I always thought Paris is the most romantic place in Europe, but after visiting Venice I have completely changed my mind. The idea of going there came when I started to plan where to spend our anniversary. Of course I wanted it to be special and as much as I love London the vision of grey, rainy day in the middle of calendar summer was the last thing I wanted. I was dreaming of warm nights, delicious italian food and loads of wine. Venice was a perfect match. Again my favourite SkyScanner app didn’t disappoint me! I have only booked a ticket a month in advance ( and I was super sure the tickets would be expensive – August, full season) but surprise – it was only 70 pounds per person, so I booked them immediately and started the countdown.

HOW TO GET THERE

When booking a plane tickets to Venice you need to know there are 2 airports – main one – Marco Polo, second one ( a bit more far) Treviso. We landed at second  one ( usually tickets to Treviso are cheaper) and to be honest it was pretty easy to get to the city centre. The only thing is it takes a little bit longer than from Marco Polo.

How to get to Venice from Treviso? As you walk out from the airport search for the bus shuttle ATVO. The ticket is cheaper when you buy the return one straight away – 22 euro per person. It takes around 45 minutes and you will arrive at Piazzale Roma. To get to main square Piazza San Marco take the public service boat number 51 or ’N’ (after midnight). Get off in San Zaccaria. The ride should take you around 1 hour, but it’s actually pretty enjoyable, you get an amazing first look at Venice.  How to get to the centre from Marco Polo? Take the boat line called ‘ALILAGUNA’ which takes you to stop San Zaccaria in around an hour. The ticket costs 15 euro per person.

WHERE TO STAY

As you probably heard- Venice can be really expensive. A night in a hotel at Piazza San Marco can cost even over 1,000 pound. I have decided to find something cheaper, smaller, ideally close to the centre but more like a guest house rather than a 5 star fancy hotel. It took me a while as most of the places where fully booked already, but found this gorgeous, Venetian- style, family run place – Locanda Casa Querini. The location was perfect –  only 5 minutes away from famous and lively Piazza San Marco, but on a quiet square called Campo San Giovani Novo – honestly an oasis from the midst of touristy chaos. I absolutely loved our charming, venetian-style bedroom – it was just perfect for our anniversary. I also found the owner extremely helpful.  She gave us a map and explained how to make the most of out short stay.  Also the price was great – 70 euros per night with a complimentary buffet-style breakfast. Highly recommended!

HOW TO GET AROUND

Venice is not a big city and the best way to feel the atmosphere is walking through its little streets and alleys, admire the maze of canals, whimsical bridges and colourful buildings. However if you want to experience the authentic Venetian transportation system the cheapest is using ‘ Vaporetto’ – water bus. The single ride cost 7,50 euro ( valid 60 minutes) so if you’re staying in Venice a bit longer I would suggest to purchase the proper pass. We stayed in Venice for 2 days and got 24 hours pass for 28 euro per person. It was actually very useful as apart from getting around Venice you can also travel to nearby islands using the same ticket. It’s also great if you get lost- and trust me no matter how great your map is you will (and remember there’s no uber in here!)  Moving by ferries is super easy though, there are very few lines. If you’re staying in the centre getting back to St. Marco and asking for directions from there is usually the best and the quickest solution. Even if you do not speak Italian do not hesitate to ask locals for help – they are extremely friendly and helpful – I’ve seen them even drawing little map for the lost tourists in the middle of the night!

DAY TRIP TO BURANO

My favourite place to write about in this post. The place that has been on my bucket list for ages. The island I was dreaming about – beautiful Burano. Can’t even describe how excited I was the night before we went there, I literally couldn’t sleep! (So I have planned everything perfectly). Woke up super early as I wanted to avoid massive crowds and extreme heat. ( Have I mentioned that it was almost 40 degrees in the afternoon?)We used our boat pass and took a Vaporetto N 12 from Fondamente Nove. It took us around 45 minutes. It was only 9 am but it was already very hot and busy so looked like other travellers had similar plan to mine…Well, after I got off the ferry and looked at this place I forgot about the whole world and turn into a crazy travel bunny! No one and nothing was bothering me anymore. It was just me and a rainbow of colours. Can’t even name my emotions – happiness, positivity, energy and also that amazing feeling of your dreams coming true. Absolutely unreal, so quaint and perfect at every single corner. It was honestly the most cheerful place I have seen in my life. As I found out later, the houses were painted in different colours so the fishermen could easily recognise their home from the sea. Also Burano is famous for the lace so there are many cute boutiques where you can buy the gorgeous lace work

Of course I couldn’t leave Burano without taking a photo with every house on the island. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

This one was just The Blonde Flamingo PERFECT!

Do’s and dont’s in Venice

1. Enjoy getting lost in Venice. You will get to discover the untrammelled and un-tourists parts of the city and trust me – these are the most charming ones.
2. Do not buy souvenirs in Piazza San Marco – you can find the same stuff anywhere else at least twice cheaper! The same thing about buying there any drinks or snacks. And if you do, do not say I haven’t warn you – 5 euro for a little bottle of water or 9 euro for an espresso is a standard in this area.
3. Do not eat anywhere with all the languages and food photographs on the menu – these are typical touristy, overpriced places with poor quality food that has nothing to do with the authentic Venetian cuisine. Spend some more time searching and I am sure you will find a hidden gem. I’ve discovered mine accidentally ( so I can’t really explain where it was) but it was called Osteria Al Portego. Unimposing, traditional italian restaurant filled with locals which was a good sign to me. I must say the food was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. Try it if you’re around (and please say hello and a big thank you again to the lovely Italian lady who was patiently trying to remove the tomato sauce that I have spread all around my dress while eating, right before our gondola date! Whatever she did, it worked!
4. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking A LOT – I am telling you from my own experience. On the first day I felt like I am in the middle of Italian movie and put on little white dress and platform sandals. It didn’t take me long to resign, ‘run’ back to the apartment  and jump into sneakers. Well, at least I have managed to take some Venetian- style photographs, haha!
5. Get a gelato or a take away pizza and enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Grand Canal. I swear I could be sitting there and watching gondoliers for hours!

6. To avoid all hustle and bustle, take a gondola ride during siesta or sunset time – it feels much more special when all you could hear is singing gondolier and the lap waves rather than screaming tourists and shutterbugs( taking photos of your gondola ride at all times!) Also agree on a ride’s price before, as they may be very tricky!

7. Take some aperitivio time. Sit down in a place you like the most, order famous Aperol Spritz or a glass of the local wine, some cicchetti ( local little tapas) ,lose the track of time and just simply enjoy the Italian ‘ dolce far niente ‘ (sweet doing nothing)

8. Learn few words in Italian, like ‘Buongiorno’ – Good morning, ‘Ciao’ – Hello, ‘Grazie’ – Thank you, ’ scuza’ – I am sorry. I’ve noticed that makes locals so happy and also they won’t be looking at you as another dumb tourist, but a real traveller

9. Be aware of pickpockets in Venice. Keep your personal belongings safe (especially on those busy bridges and ferries- it gets SUPER crowded so it literally takes seconds to get robbed)

10. Empty the memory card of your camera. Every single corner, bridge, little street, gondolier or even a hanging laundry is literally begging you to take a photo! So make some space as you will take LOADS!

Venice is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities I have visited. It has stolen my heart completely. It’s one of those rare places where you truly want to get lost. Wandering among its ancient buildings, through its twisting, picturesque little streets and alleys and listening to singing gondoliers made me feel so relaxed. It was one of the most magical feeling- forgetting about absolutely everything. Just me in a middle of an ancient fairytale. Ohh, Venice! I’ll never forget you!