There aren't many benefits to the current situation in the World at the moment. Travelling is becoming increasingly more difficult, and popular tourist destinations around the planet are a lot quieter than normal.
From a selfish point of view, this was a good thing in Venice, which I imagine wouldn't have been as enjoyable, if it was as busy as normal. There are plenty of small streets and alleyways which surprised me, so navigating these while busy, might have been a bit of a sweaty experience.
As cool as the small streets and alleyways are, it's not quite what Venice is famous for, and wasn't the main reason we'd made the trip up from Bologna. It was only about an hour and a half on the train to Venice, and I think the train station might be one of the most picturesque I've ever seen. You walk out, and the famous canals are right in front of you. It really is quite something.
We only had the day in Venice, but found that was plenty of time to see everything. It's a bit bigger than I thought, and it was fun to explore the streets, heading in the general direction of the main square.
Paying a visit in August 2020, there were obviously Covid-19 concerns, so as mentioned, things were quieter than I imagine they would have been normally. The famous Rialto Bridge was actually easily accessible, and we were able to get to the middle of it, and pose for, and take, photos.
Despite getting occasionally seasick, I decided to step up and brave a Venice water bus (Vaporetto), and it's a great way to actually get on the water, without paying a load of money for a private option. As awesome as the other half is, I didn't fancy spending 80 Euro's on a gondola tour (as nice as they looked). The second photo above is taken on a water bus, and there are a number of different routes you can take. It cost €7.50, but I think it's worth it to actually experience a ride on the canal.
Piazza San Marco is the main square in Venice, and it actually reminded me of the main square's in Spain. There is a basilica here which was really impressive, as well as a couple of museums. Obviously we were too tight to go in, but I'm sure they're impressive enough! There were still quite big queue's for all of these, so probably worth getting tickets before. I really liked the area by here next to the main body of water. Felt a bit less cramped than the rest of Venice, yet still as impressive as the famous canals.
Following this, the GF led us to a cool little tower hidden away down a small side street. Once again (you'll notice a theme), we didn't pay to get in, but it was interesting to see this random building, as it didn't really fit with the rest of the city. The staircase of Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is worth the journey, and is just one of the hidden gems of the city.
I was also delighted to find me some more graffiti. Even in a city as beautiful as Venice, it still pops up.
It was nice to cross Venice off the list, but I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if it was super busy. Still, it's very impressive, and there was definite excitement approaching the city by train, as you're taken over the water, towards the main station. The canals are as you'd imagine, and food wise, we managed to find a good deal of a pizza and cold drink for 10 euros. We also found a reasonably priced aperitivo which was a really nice way to relax before our train back to Bologna.
I'm not sure if you'd need to spend more than a day in the city. Maybe if you were spending lots of times in the various museums and the basilica, you could spread things out, but we found a day was more than enough. If you can, make a visit to see the canals, gondola's and everything else that makes Venice special.
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