Recently, to celebrate a friend’s birthday (the big 3-0), she and I jetted off to Venice for a long weekend of sight-seeing and indulgence! Both being fans of Italian food, coffee and wine it was a match made in heaven.
Although we have both been to Italy several times before, neither of us had experienced what Venice had to offer. Therefore, we were both keen to combine our epicurean celebrations with being proper tourists and visiting the local attractions. A few days before departing, we did some research and found a half-day boat tour on TripAdvisor, which enabled us to see both Murano and Burano, as well as have a little free time for shopping – an absolute must! We picked the best day according to the weather forecast, and were not disappointed.
After a spectacular cruise across the lagoon and a multilingual guide providing us with information about Venice and the islands, we stopped off at Murano where we were treated to a glass blowing demonstration by an incredibly skilled artisan before heading off to browse the attached shop. As tempted as we were, we decided not to blow our budgets on the gorgeous glassware (think huge, colourful vases, elegant fruit bowls and animal sculptures that truly were works of art), and stuck to small pieces of jewellery instead.
We hopped back onboard to soak up the picturesque seascape on the way to our final stop – the island of Burano.
Although lesser known than Murano, Burano is made up of picture perfect multi-coloured streets and winding rivers, and also boasts beautiful handmade lace as well as delicious biscuits and pastries, waiting to be snapped up by tourists and locals alike.
We spent our free time wandering around the shops, picking up souvenirs, tasting the local sweet treats and of course, taking plenty of photos.
If relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere is more your cup of tea, then there are plenty of restaurants and bars offering an Aperol Spritz with a side of people watching.
Returning to Venice in the afternoon, we still had plenty of time left in the day to continue sight-seeing before returning to our hotel to relax and inspect our photos ahead of dinner.
We really enjoyed our day-trip to the Venetian islands and were very lucky with the weather which made the tour even more memorable.
I would offer one tip for those considering going on a similar tour – bring cash with you just in case, as we were quite unlucky with the signal required to use card payments, which we were told is quite common on Burano. Nevertheless, there are one or two cash machines if like us, you find yourself in such a situation!
Happy travels!
