I visited Venice in March 2020, just before the first lockdown. In fact, I was there on the day that Italy went into lockdown. As you can imagine, Venice was very quiet at that time, there were only 21 people on our flight and a lot of places were already starting to close. Luckily, we still found plenty of things to do in Venice before everything shut down.

Take a Ride on a Gondola

The first of my suggestions of things to do in Venice is a gondola ride, which may seem obvious. However, before we got to Venice, we had already decided that this was something that we weren’t too bothered. As pretty as they are, we also saw them as a bit of a gimmick and a massive tourist trap. The prices were quite shocking with most wanting 100€ for a twenty minute ride.

However, on our last day, Venice was in lockdown but we were still allowed to walk around the city. We noticed that a lot of gondola rides were being offered at much cheaper rates, so we spoke to a guy and haggled. We managed to get a ride for 40€ between us.

Seeing the city from a gondola was really something special. Venice is beautiful anyway, but being on a gondola added a whole new level of beauty. A gondola ride is definitely high up on the list of things to do in Venice, if you can afford it. It’s something that I will remember forever. It was twenty
minutes of peace and calm on what was to become a confusing and uncertain day. Luckily, we didn’t find out about the cancellation of our flight home until afterwards.

Go Island Hopping

Whilst the city of Venice is an island itself, there are two more islands that you must visit – Murano and Burano. These two islands are easily accessible via the water buses and you can easily spend a whole day exploring them both.

Each island has something different to offer, so you must go to both. Murano is famous for its glass while Burano is famous for its colourful houses. It’s cheap to get over to the islands and you don’t have to spend a penny to enjoy yourself. I’ve written a blog post on visiting Murano and Burano, so give that a read if you want to know why island hopping should be on your list of things to do in Venice.

Spend time in Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco or St Mark’s Square as it is called in English is one of the main points of interest in Venice. There, you will find Venice’s most famous buildings, such as St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. Whilst in St Mark’s Square you can enter St Mark’s Basilica free of charge, if marvelling at the stunning architecture from the outside isn’t enough. It’s recommended that you join the queue as early as you possibly can. The doors open at 9:30 am and the queue can get very big, very quickly. You can also go inside Doge’s Palace which is one of the most important historical buildings in Venice. As well as being a palace, it was also the seat of the government in the 9th Century.

There are several cafes on St Mark’s Square which are a great place to stop for a coffee. As this is a prime tourist spot, prices are going to be high, but it’s worth it for the view. It’s also a great spot to people watch as the square is always busy. Caffe Florian is the most famous cafe on the square, which first opened in 1720.

If you’re into art and history, then you should pay a visit to Museo Correr. This iconic museum offers a fascinating insight into both the art and history of Venice. If you pay for a ticket for Doge’s Palace, entrance to Museo Correr is also included.

Get lost walking around

On our final afternoon in Venice, we spent a couple of hours just walking around. As you probably already know, Venice has 150 canals running through it. This means that Venice is essentially made up of hundreds of tiny islands, connected by bridges and walkways. There are so many beautiful bridges, including the famous Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto Bridge. If you spend some time just wandering around with no intended destination, you’ll get to see so many beautiful parts of the city. It’s also a great chance to visit some of the less touristy parts of the city.

Honestly, just wandering around is one of the best things that you could do in a new city! You can stumble upon some gems that you may otherwise have missed. Walking around without a purpose for an afternoon is great. If you get lost, Google Maps can help you find your way back to your hotel.

Eat the best Italian food

Although all of the restaurants closed while we were in Venice, we still managed to have one authentic Italian meal whilst we were there. On this trip, I was aiming to find the best tiramisu in Venice. However, I only managed to try two on the trip ( and one was in McDonalds). I did really enjoy the pizza that I had in a small restaurant on our first night in the city and I wish I’d had the chance to try another one. Luckily, I managed to pick up some authentic Italian treats from a bakery called Marcato in Murano which were delicious. I also got a taste of real Italian Gelato whilst I was on the island of Burano. I went for a scoop of pistachio and a scoop of coffee.

One of the best things to do in Venice is try as much of the local cuisine as possible. Even if you are visiting Venice on a budget, there’s still plenty of restaurants to choose from. I’ll be making sure I go to Venice again so I can try all of the food I missed out on.