Right after finishing midterms on Friday, a few classmates and I headed straight to the train station for a weekend trip to Venice. We were all ready for a change of pace, and Venice was an easy train ride away.
After arriving, we took a water taxi to the north side of Venice and started exploring. Venice really is a maze (in the best way) —narrow streets, endless bridges, and canals around every corner. We spent most of our time just touring on foot, stopping into antique shops, local glass stores, and bakeries. The pistachio cookies, a Venetian Specialty, were exceptionally good!
Our Airbnb had a view of the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, which made for a nice backdrop in the mornings and evenings. On the second evening, we did a gondola ride just before sunset. It was peaceful and relaxing, and a great way to see the city from a different perspective.
That same night, we came across a local festival—something we hadn’t planned for but ended up really enjoying. There was live music, local food, and a much more relaxed environment than the tourist-heavy areas.
One of the best meals we had was takeaway pasta from a small shop. We ate it along the canal and had a picnic—not fancy, but honestly better than most sit-down places. I would highly recommend it!
Exploring Venice with friends made it an easy, fun weekend. It’s the kind of place where you don’t need a packed itinerary. Just enjoying the beautiful scenery, exploring all the little streets on foot, and trying some great local food make a weekend in Venice worthwhile!
