Our stay in Venice started with a water taxi ride... I half knew what to expect as lots of people I know have visited Venice and told me all about it, but all the stories in the world can never prepare you for that first moment when you step out of the train station and see a canal full of boats in front of you, or that moment when you hit the Grand Canal for the first time.
Outside the train station
On the water taxi!
We stayed in Hotel Savoia & Jolanda as my husband's family visit Venice a few times a year and love this hotel. The water taxi dropped us off metres from the hotel and we could already tell that we were staying in a sought-after area. We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived and the staff continued to be friendly and helpful for the entirety of our stay. The hotel is located on the Venice Lagoon overlooking St Mark's Basin, just a short walk away from Piazza San Marco. The rooms are beautifully elegant and our suite had the most amazing view of the lagoon and San Giorgio Maggiore. We were given a fruit bowl, chocolates and a bottle of Bellini on arrival at the hotel, and our room was cleaned twice every day. This hotel provides a lovely buffet breakfast, just like the other two hotels we stayed in for our honeymoon. Can't fault it!
Fruit bowl and heart shaped chocolates
View from our balcony
And another view!
Venice is such a beautiful and unique city, and I really don't think there's anywhere that could compare to it. The narrow little streets and coloured houses reminded me of Malcesine, but of course there was a vast difference... the 'Floating City' is built on canals and is full of bridges! I was fascinated by these bridges and took hundreds of photos from various angles. Tiny bridges, huge majestic bridges like the Rialto Bridge, historic bridges like the Bridge of Sighs... I just couldn't get enough of them. The architecture in Venice is also amazing and reminded me of the grandeur of Rome, just on a smaller scale. Rome is a 100mph city whereas Venice is more relaxed and has lots of cosy cafés, bars and restaurants where you can people watch for hours at a time.
I loved being so close to Piazza San Marco... it's safe to say that I took lots of photos in this particular area. The focal point is the amazing Campanile di San Marco, but the Basilica and Doge's Palace are also extremely impressive. Piazza San Marco was flooded with tourists and their cameras (including mine) at all hours of the day and night, and I did fleetingly wonder what places like this must have been like before the camera was invented! I loved the little coffee shops situated all the way around the Piazza, especially the violinists outside. Such a lovely touch which really added to the awe-inspiring atmosphere.
As soon as I saw the beautiful Campanile di San Marco, I knew I had to take the opportunity to see the view from the top. I absolutely love seeing the various views from high buildings so there was no way I was letting this particular view pass me by. The cramped lift journey was totally worth it... I just wish it hadn't been such a cloudy day!
We also visited Doge's Palace while we were in Venice as it was on our doorstep and I'd read so many interesting things about it. This visit took around two hours as there was so much to see, and we actually got to walk through the amazing Bridge of Sighs... I definitely didn't think I'd have the opportunity to do that. The palace was actually much bigger than I imagined, and the architecture and artefacts inside just can't be fully described in all their glory. We weren't allowed to take photographs inside the palace, but I obviously took plenty from the outside!
Taken from inside the Bridge of Sighs
The Rialto Market was another of my favourite areas in Venice. The Rialto Bridge was a constant sea of tourists, just like Piazza San Marco, but we did manage to get some great photographs whenever we could squeeze ourselves to the front of the queue. The Rialto Bridge was a great vantage point for the amazing Grand Canal... the motorway of canals! It really has to be seen to be believed. The Rialto Market became our 'go to' place for lunch as everything was so tasty and reasonable. You definitely need to visit this area if you're going to Venice any time soon... you'd be mad to miss out on it.
There was one thing I knew I absolutely had to do in Venice, particularly as it was our honeymoon... a gondola ride! It was actually raining on the evening we decided to go on the ride so we borrowed an umbrella from the hotel. Huddling underneath the umbrella actually made it even more romantic. I'm so glad we decided to do an evening ride rather than a day ride as the views were astonishing and there wasn't quite as much 'traffic'. Gondola rides aren't cheap but I would definitely recommend it as a one-off treat, particularly if you're in Venice for a special occasion. It's such a special way of seeing the sights and experiencing Venice in a different way. I loved briefly venturing on to the Grand Canal, but sailing through the little narrow streets was just as enjoyable and even more authentic.
I think this blog post and the photos say it all... Venice is amazing! I haven't even managed to cover everything we did as it wouldn't all fit into one blog post of a sensible length, but I just loved the combination of grand landmarks, beautiful views, picturesque little streets, and canals and bridges of all shapes and sizes. The 'Floating City' really is one of the most unique and fascinating places in the world, and it more than lives up to its hype. I hope we'll visit again one day.
This is the last of my blog posts on our honeymoon, just in time for my next holiday... Disneyland Paris next week!
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