Venice, April 2016

Our tour of Italy was our first attempt at an inter-railing trip and I am eager to say it will not be our last! We booked the train tickets through an interrail company as it was our first try and we weren’t sure how easy it would be. With practice you would probably save money by booking the trains directly with each train company, as if you want to travel on high-speed trains you will need to pay an extra reservation fee alongside your travel pass anyway. Of course travel on high-speed trains isn't a must, it just depends on how much time you have to travel and on your budget. However, booking through a trusted company was really helpful and it made it easier not having to use train ticket sights in other languages ect. We were only in Italy for 12 nights and with the huge amount of things we wanted to fit in, we did mostly travel on the faster trains where we could. The stations were easy to navigate and the trains were comfy and offered amazing scenery along the way, and I was probably far too excited to get on a double-decker train! (Amazing, I know – It’s the simple things) I found that traveling in the mornings was preferable as it was still light upon arrival in the new city which of course makes it easier to orientate yourself and find the next hotel.

Our trip began with a cheap Ryanair flight into Treviso airport, a simple short coach journey away from Venice itself. Our hotel was central although not quite what we expected, and with hindsight, I would be extra careful when booking to stay in Venice. As first impressions go, this went pretty badly – after spending at least 25 minutes trying to work out how to find the door to the property, the room appeared to be in someone's flat (!?) with a creepy walk through an underground cellar although none of this was mentioned online. To be honest, it seemed as if quite a lot of the cheaper prices accommodation may have a similarly ‘lived in’ feel so I would advise spending a little more if you're looking for a romantic break away!

There is certainly a clear charm to the old, maze-like streets however it was easy to find yourself in the same dead-end streets time after time. I would advise packing a good map otherwise you might find yourself getting a little frustrated at times (Not that this ever happened to me of course... Joking, I got angry a lot!) There are a lot of significant historical and religious sites to see, although alongside that the tourist shops are a little overwhelming, with every one of them stocking the same stuff. I did, unfortunately, feel that Venice was the most touristy place we visited which surprised me and did detract from the natural beauty of the place. My favourite part of Venice was where you meet the lagoon just past the Piazza San Marco, as you get amazing views of the sunset. We ate here one evening which was lovely although the price of wine and food was more expensive here compared to elsewhere. We also saw a performance of Opera in one of our evenings we were there which was a nice way to experience some Venetian culture and something I would recommend doing as a change.

We were only in Venice for two evenings as this was the stop we were least interested in, and luckily for us, the heavy rain didn’t appear until we were on the train out! If we had more time to spend in Venice I would have visited some of the art museums there, and also visited some of the other islands nearby. I would also recommend a boat ride to the island of Murano which is where they make the Murano glass, sold all over Venice. We also never got around to having a gondola ride, but this was due to trying to keep to a budget as we still had most of the trip of Italy to do. Prices were roughly set at around 80 euros for 30 minutes per boat so it would be better value if you were traveling in a group. Overall I am happy to have experienced Venice but I was also ready to leave after our short stay and excited for the train journey to Florence, the next stop on our trip.