Venice without the crowds

It seemed like a good idea to take the opportunity of a lifetime to see Venice without anywhere near the usual crowds, so we did! Quieter hotels meant more deals, the museums had reopened and were operating relatively normally (although masks were mandatory) and it was lovely to be able to sip a Spritz and stuff your face with actual Italian pasta. We flew with EasyJet out of Gatwick and, other than face masks for the bus from the airport, the time at the airport and the flight itself, there was little difference – maybe fewer people but as Gatwick is only currently operating out of one terminal it was still relatively busy. I had printed out two different forms allegedly required for travel to Italy – neither were asked for. I had also seen very late in the day a message on EasyJet’s app about Italian flights insisting on surgical face masks – no sign on the outbound…They boarded us in blocks of rows, so that seemed more efficient and, even better, insisted on people staying seated when we landed, which I’m sure meant we disembarked far more quickly.

We arrived 40 minutes early (quieter airspace?) and next came our big treat - as the rest of the trip was a decent price (for Venice) I had splurged on a water taxi – always wanted to have a Bond moment and it lived up to expectations, so I would highly recommend it! The treats continued as a quieter hotel led to an upgrade, so we got a huge Junior Suite with a side view of the Grand Canal, fabulous! As we were only there three nights I felt like a stay on Venice ‘proper’ was required but if you have more time you could even turn your stay into a beach break and have a few days on the Lido or best the crowds with a night on Burano.

Our first afternoon we enjoyed wandering around the city, getting thoroughly lost and taking at least twenty minutes to walk anywhere that was ten minutes away, before enjoying a canal-side meal and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes – they seem particularly virulent in August, so take precautions! We knew we were going to be taking a few vaporetto journeys over the next couple of days, so as our hotel was right next to Ca’d’Oro vaporetto stop we picked up the really useful Unica cards – you can also order these online and load all sorts of tours onto them as well as public transport, so well worth looking into. For reference, 24 hours on the vaporettos = €20; 48 hours = €30; 72 hours = €40.

On the Sunday I had booked the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doge’s Palace. This is a really popular tour as it takes you behind the scenes through prison cells and torture chambers to the elaborate reception rooms of the Council of Ten and gives you an insight into the power of The Doge and the ruling classes in Venice. To maintain social distancing, it was limited to 8 people, so we got lucky. It also gives you access to visit the remainder of the Palace, including going over the Bridge of Sighs as many an unfortunate prisoner did on their way to the dungeons. We didn’t have time to take much in though as we had a meal booked on Burano, one of the smaller islands, originally known for its lace-making but now popular with tourists for its brightly coloured houses.

Our meal was at Osteria Contemporanea, set in a vineyard on Mazzorbo, just over a bridge from Burano itself. The food was superb, especially the seafood and fish (according to Rich) and the setting perfect with an ‘indoors/outdoors’ feel overlooking gardens and the vineyard. As it was a Sunday lunchtime the vast majority of other diners were Italian families taking their time over a few glasses of local wine. Afterwards we walked around Burano, inevitably taking ridiculous numbers of photos before heading back to Venice. This time we took the ferry to Fondamente Nove and found Combo - a lovely bar/restaurant/meeting place set in the courtyard and surrounding buildings of a former convent which was full of students and had a very relaxed vibe.

On Monday, in case we hadn’t already done a huge amount of walking, we did a self-guided walking tour of the Canareggio area, especially covering the Jewish ghetto, which has the dubious ‘honour’ of being the first recognised ghetto in the world. We didn’t have the time to visit but a return trip would definitely include the Jewish Museum to understand more about the commercial heart of Venice. Note that many places, be that museums or restaurants, are closed on Mondays, so it’s worth planning around this ahead of time.

Our last day started with breakfast overlooking the Grand Canal before heading to one of my favourite things – an Escape Room! Yes, Venice is full of wonderful churches and incredible buildings but this was my third visit, so it was time for something else. I have to say it was a tough one, so I wouldn’t recommend it for newbies. We didn’t escape but we had a lot of fun trying. Following this excitement we finally did a gondola ride…well, the cheap version! If you’re stuck between bridges and need to get across the Grand Canal, look out for ‘traghetto’ stops – these large gondolas operate in the day time and require a balancing act as you stand in them as they cross. For €2 it was worth the shoe leather. That afternoon we moved into the Napoleonic era at Museo Correr which actually takes up an entire two wings of the buildings surrounding San Marco piazza. The ticket price (€25) is for both Museo Correr and the Doge’s Palace; so make sure you make the most of the ticket!

Our return transport to the airport was sadly the local bus! We again found ourselves being called to board by row but this time surgical masks were required - luckily we had ours to hand! Ensure you take some disposable masks even if you don’t think you’ll need them – it’s not worth missing your flight over. Before returning we’d completed our Passenger Locator Form online as required for people coming into the UK – you can only complete this no more than 48 hours prior to arrival into the UK. As we were going through the e-passport control no one asked for the form but at least they have it on record!

My overall impression of the holiday was that, with the exception of the mask-wearing, nothing felt particularly out of the ordinary. We had a fantastic time away and really felt as though we could relax and enjoy ourselves, so if you are thinking about trying to have a break I would say go for it! If you have any questions about my experience please don’t hesitate to get in touch as I’d be more than happy to answer them.