Venice, Italy – You’ve seen the pictures.  Dreamy shots of bridges spanning gondola-filled canals.  The city  is so unique, that it’s near the top of most people’s dream destinations list.  Venice, and it’s neighbor islands Murano and Burano, offer a wide array of experiences and cuisine.  Spend a day getting lost among the narrow lanes and bridges.  Visit Piazza San Marco, enjoy the live music, and have tea at Cafe Florian.  Watch master glass artisans create blown-glass artwork on Murano, or stroll the brightly colored streets of Burano.  Whatever your preference, you’re sure to have a magical time.

We spent two days in Venice, Murano, and Burano.  This guide will show you how to navigate the area.  I will highlight some of the best points of interest, and mention a couple hidden gems for dining.

Getting to Venice

Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) is a major international hub.  Award flights into VCE are quite easy to find on all major alliances.  We used American Airline miles to fly for only 20,250 each from Kansas City.  Off-season (1/10-3/14; 11/1-12/14) economy flights cost 22,500 AA miles from the USA to Europe.  We also get a 10% rebate, because we have the Barclay AAviator Red card (also works with the Citi AA Platinum Card).  If you decide to use AA miles for this flight, try to find a routing that avoids London-Heathrow Airport (LHR). British Airways charges obnoxiously high fees to fly on their metal!

Another great option for flights from the USA to Europe is Air France Flying Blue.  The price is also only 25,000 miles year-round for the route, and you can transfer points from Amex, Citi, or Chase to Flying Blue.

Earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 fee) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 fee).

Airport to Downtown 

VCE airport is on the mainland, and the city of Venice sits on a nearby island.  Plenty of websites try to explain how to get from the airport to the city, but they seem to over-complicate the matter.  Let me clarify things for you.  TAKE THE BUS.  While it may not seem like the most glamorous way to travel, the short bus ride makes things very straightforward.  Here’s how it works:

As soon as you clear immigration and emerge into the terminal at VCE, you should see the transportation desk straight ahead.  Here, we purchased round trip bus passes for 15 euros each (or 8 euros for 1-way).  Passes in hand, walk out the door and 20 steps to the bus stop.  At the bus stop, you can take either the Airport Express Bus or the Local Number 5.  Both will take you to Piazzale Roma station (Venice’s main bus terminal) on the island.  From Piazzale Roma, you can walk to anywhere in the city within 20-30 minutes.  It obviously helps that we pack light and can carry our backpacks easily to our AirBNB.

If you’re a heavy packer (boo!), you can take a private boat transfer ($$$$), which should get you directly to your hotel.

Where We Stayed

Venice hotels are EXPENSIVE.  The point options on the island are with Marriott/Starwood.  Each property is at, or near, the highest award category and will cost 35,000+ SPG points per night!  Yikes!  Whiles these hotels may be glamorous and sit directly on the Grand Canal, I simply won’t part with that many SPG points for a single night.  The Hilton Molino Stucky sits just off the island, and costs between 70,000 – 95,000 for a standard room.  The most reasonable hotel on points seems to be the AC Hotel Venezia by Marriott.  The price per night is 40,000 Marriott Points (13,333 SPG), but availability can be tight.

Given the high hotel prices, we decided to go the AirBNB route.  AirBNB has many options in Venice.  We stayed at this property, which was in a fantastic central location.  It was TINY, and the heater was under-powered for the space, but the price is great at $100/night!  I’m generally fine trading a bit of comfort for a prime location and a great price.  If this is your first time using AirBNB, you can use our referral link for $40 off your first stay!

What to Do in Venice

Venice is a very tourist-heavy destination.  Lots and lots of people will fill up the tight lanes, often causing human traffic jams at prime hours.  If you want to beat the crowds to the major points of interest, you will need to wake up before the sun.  It may sound painful, but I promise it’s worth the effort to have St. Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge to yourself!

The city may seem tricky to navigate on foot, but signs are posted everywhere to help you reach the main tourist areas.  Otherwise, just wander around and take lots of pictures.  You’re sure to find something interesting around the next corner.

Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is a premier photo spot on the Grand Canal.  Most “Venice photos” you’ve seen were likely taken from the Rialto Bridge.  This is one of only four bridges that cross the Grand Canal, and it is the most centrally-located, making it a thoroughfare to everywhere.  From sunrise to sunset, crowds will be covering the bridge, so get there early for the best photo opportunity!

St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)

St. Mark’s square is the primary public square in Venice.  It hosts large events and is home to a few points of interest.  Cafes line the outer edges of the square.  You can grab a glass of wine in the evening and enjoy some live music.  Chase some pigeons and snag a selfie with the iconic clock tower.

St. Mark’s Basilica

This church dominates the east side of St. Mark’s square.  Entry is free, so long lines queue up at the door.  The line does not move very quickly, so as always, try to arrive early.  Once inside, you can see most of the church, but they do try to nickel and dime you for entry to various parts of the interior.  3eu to visit the treasury, 2eu for the front nave, 5eu for the terrace, etc.

Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

The exterior of Doge’s Palace gives the white column/archway look to St. Mark’s square.  The former palace and meeting area for the Venetian government has been converted to a museum.  You can find lots of great art and historical artifacts here.  We really enjoyed seeing the ancient battle gear, including swords, guns, and suits of armor.  You can also access the adjacent prison via the Bridge of Sighs.

Lines outside can get quite long, but you can skip the line by purchasing a 20eu entry ticket at the tourist office (same price as the museum entrance).  The nearest office to the palace entry is near Cafe Florian, in the southwest corner of St. Mark’s square.  The ticket also allows entry to three more museums around the square.

Cafe Florian

Take a quick step back in time by grabbing a latte, cocktail, or sandwich in this 1800’s tea room.  Ornately decorated walls, stone tables, and red felt-lined seats transport you to another era.  I recommend stopping in for a light snack, but expect to wait a bit and pay a premium for the experience.  Also, unless you love licorice, avoid any cocktails with anise in them… my mistake.

Pasticceria Tonolo

Often called the best bakery in Venice, this local treasure serves some of the best pastries I’ve ever tasted.  The bakery opens at 8am, and you should arrive early for the best selection.  I arrived shortly after opening, and the place was packed!  A few locals helped me select a good representative sample, including mele (apple filled), veneziane (raisin & apple puff), a dark chocolate-covered creme puff, and a fruit tart.

Bigoi

Venice has no shortage of great restaurants.  I don’t know your specific taste, so I’ll let you decide which fine dining experience you prefer.  However, I will HIGHLY recommend that you eat at least one meal at Bigoi.  This TINY pasta shop serves cups of noodles with a variety of sauce options for only 6eu per cup!  We ate there twice and sampled four flavors – bolognese, bacon, duck ragu, and squid ink.  Absolutely delicious, and the price is unbeatable.  You can eat in, at the counter, or take it back to your AirBNB to enjoy with a bottle of wine.

Neighboring Islands

No trip to Venice is complete without a visit to the two nearby islands of Murano and Burano!  Both are unique in their own way, and you will have to take a water taxi to reach them.

Ferry System

The ferry system seems unnecessarily complicated.  Interpreting the signs virtually requires an engineering degree!

• Venice to Murano – find the 4.1 Ferry at the Fondamente Nove Station on the north side of Venice.
• Murano to Burano – find the 12 Ferry at the Faro Station on Murano.  
• Burano to Venice – find the 12 Ferry at the Torcello Station on Burano.  

You can purchase individual ferry rides for 7.5eu each, or a day pass (24hr for 20eu or 48hr for 30eu).  If you’re visiting Murano and Burano, the 24hr pass will save money over buying individual trips.

Murano

Murano is the closest island to Venice.  This little island is known around the world for its glass art.  From Monday through Saturday, you can visit the glass factory to watch the master glass blowers at work.  We happened to visit on a Sunday, when the factory is closed, but we were able to find a private exhibition.  It’s incredible to see the master artist create a sculpture from a lump of molten glass in less than a minute!

Roam around the island and check out the various glass shops.  Often, these shops are run by the artists themselves, which offers a unique opportunity to speak directly with a master.  Be sure to look out for the huge blue glass sculpture.

Burano

Burano is a bit farther north.  It is most well known for the brightly-colors houses lining its canals.  Grab your camera and snap some post card-worthy shots!  We even did a scavenger hunt to find homes of each color for a photo project.  If you decide to eat lunch here, Bricia Pizza has some excellent pies!  The #12 ferry picks up from the port in Burano once every half hour.  If you miss one, there is a nice little cafe/gelato stand nearby to sit and wait.

Additional Tips

Stop by a local market to get bottled water and wine.  According to a local, avoid wine under 5eu/bottle.  Bottled water is very expensive at restaurants, and they don’t seem to mind if you bring your own.

Italian coffee is very good.  Their espresso can be quite strong if you’re not typically a coffee drinker.  I recommend a caffelatte for a good intro to Italian coffee.  Cups will be smaller than you expect.

If you want a real treat, visit Venice in February for Carnival.  The costumes are incredible!

Final Thoughts

I hope this guide is helpful for your visit to Venice.  We did everything listed above in two days, with extra time to wander aimlessly.  Enjoy your time in this magical city.  Take your time.  Get lost.  Eat great pasta.  Take lots of pictures.  Cheers!

What are your favorite things to do in Venice?  Any favorite restaurants?