. The city is one of the safest in Europe, so the only thing you have to be scared of is getting lost or being awake before the coffee shops open.

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I’ll share the rest of our adventures including our hotel and favorite sights, in the next Venice post!

If you want full reviews of everywhere we stay, eat and drink be sure to follow me on TripAdvisor.

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Silent Saturday – Venice

We got lost multiple times as we navigated the narrow, alleyways and bridges but found the gorgeous views, glimmers of sunshine, historic sites and Venetian cuisine.

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Biking Through Tuscany

Happy Thursday!  I have obviously been less than stellar about posting reviews of some of my recent travels and for that I apologize. I am still trying to find a balance between sharing TOO many travel posts and not enough. As many of you may know, Bo and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with three nights in Florence at the end of November. While the entire trip was amazing – incredible renaissance art, amazing food and wine, and wonderful accommodations – one of the highlights was our bike tour through the Tuscan countryside with I Bike Italy. We booked the “Active Full Day Tuscan Group Bike Tour” and showed up at9am dressed in our bike shorts ready for action. When we arrived, we were greeted by Bill, the owner of the company an American, who has lived in Italy for almost 20 years and is an avid cyclist.

 

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We were expecting a group of people but, since it was off-season, we ended having an incredible private tour. Bill was the perfect tour guide. He began by asking us questions about our cycling experience and ability, in order to make sure he could cater the ride properly. He quickly concluded that we were there to not only take in the beautiful scenery, but also to break a sweat and burn some serious calories. He told us that once we hit the countryside we would just “hammer” for a while and see how far we made  it before lunch.

 

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The ride out of Florence was a little dicey as riding through a busy city often is, but once we hit the outskirts of town, the scenery changed and we immediately knew that this would be a special experience.

 

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We rode through the countryside and up into the hills and, since Bo is a more experienced rider; he rode ahead while Bill gave me a private lesson on how best to tackle hills on a bike. This was so helpful as I’ve never been fully comfortable shifting gears with changing terrain. Bill was a great coach, and I now feel completely comfortable riding aggressively on hills.  We rode almost 40 kilometer (add the mile equivalent)before lunch and, considering the fact that the entire tour is usually only 35 Km, we certainly felt like we earned the pasta that was soon to be on our plate.

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The lunch (included in the price of the tour) was amazing and ranks among the best pasta that either Bo or I have ever eaten. Lunch started with lots of water (the small water bottles that we brought with us didn’t really cut it), a local chianti, bruschetta, and chicken liver pate on toast (a very common Tuscan appetizer). We were ravenous and as we ate, Bill entertained us with some anecdotes about living in Italy – such as the difficulty of passing the driver’s test.  He also told us a few other great stories including how he met his wife.  Just as he was finishing that one, she showed up, and we met her, her mother and his beautiful daughter. This is one of the things that we love so much about Italy. Family and sharing are such an ingrained part of the culture that you can’t help but feel right at home (nothing against the Swiss, but it presents quite a cultural counterpoint).  After two types of pasta – a potato-filled ravioli with a rabbit ragu, and a vegetarian tagliatelle – we were loaded with carbs and ready to continue our journey.

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The afternoon was a bit more relaxing and included a visit to a local chianti producer that also makes its own olive oil, a nice, long downhill ride back into town, and at Bo’s request, a trip to the top of the Piazzale Michelangelo for the most stunning views of Florence.

 

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We ended up doing a total of 36 miles or 57 kilometers, which was most definitely a bicycle PDR for me.

 

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If you are planning a trip to Florence, make sure it includes at least a half day with iBikeItaly. The ride is a great way to learn about the region with a local while also getting exercise!

YOUR TURN – If you could take a bike tour anywhere, what would be your destination of choice?

 

*We were not compensated nor provided a discount in exchange for the review. We just loved iBikeItaly that much!

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