Venice is a city that oozes love and charm and is often considered the most romantic city in Europe.
With Renaissance-inspired architecture, summer sunsets, public squares, narrow canals and gondola rides - it’s a city you’re bound to fall in love with.
A Gondola Ride
This is the epitome of all romantic scenes in Venice. There is nothing that inspires love like taking a gondola ride through the city’s narrow canals past historic multi-colored buildings. Add to that a summer sunset and a bottle of wine with your partner and you’ve got one of the most dreamy scenes in Venice.
If you’re up for it, you can also enjoy a gondola ride with a gondolier playing romantic Venetian music for the duration of your cruise. A gondola ride isn’t cheap, coming in at around 80 Euro’s ($90USD) but it’s a once in a lifetime experience in one of the world’s most beautiful cities in the world. It will leave you with invaluable memories that you can take back home with you forever.
Explore Stunning Views From San Giorgio Maggiore
The Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore is a 16th-century old waterfront church that’s located on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Its bell tower gives you an expansive view of the entire city. The position allows you to see the numerous Venetian lagoons and the way they’re all connected by the canals. The real highlight of this is climbing the bell tower at sunset to get another romantic view of the city.
After that, you can explore the church and admire the Renaissance-inspired paintings adorning the walls. Interestingly, the church only has a few works of art and its walls are mostly left white and bare as the Benedictine monks would not allow people to decorate them.
The Opera at Musica A Palazzo
Whether you are an avid operagoer or not, the opera at the Musica a Palazzo is unlike any other opera you’ve seen. This opera show is set amongst a candlelight setting and music takes place in three different rooms. The lighting, music, audience (less than 100 people), and the small trio of singers create an intimate atmosphere you won’t find at any other opera house in Venice.
Each of the three rooms offers great views of the city, original state furnishings and frescoes that add to the intimate setting you’ll experience.
A Stroll Through Venice’s Quieter and Not So Touristy Neighborhoods
The city center is the tourist focal point of Venice. Here you can find the Rialto Bridge, the famous St. Marks’ Church and other notable attractions. However, if you want to truly experience more of this city’s charm, you need to get out of the main area and head to one of the many small islands such as Murano or Burano.
Venice is a very small city comprised of canals and narrow streets. Getting lost and wandering aimlessly amongst these centuries-old calle is one of the many joys of Venice. Take in the solitude of these quiet streets together with the bustling main squares and markets to truly experience the real Venice.