The City of Water -Venice on a Budget

This has to be the one place on everyone's travel the world list. A beautiful Italian city where you travel around by gondola's and eat amazing ice cream and sorbet while wondering around the Piazza San Marco? Yes Please!! And the best thing - you can definitely do it on a budget (at least we did).

Casual Rialto Bridge

Venice was our first stop on our mini Italian backpacking extravaganza and definitely the best place to start as it doesn't just bring you slowly up to date with Italian culture but throws you in head first kicking and screaming. I was completely ready for the stereotypical Italians with loud voices and exaggerated hand gestures. Except the Venetians aren't like that - they are much more chilled out. Culture wise though - can't beat them!

Check out this badass culture!!

So as I am sure you have heard this before but I'm going to tell you again - Venice is beautiful! And while its known for its extravagantly priced modes of transport (i.e gondolas) we had to admit to ourselves that this was slightly over our budget *cry* until.....

Yep we are on a Gondola

Yep that's my sis on a gondola in Venice! Boom! Admittedly it was a local one and we only went from one side of the river to the other but it was still a gondola and it look 5 mins and cost about €4 - so we shall take it!! You might have to hunt around for these - but stay clear from the tourist places and you are bound to bump into one!

View out of the hostel room!

Now I have to admit that on this trip I was completely uninterested in the word water taxi - I had a map and legs so walking it was! I regretted this choice somewhat when we decided to do that fateful thing that tourists do and climb up San Marco Campanile in the ever famous Piazza San Marco (if you have never heard of it then you either live under a rock or you have never read a Dan Brown novel). It was hot, tiring and amazing all at once, definitely worth it to get that amazing birds eye view!!

Bird's eye view over Venice

There is so much to see in Venice and me being me grabbed the map to see if I could see anything else I had missed! There was too much! As this was a snapshot trip we were only there for one night and a day in a half!

I will definitely be back and next time it will be for longer and armed with a lonely planet guidebook and an up to date camera!! But until then as they saying goes: if you can't beat them join them!

Posted with Blogsy