Two Days in Venice on a Budget.

Venice has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and I recently had the opportunity to visit.  I had been keeping an eye out for cheap flights and managed to find some bargain options so I packed a small bag and flew out early one Thursday morning, returning late Friday night.  We found a B&B on the island with breakfast included and I will leave costs below if you are looking to plan something similar.

Our 6am flight meant we were in Venice by 9am and we (I travelled with two friends) got the bus over to Venice island.  The buses stop just as you arrive as there are no vehicles allowed on the island, boats are the only way to get around other than walking.

Breakfast views from our B&B

We spent two days exploring on foot and boat.  We bought a 24 hour boat pass which meant we could go over to Burano Island -famous for the super colourful houses, and Murano -known for being the island where glass is blown and the best place for shopping for glass.  We could also get the boats all over the island and down the grand canal with this.

As we were travelling on a budget, we did forego the 80 euro gondala rides and opted for the 2 euro version which took us across the grand canal.  It was a much shorter trip but still fun to be rowed on a gondola on the Venetian canal.

Our 2 Euro Gondola ride

Other free activities we did were visit the famously quirky Libreria Acqua Alta - a bookshop with some brilliant book steps and a gondola boat out one exit. We also booked the free rooftop viewing terrace on top of the DFS building which has incredible views out over the city.  It does need to be booked 21 days in advance and you get a 15 minute slot but I would highly recommend it.  There is so much to see by just walking around the island and my favourite thing was to get lost in the streets.

Views from the free DFS viewing terrace

We ate all the gelato, pizza and pasta and I can recommend Farini for cheap but delicious pizza on the go and Suso for incredible gelato.  Whilst you can spend money on a nice restaraunt, there are plenty of more budget friendly options and we didn't find food too expensive. We stayed in a a b&b in the Cannaregio district and there were some fantastic bakeries in the area.  We flew back around 9.30pm on Friday night.

Whilst you could pay a lot of money for a romantic break to this incredible city, it can also be seen on a budget and still enjoyed.  Take comfortable walking shoes and avoid buying food and drink in the main square and next to the Rialto bridge.

I paid

£58 return flights

£50 for a room in a B&B with breakfast (based on 3 of us sharing a quad room)

£30 for a nice meal out with a cocktail in a beautiful courtyard restaurant.

£4 a slice of pizza bigger than my head.

£25 for a boat pass that gave you 24 hours unlimited travel

£15 return bus from the airport to the island.

£2 for a gondola ride across the canal.

Have you visited Venice before?