Venice

Perhaps the most striking city in the entire world, we knew no trip to Italy could be complete without taking in the sights of Venice. True to form, our three day stop over in the city was full of gondola rides, good food and dazzling culture.

For anyone who doesn’t understand how Venice works, the city is based in the north east of Italy and the 118 small islands that make it up are linked by bridges, canals and waterways. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the best way to get around the city is by boat… We used the waterways as our preferred method of transport, and with a number of the locals working as ‘boat taxis’ it was made super easy for us to move from place to place.

It may sound obvious, but Venice isn’t the place for anyone who isn’t a fan of being on the water! Being here reminded me of one of my good friends from home (they’ll remain anonymous!) who hates the thought of being on any kind of boat. If you’re reading… Don’t come to Venice!

During our time in the city we stayed in two different hotels. Not because either were bad, but the second was in a location closer to the places we tended to visit the most during our first two days so it seemed natural to spend our third and final night somewhere different. Both were very good, the first hotel had a super comfortable bed and the best room service that we’ve experience on the whole trip; but weighing everything up if I were to tell you to visit one in particular, I’d have to go for the second. It’s closeness to all of the special parts of Venice and the amazing intimacy is what makes it stand out above the competition, and while the room we were given was spectacular, I’m sure that whichever room you got to stay in, the experience would be just as magical.