EUROPEAN ADVENTURE: Our Guide To Venice Italy

July 25, 2023

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EUROPEAN ADVENTURE: Our Guide To Venice Italy

We returned home from our Italian adventures this past weekend and have been working to get back into a good routine… starting to recover from the jet-lag (the first couple of days were a bit brutal), and have unpacked, and washed, the contents of our suitcases (TJ is still in the process of unpacking his, haha). It feels as if so much went into prepping for this trip, that it’s hard to believe it has already come and gone. TJ and I both agree it went by slow at first (which was great!) and then once we hit the last half of the trip, it just seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.

Traveling with the girls abroad brought about a lot of anticipatory anxiety- how would they do during a 20+ hour travel day? How would they handle the time change? The long days sightseeing? The different cuisine (not that pizza and pasta is hard to adjust to, haha)… and all the other minor nuances. And all thing considered, TJ and I like to say they were “rockstars.” They slept on the flight over, adjusted to the time change fairly quickly (it took us all about 2-3 days, which each day getting better and better), and really enjoyed taking in the culture and the sights. We had some touch and go moments (which is inevitable when you’re traveling with kiddos), but those seemed like small blips in, that would have happened at home, in an overall amazing trip.

I’m starting to compile our trip recs, and today I’m starting with our first stop on the trip, Venice. I’d heard so many mixed reviews on Venice, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect… I just knew it was a place I had always wanted to see. And it was amazing. It was beautiful, clean, didn’t smell (so many people told me it smelled), and the fact that we didn’t see a car once was amazing. The entire infrastructure of the city is something to marvel in, and the “boat taxis” were such a fun experience. If you haven’t seen Venice, and are contemplating, I can’t recommend it more.

Booking a hotel in Venice can feel a bit overwhelming since there are so many options- some big, some small, and many in between. We knew that the summer was going to be a very busy time of the year, so we ended up booking at the J.W. Marriott, which is its own island about 15 minutes from the heart of Venice. It was a beautiful spot, with excellent service, spacious rooms, and great amenities (workout facility, pool, breakfast buffet , etc…). We booked it in order to escape the crowds (if we wanted, especially with kiddos), but in hindsight agreed we likely wouldn’t stay there again because it was a bit inconvenient trying to get to and from the city center (they do have a free ferry, but it does take a good 15 minutes)…. especially at the end of the evening when the line can get long and you might miss it and have to wait for the next one (they do run every 15 minutes). If you’re looking for a beautiful resort in Venice, this is for you… if you’re wanting something in the city center where you can easily pop in and out, this one isn’t for you.

Sharing what we did below:

DAY 1:

The Rialto bridge is a must see at sunset (a bit less crowded than daytime and the water just glistens at this hour)…

We enjoyed dinner at both Ombra Del Leone (right on the grand canal) as well as Trattoria Do Forni (down a little alleyway)… such great food and so family friendly

And we enjoyed a midday break, drinks, and snacks, at Caffé Florian… the oldest cafe in Venice opening in 1720. It’s pricey, mainly because it’s right in St. Mark’s Square.. but the drinks were good, and the view was beautiful…

DAY 2 + 3:

Lunch or Dinner (we did lunch) at the Gritti Terrace… and I do think dinner is a “prettier” option when they have the awning completely pulled back. After lunch here, we went back to the hotel to recalibrate… some naps and some relaxing time at the pool. Everyone was still adjusting to the time change, so it was a good, low key, afternoon.

Dinner our last night was at Ristorante da Raffaele… right on a small canal, with great food, and friendly service. The girls loved being able to eat and watch the canals drift by…

Obviously a gondola ride- we did this twice- and the one in the late evening was significantly more pleasant and enjoyable than the middle of the afternoon ride. It is more in the evenings, just an FYI. It was also recommended to us to take the gondola rides from in the city, not right off the Grand Canal. There is a stand in front of the Valentino store that has a beautiful ride through the canals and out onto the grand canal.

We took a tour of one of Murano’s glass blowing factories and the girls really enjoyed. It was short and informative, about 30 minutes, so great for little ones. The owner of the shop was so kind, and we can’t recommend it more (shop name: Veteria Artistica Schiavon.

Then we headed to the island of Burano… all of the colorful homes were so beautiful, and the town is so cute. We picked up some beautiful lace items, tasted some of their biscuits, and stopped at an amazing gelato shop (highly recommend Gelato Artigianale… so many amazing flavors).

To get to Murano/Burano you can take either a private water taxi or the public ferry- (the latter being significantly cheaper, but much longer)…

Then drinks at the Belmond Cipriani- definitely more for us adults… but such a beautiful spot and worth the visit.

Sharing outfits and photos below….