How I Spent My 24 Hours in Venice

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Venice was my very first stop in Italy. I thought Italy would welcome me in its finest weather but I was wrong. I was expecting clear blue sky and festive markets going on the streets (since it was around Christmas), but to my disappointment, Venice was covered with thick dense fog, and no festive market, nada. I remember telling my bf "You know what, this fog is going to be gone by 10am". But I was wrong -- again! The fog stayed for one whole day!

Nevertheless, that did not hold me back form enjoying Venice. I tried my best to walk in the cold (around 3°C) although my breath vapour was trying to cover my vision most of the time. #truestory

I read a few articles on Venice stating how exquisite this city will look in winter, but I totally disagree with that! All my photo looks gloomy and sad in this weather. Not to mentioned that it was freezing cold af.

The visibility was around 200m and anything beyond that can hardly be seen!

Despite having the disappointing weather, we made it to 6 of the most popular attractions in Venice.

All of the attractions above are close to each other except for Rialto Bridge, which is located at the center of Grand Canal. It is a possible walking distance if you do not have a one-day-pass for vaporetto.

Venice is no doubt an intriguing and mystifying city to visit. Its beauty speak for itself and its great history seems to resonant throughout the whole city! I had fun exploring this city, however it's sad to see it turning into a tourist spot all by itself. Rows and rows of souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels operating just to accommodate the visitors. Also, everything from mineral water to take-away food is expensive! Even the money-changer charges high fees to the extend where we can only get 50€ with 10000¥ whereas the market price shows that we can get at least 70€. Oh well, they do need to transport everything into the city by boats and hired someone to move everything by legs right?

If you have a chance to visit Italy, do drop by Venice even though you only have 24 hours!
The view and vibe of the city will be one of your most unforgettable ones throughout your lifetime.

This trip was originally published on Princess Hours.

Saint Mark's Basilica

This is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. We did entered the church (it's free) and had a glimpse inside but unfortunately we were not allowed to take photo. Also, backpacks or luggages were also not allowed inside. This is by far the strictest church I've came across in Italy. The interior was as beautiful as the outside, with a lot of gold mosaics.

Piazza San Marco

Also known as St Mark's Square, this is the public square of Venice with a lot of shops and cafes occupying the building surrounding this space. Most of the time, this is where the pigeons gather around chasing, or being chased by tourists

Palazzo Ducale

Known as the Doge's Palace, this building is built in Venetian Gothic style. This beautiful pink and white marble building was once a palace for the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice, but is now open to public as a museum. The richly decorated chambers of the Palace provide perfect introduction to the great artists of Venice from the middle age.

St Mark's Campanile

Also known as the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica, is open to public to ascent at 8 Euro per person. This bell tower is located less than 200 metres from our hotel and we got there pretty easily.

Rialto Bridge

Also known as the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica, is open to public to ascent at 8 Euro per person. This place need no further introduction. But too bad it was under renovation when we were there!!! "These two models will be remembered forever to all the people who took this photo..", said my bf. Which is quite true. 20 years later, when I look back at this photo, they will still be there holding each other. XD The worst part of this renovation is that it occurred at both sides of the bridge at the same time.

Grand Canal

Grand Canal is the main waterway of Venice in reverse-S course that divides the city into tow parts. With construction going on at Rialto Bridge, it is not surprise to say that the Grand Canal will be affected too. So we can only see views like photos below at both sides of the bridge.

San Zaccaria

Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore can supposedly be seen at the background but everything was white out!

Hotel Danieli

Hotel Danieli i well-known for appearing in the movie "The Tourist" that Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp starred in. We didn't actually went into the hotel, just a peek from outside and I remember the interior looks antique-ish, woody and classic, slightly different from how it looks from the outside.