Venice, the Serenissima, is a perfect stop for a long weekend in Italy. The Doges' city is packed with treasures, in a place that feels frozen in time. In October 2024, after a 1h30 flight from Luxembourg, we settled in for 4 nights in an apartment in San Marco, to enjoy the start of autumn.
✓ Trip in October 202401Getting around
From Marco Polo airport, three ways into the centre. Watch out for a very common trap: vaporetto passes never cover the airport buses, which are priced separately.
Once in the city, the vaporetto links the neighbourhoods and the islands of the lagoon.
02The neighbourhoods
Venice is divided into six sestieri:
For a first trip, we chose San Marco for its location — Venice is generally pricey, and San Marco is the most expensive area to stay in. We booked the Airbnb San Marco Roof Terrace Apartment, 4 nights for €1,090.
03Sights & activities
Piazza San Marco, Basilica & Bell Tower
Venice's most famous and most touristy square, with St Mark's Basilica and the Campanile, 98 metres high, taking in the whole city. Booking is essential for the Campanile: only around thirty tickets per time slot.
The Doge's Palace
Near the basilica and bell tower — the former residence of the Republic of Venice's supreme authority, a jewel of Venetian Gothic architecture.
The Bridge of Sighs
Once connected the palace to the prison — prisoners got their last glimpse of Venice here, on the way from the courtroom to their cell.
The Venice Opera House — La Fenice
Opened in 1792, the theatre lives up to its name: la fenice means the phoenix. It has burned down twice and risen from the ashes each time. A first fire tore through it on the night of 13-14 December 1836 — it reopened less than a year later. The second, arson, broke out on 29 January 1996 and left only the outer walls standing; the rebuild, carried out under the motto dov'era e com'era, "where it was and as it was", was completed in December 2003.
Understated from the outside, breathtaking on the inside.
The Rialto Bridge & the Accademia Bridge
The Rialto, Venice's oldest bridge (1588-1591), remains famous for its architecture and strategic position — ideal early in the morning for photos without the crowds. The Accademia Bridge, timber on a metal structure, is named after the neighbouring museum; it gives the finest view along the Grand Canal towards the Salute.
The islands — Murano, Burano, Lido & Torcello
All reachable by vaporetto, and covered by the passes. Murano for glass, Burano for its coloured houses, Torcello for the silence, the Lido for the beach.
Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Hard to imagine anything more fittingly romantic than a performance of the Four Seasons in Venice. We experienced it at I Musici Veneziani, in a beautiful hall, musicians in period costume — arrive right at opening for a good seat. At the Church of San Vidal, the acoustics differ, the building being a church, and the musicians aren't in period costume.
An evening at the Venice Jazz Club, in Dorsoduro, rounds out the trip nicely.
Venice isn't a city you visit, it's a city you feel. It surprises you, it soothes you, it fills you with wonder. This long weekend mostly leaves you wanting to come back, under different light, in different seasons — that's the magic of Venice: it stays with you long after you've left.
Comments
-
Magnifique article et photos, cela me donne envie d'aller à Venise !!!Merci Rose. C'est un séjour incroyable et je te souhaite de pouvoir le réaliser un jour :)
Add a comment