Spending 4 Days in Venice: A Trip Report
Venice had long been on my bucket list, but I’ll admit I always wondered if it was a little over-rated. After years of saying “one day,” my Mum and I finally booked ourselves a 4 day Venetian escape. The headline? Venice did not disappoint! It was every bit as beautiful as I hoped. Gondolas, gelato, and gorgeous canals – but made even more special because I got to share it all with my Mum (aww).
We planned, booked, and organised everything ourselves. So if you’re plotting your own trip to the city of canals, here’s our full 4 days in Venice trip report.
Day 1 – Getting to Venice
We maximised our 4 days in Venice with an early morning flight from London Heathrow at 8:30am, arriving at Marco Polo Airport for 11:30am Venetian-time. With only our hand luggage we breezed through security and followed the signs for “water taxi”. We bought x2 return tickets from the Alilaguna Public Ferry kiosk, which is just outside the arrivals area. Everything is well signposted, so it’s very easy to navigate your way around. Our Airbnb was between Cannaregio and Castello, which meant an easy trip on the “B” route directly to our nearest stop, “Ospedale”.
The ferries were busy and although we didn’t get a seat on the first ferry, another one arrived in about 10 minutes and we got a seat on there no problem. From the airport it was a swift 45 minute crossing, and we enjoyed the views as we chopped and bumped our way along. You can also book a private speedboat, but you can expect to pay €100 for this (one-way). Although a fab experience, we decided to save our euros for spritzes and pasta!
First Wander & Wine Stop
Getting off the ferry, we not only had to pick our bags up off the floor but our jaws too! I’ve been to many cities that I would describe as “pretty” – Prague, Amsterdam, Bruges… but Venice is so uniquely pretty. Winding alleys, colourful facades, and canals lapping at the streets – we couldn’t wait to explore!
The forecast had threatened rain, but we had actually been graced with lovely hot sunshine. We wandered through streets and alleys, stopping at what felt like every canal viewpoint we passed. Venice gave us something different to look at and admire with every turn. Eventually we stopped at Trattoria Misericordia and enjoyed a glass of wine each by the canal, which was blissful. Boats zipped by, locals strolled past with their dogs, and we settled into full holiday mode. Prices here were also reasonable – £11 for 2 medium glasses of wine. We sat here for a couple of hours, drinking in the views, the vibe (and the wine), before heading to our Airbnb to make our evening plans.
St Mark’s Square & Café Florian
My Mum had visited Venice on a day trip many years ago. Back then, she’d dreamed of having a drink at Caffè Florian, but couldn’t squeeze it in. As it was our very first evening, we headed straight there to finally tick it off her list.
For anyone unfamiliar, Caffè Florian is a Venetian institution. In the heart of St Mark’s Square, it opened its doors in 1720 – making it the oldest café in Venice and Italy! Over the centuries, everyone from Charles Dickens to Lord Byron (and even Casanova) is said to have sipped coffee here. It’s long been a hub for artists, writers and dreamers alike.
We arrived around 6pm, after the day-trippers had gone, and had the square more or less to ourselves. We grabbed a table outside and ordered a glass of wine each. The orchestra spun up (not really my thing) but it was rather lovely sitting there, chatting away and watching people occasionally get up to dance. We had read in advance that Caffe Florian was expensive (more so if you sit down, and more so if the orchestra is playing). Our bill was a total of €37! But sitting in the heart of Venice in St Mark’s Square, with a beautiful view down the Piazza of Saint Mark’s Basilica, with my Mum, was an experience that’s hard to beat.
Afterwards we wandered off in search of dinner. As vegetarian’s, eating in Venice can be quite boring, with the usual go-to: margarita pizza or some sort of cheesy or tomato pasta. That said, we wandered past Birreria Barbanera and their 4-cheese gnocchi sounded like the perfect carb-fest to round off our first day.
Day 2 – Morning Walking Tour
We had another busy day planned! I’d booked my Mum a tour and a gondola ride as a Christmas present, so we were up and about nice and early. We only had 4 days in Venice and we were keen to make the most of it!
There was a great little café (Pasticceria Dal Conte) next to our Airbnb, which served freshly made marmalade-filled croissants. Heaven! We stocked up on our sugar fix and headed towards the Rialto Bridge for our tour.
We reached the bridge by 9:15am before the tourist hoards arrived. It was definitely our first big “wow” moment. From the bridge you have one of the most iconic views of Venice, looking over the Grand Canal. It was as if it was plucked straight from a postcard. It was fascinating to watch all the busy boats and gondolas already making their trips up and down the canal.
I honestly can’t recommend the tour enough. I booked this small group walking tour with gondola ride through Viator. Our guide, Valentina, was engaging and full of knowledge. Over the course of three hours, she brought the city to life – from its beginnings on the lagoon to the bustling, vibrant Venice we know today. She led us down hidden alleys and secret streets, pointing out her favourite squares, tucked-away churches, and sharing quirky stories we’d never have discovered on our own.
The tour finished back at St Mark’s Square, where we rounded it all off with a 30-minute gondola ride, which was wonderful! It was quite soothing and serene gliding through the waterways. Seeing Venice from the canals is such a unique perspective and you get to see the city in a completely different way.
Afternoon Exploring
Next on our list was a visit inside St Mark’s Basilica. Thankfully we pre-booked our tickets online as the queues were insane! We found our fast-track entrance and spent the rest of our time gawping at the interior. The place is covered in stunning gold mosaics with vast golden domed ceilings. There is a lot to see and you can spend as little or as much time there as you like. You can book a tour, or there are different levels of tickets you can purchase providing different levels of access. We kept things simple on this occasion, wanting to balance our busy morning with some more relaxed exploration in the afternoon.
Over our 4 days in Venice, one of our favourite things to do quickly became having a wander with no agenda. The city is a labyrinth of narrow alleys and winding canals, and every turn revealed something new – a hidden courtyard, a quiet bridge, or a peaceful waterway. We admired the pretty views and slowly made our way towards the neighbourhood of Dorsoduro.
Crossing the Grand Canal to Dorsoduro
Located on the other side of the Grand Canal, we chose to cross via the San Tomà traghetto taxi gondola – this turned out to be an unexpectedly hilarious experience! The crossing is only €2, so it’s an absolute bargain if you decide you can’t afford a full gondola ride, but we didn’t expect about 8 other people to pile onto the gondola quite so haphazardly! The boat rocked all over the place and we thought we were all going in! We half laughed, half clung on for dear life the whole way – easily one of the funniest memories of the trip.
It was worth the chaos though when we finally made the crossing. While many visitors seemed to stick to the main sights of Rialto and St Mark’s, Dorsoduro had a completely different vibe. The crowds thinned out and the streets were quiet and peaceful. After a bit of an explore, La Bottiglia caught our eye: a cute little bar, opposite a small bridge and on the corner facing a canal. We grabbed a little table outside, admiring the view and ordered (yep, you guessed) 2 glasses of wine, to toast another successful day.
We crossed back over the Grand Canal on the Santa Sofia traghetto taxi – thankfully a smoother ride this time! After a busy day on our feet, we enjoyed a lovely meal near our Airbnb at Ristorante Hostaria al Cavallo – perfect!
🌈 Day 3 – The Beautiful Murano & Burano Islands
Our 4 days in Venice were flying by and this day was no exception. We had another early start, this time bound for the colourful islands of Murano and Burano. There are lots of day trips and tours you can book, but we chose a slower paced DIY approach.
Our nearest ferry port was “F.te Nove” and from there we could catch the 4.2, 4.1, or Line 12 directly to Murano, which took about 25 minutes. You can check the map here to help with your plans, but honestly, we used Google Maps for everything.
We arrived in Murano by 10am, and wandered up and down the canals, popping into shops and just having a mooch. The highlight was a visit to “Vetreria Artistica Colleoni”, where we joined a glass factory tour and watched a live glass-blowing demonstration. From molten blob to delicate vase, the process was thrilling and fascinating! We couldn’t stop talking about it afterwards! If you visit Murano, this is an absolute must. As a bonus, our tickets also included a small glass gift to take home, which was a nice keepsake.
Next Stop: Burano
Our morning had started grey, cloudy and blustery. But as we left the glass factory, the clouds parted and we had another lucky sunny afternoon. We hopped on Line 12 for the 45-minute crossing to Burano. We got off the ferry and it felt like we’d been transported to a different country! Burano has a completely different vibe to central Venice. It felt more “seasidey” – almost Cornish in parts. Where Venice can feel grand and historic, Burano is vibrant and playful. The rows of cute coloured buildings, with little dingys and boats outside was idyllic.
It was however PACKED at midday as the groups of other tourists caught up with our early start. That said, we veered off down some side paths, and we didn’t pass another person. It was serene as we walked past beautiful homes and little shops. We quickly warmed to Burano with all its charm and personality, and spent the afternoon on-foot exploring its streets.
Before heading home, we made a slight detour over the bridge to Venissa Wine Resort – a lovely little vineyard on the outskirts of Burano. It’s a beautiful place, with a lovely restaurant and terrace set amongst the vines. We sat down to enjoy a lovely glass of wine and the vineyard views.
The Last of Our 4 Days in Venice
Sadly we’re coming to the end of our Venice trip report! We enjoyed breakfast at what had become our “usual” spot. Two teas and marmalade-filled croissants and we were fuelled for the day!
We had zero plans and no agenda today, which meant we could just explore and see where our feet would take us. As it happens, we ended up at Accademia Bridge and “WOW” is all I can say. I can’t believe we almost missed this. The view from the top of the bridge was our favourite by far. We had to hike our hand luggage all the way up the steps, but it was so worth it. From the top are the most stunning views over the Grand Canal and the Santa Maria della Salute.
We crossed the bridge and grabbed a cup of tea at Bar Foscarini. We sat outside and enjoyed undisrupted views of the Basilica from their terrace. Although it was early, we were surprised how quiet it was and we had their terrace to ourselves. A lovely way to spend a morning and watch the world go by.
Needing to move closer to our ferry stop, we took a slow walk back to the square outside our Airbnb. We grabbed lunch in the sunshine at Da Nico, followed by gelato to go, before getting the ferry back to the airport.
Get in Touch
And just like that, our long-awaited trip came to an end. Looking back, our 4 days in Venice was everything we’d hoped for! A perfect mix of sightseeing, gentle exploring, picture-perfect scenery and lots of laughs! I feel like another Mother-Daughter trip needs to be on the cards soon…
I hope this Venice Trip Report inspires your own visit – whether it’s your first time or a long-awaited return. If you have any questions please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you! If you found our blog helpful, check out our Insta @welovetravel.in – if you give us a follow feel free to drop us a message and say hello
Interested to see where else we’ve adventured to? Check out our Travel Bucket List below 
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