Our first day in Venice had it all—ticket mix-ups, spooky Venetian masks, legendary bookstores, aggressive pigeons, and the best gelato of our lives. Come for the chaos, stay for the rabbit risotto and moonlit strolls past St. Mark’s Square.
Gelato Count: 4
Near Collisions with Birds: 2
Arrival in Venice: A Ticket Mishap & Espresso Survival
On the train bound for Venice, we realized—oops—our tickets were for Venice Mestre instead of Santa Lucia, the main train station near most Venice attractions. Fortunately, the ticket agent was super helpful, and we quickly corrected course.
Steven, still brain-fogged and grumpy from too much doxylamine, needed an immediate fix upon arrival. He grabbed a medicinal $1.50 espresso, which, to his horror, tasted like burnt regret. It put him in an even worse mood for a bit, but eventually, the caffeine kicked in, and he snapped out of it.
Steven decided we were walking to our Airbnb instead of taking a water taxi in Venice to save money—big mistake. What should have been a breezy 16-minute stroll turned into a full-blown 30-minute odyssey, complete with endless bridges, wrong turns, and increasing frustration. But, at long last, we arrived, bags in tow, in a picture-perfect little area swarming with tourists and gondolas in Venice’s main hub.
Our Haunted (Probably) Accommodation
The outside of our Airbnb was so charming that tourists literally stopped to take photos. Inside? Whole different story. This place was old, dark, and straight-up creepy. It required a flashlight just to get around in the middle of the day. The apartment itself, decorated by what I can only assume was an avant-garde art student, had a great canal view of Venice from a different vantage point that we’d typically not have but was giving off haunted house energy.
Venetian masks? Adorable at tourist kiosks. Not so adorable when a dozen of them are glaring down at you at 3 AM on your way to the loo. The situation was made infinitely worse by a Sharpie-scrawled “Play with me!!” on a grey painting of the city, which was the first thing we saw when we opened the door. Silence at night was deafening—so quiet we could hear our own tinnitus. The fragile metal-framed bed didn’t inspire confidence, but we slept surprisingly well. And in the morning? The best coffee we’d had in Italy so far—supermarket instant coffee. Go figure.
Exploring Venice: Bookstores, Birds, and Gelato
Post-haunted Airbnb check-in, we ventured out. First stop: Libreria Acqua Alta, the famous bookstore in Venice with books in bathtubs and gondolas.
On our way, we stopped for more gelato at Suso, a highly recommended local franchise. Steven picked Opera and Suso’s signature flavor, while I went for Manet (Nutella with pistachio cream and salt) and Marostica (pistachio gelato with almonds and Amarena cherries). We then wandered into a limoncello store that handed out free samples. Steven made the mistake of trying a pistachio liqueur and immediately regretted it—cue emergency Gaviscon stop at an Italian pharmacy.
A crucial Venice travel tip: The birds do not dodge humans. Humans dodge the birds. I lost count of the near-miss incidents.
At Libreria Acqua Alta, we climbed the Instagram-famous staircase made of books, browsed cat-themed souvenirs, and, most importantly, petted the bookstore’s resident cats. We also went on a quest for Venetian-inspired jewellery, but many stores mysteriously shut down an hour before their stated closing time. Eventually, we found a stunning (but expensive) jewelry shop and scouted others for tomorrow.
Dinner Panic: The Great Restaurant Hunt
We made a critical mistake: assuming we could just walk into a decent restaurant in Venice on a Tuesday night. Big nope. Every place we found—via Michelin Guide, Polarsteps, and TripAdvisor—was fully booked. Five different restaurants turned us away. Empty tables were reserved for groups of four or more, but a measly table for two? Impossible.
By bounce-back #3, I was officially over it. 15,000 steps deep, running on zero proper meals in over 24 hours, and completely exhausted, I hit my breaking point. Luckily, Steven was peppy enough for the both of us.
To make matters worse, Steven kept greeting Italians with “Bonjour” instead of “Buongiorno,” adding an extra layer of awkwardness to our interactions. But finally, after 45 minutes of wandering, we landed a table at Osteria de Carla, one of the best hidden gems for Venetian cuisine.
Dinner: A Reward for Our Suffering
And oh, the wait ? it was worth it.
We kicked things off with scallops and foie gras to share—simply exquisite. For mains, Steven devoured a rabbit risotto with Jerusalem artichoke dip, while I had pork fillet wrapped in bacon with fried parsnips and citrus flavours. It was my first time trying foie gras, and wow, that was a game-changer. Steven described it as “creamy mushroom butter,” which is honestly spot-on.
Given our gelato intake earlier, we skipped dessert. Instead, we took a leisurely night time stroll to Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. Seeing St. Mark’s Basilica lit up at night? Absolutely breath taking—it even left Steven speechless, which is saying something.
We felt safe walking around at night in Venice. The streets were quiet, but filled with tourists and families. It was clean, everything well contained and walking in a group with others (plus using Google Maps as our guide) we were able to make our way back to our Air BnB safely and quickly.
Day 1 had been chaotic, exhausting, delicious, and just a little haunted—but we survived. And tomorrow? More adventures await — but more structured now as we get up early to make it for our walking tour of Venice.
Key Travel Takeaways:
1. Always double-check your tickets, especially when traveling to Venice, to make sure you’re getting off at the right stop
2. Don’t skip the gelato—Suso is a must-try!
3. Be prepared to explore Venice on foot and get lost in its maze-like streets which if you travel like we do – we try to fit in a ‘wobble day’ to just explore off the planned itinerary.
4. Make restaurant reservations in Venice ahead of time for the best dining experiences!!
5. Be patient and enjoy the quirky, magical atmosphere of Venice—there’s something special around every corner
Our Recommendations:
Suso Gelato ! – There are multiple in the city and each all wonderful. We ended up taking a pistachio cream home with us as a souvinir
Osteria de Carla – The restaurant where we finally got a table (scallops & foie gras, rabbit risotto, pork fillet)
Libreria Acqua Alta – The iconic bookstore with books in bathtubs and gondolas, plus resident cats
Where we wish we were able to go – Let us know if you’ve been!
Osteria Enoteca San Marco – It’s been recommended as one of the best spots for Venetian comfort food, so we have high hopes for the night we finally get in. We know the next time we’re in Venice – we’ll book many days ahead.