I love traveling to Europe during the shoulder seasons – April to May or September to October. There are usually better prices, fewer crowds, and you generally get a better feel for a city as to what it would be like there as a local. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if Venice really has a shoulder or low season! While I’m sure it was less busy in April than it is in the summer months, it was still chock full of tourists and cruise shippers, and nary a word of Italian could be heard almost anywhere. I came to Venice with really high expectations, hearing about its beauty and the romanticism of getting lost in the streets among the canals. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped I would.

That said, this could 100% be a function of the fact that we stayed RIGHT on the Grand Canal when we were there and spent most of our time doing touristy things in the midst of the throngs of people. Some of our favorite spots were well away from the main tourist areas, and we absolutely loved the Murano and Burano islands to get away from the uber-crowds.

We stayed at the Palazzo Sant’Angelo, right on the Grand Canal, with a Grand Canal view room and everything. I figured we might never be back to Venice, so why not splurge? The hotel and the room were exquisite and it really was super amazing to have that room right on the canal. It was a massive room – one of the biggest I’ve ever stayed in Europe, with a huge closet and changing room and bathroom. Service at the hotel was amazing as well, and they arranged a private boat to take us over to Murano one morning which was lovely and luxe. If you want to stay on the Grand Canal, close to everything, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Palazzo Sant’Angelo.

A thing to do in Venice is to get an Aperol Spritz at one of the many bars or cafes lining the different canals. This was cute and fun, but you are going to pay around 15-20 Euro at least for an average drink – you are definitely paying for he experience, and, like a lot of things in the main areas of Venice, is totally overpriced. The Prosecco that they use for these cocktails probably costs only about 8 Euro per bottle!

Venice is chock full of cool architecture and art and there are tons of places to check it all out. You really cannot miss St. Mark’s square and the Cathedral. The square is super great for people watching, and you definitely need to sit here and have an overpriced drink and snack at least once. Check out my article on the Plaza Mayor in Madrid to get my surprising take on these over-touristed and over-priced major plazas in Europe.

You also need to visit the Doge’s Palace. I actually didn’t get prepaid tickets here like I usually would, so we waited in line instead. In April, the line really wasn’t that bad and it only took about 15 minutes to swing through and make our way inside. There are cool tours that you can do here such as nighttime tours, Doge’s treasure tours and a “Secret Itinerary” tour. We just did a basic tour and walked around the palace for about an hour. The history here is interesting and the architecture and art contained inside is very cool as well.

Regarding Gondolas: I would recommend skipping the very expensive ride around the canals, and consider paying just a few Euros to do a crossing of the Grand Canal via Gondola. It’s a short trip, but you get a real Gondola operator, and you get a cool vantage point of the city while crossing. It’s a cool experience that won’t break the bank!

Venice is one of the only Italian cities that is really hit-or-miss with food. We had a few good meals here, but also some pretty average and even below average meals, which is kind of shocking considering where you are. Honestly, though, I think some of the places in the more touristy areas really just cater to the lowest common denominator. Even eating in some of the more minor squares is pretty bad, so I would recommend planning out at least your dinners when you come here.

My absolute favorite place in all of Venice was probably Vino Vero. This wine bar is a bit off the beaten path, and you could actually hear Italian being spoken here by the young people hanging out at this place and by the folks who work here. The wines were unusual, and reasonably priced, and they also have delicious snacks as well. I loved it here and I would highly recommend a visit.

Like I mentioned before, I absolutely loved the islands of Murano and Burano. They are easy to get to either via a water taxi or a Vaporetto. Our first stop was Murano, and we were taken directly from our hotel to a glass blowing outfit where they gave us a live presentation and talked about the history of Murano Glass. The shop that was attached to this place was epically huge and extremely impressive. The prices were also impressive, but this was a great place to get a feel for what we should be looking for. Murano glass will always be signed by the artisan, and that’s how you’ll know it’s legit. We were able to stroll along the main canal through Murano which has a ton of glass shops. I ended up buying a beautiful sconce for our home, which they wrapped up tightly and securely and it survived the trip home in our carry-on luggage. Murano is cute, and similar in feel to Venice proper, but much more laid back.

Burano is the place of Instagram dreams. The small buildings along the canals are brightly painted, and it’s tough to take a bad picture here. The island is completely adorable, and I highly recommend a stop. This island is known for its beautiful and expert lace artisans, and I purchased a lovely scarf that I still wear regularly at a shop called Emilia. We also had lunch at the very famous Trattoria da Romano for their very famous Fish Risotto which was truly out of this world. Anthony Bourdain put this place on every traveler’s map, and I honestly wouldn’t skip it. It was probably the best lunch we had in all of Venice.

One of the cruddiest things about Venice as a whole, and I think what turned me off the most, was all of the cheap, knock-off souvenir shops and markets everywhere. All of the little shops boasting “Murano glass” are just crap made in China. When we did find legitimate artisan shops, their stores were strangely empty. You can find these gems among the rough, and of course the souvenirs will be more expensive, but I would really recommend avoiding the tchotchke shops that really take away from the charm of this otherwise beautiful place.

Venice IS beautiful, and looking back on our trip after six years, I have really fond memories. But you really have to make an effort to get out of the touristy areas in order to find the beauty anymore. Otherwise, it just will seem like a fake, made up place that exists for the sole purpose of tourism.