I’m having a bit of an Italian renaissance at the moment with the blog posts. Photos of Lake Garda last week, reminiscing about an early holiday in Rome the week before. And now Venice. Yes it is a beautiful spot for a romantic holiday for two, but it is equally brilliant for a family city break. Granted I probably wouldn’t recommend it if your little ones are in buggies because you will be cursing my name forever more as you negotiate yet another little footbridge across the canals. However if your kids are a little older (mine was 10 at the time) it is a very compact, fascinating place that children will adore.
There are lots of cheap flights to Venice. We travelled from Stansted to Venice Treviso airport with Ryanair. From there a special coach took us on a 45 minute ride across the lagoon to the main coach park on the island of Venice itself. We then we picked up a Vaporetto (water bus) and made our way to the hotel. You can see why this probably isn’t attempted if you have masses of luggage or a large quantity of stressed children.
From here on in, trust me, the holiday became far more relaxing. We stayed in the Dorsudoro area of the city in the Hotel Ca’ Pisani which was just heavenly. Still housed in the traditional 14th century building, yet the design was all Art Deco. It was located near to the Grand Canal and, usefully, near a Vaporetto bus stop. A three-day travel card saved us a lot of money and tears as we could just nip on and off the water buses whenever the sightseeing got too tiring. To be honest, our son could have spent all day jumping on and off them.
We did eventually persuade him to do some walking too and St Mark’s Square, with the ever-present pigeons, was just as magnificent as we’d hoped. We probably should have queued up to go inside the Doge’s Palace or the Basilica San Marco but were just as happy sitting in the Spring sunshine with a cappuccino and an ice cream.
greeted us at the front of the museum: it’s of a funny man on a horse looking very happy and…ahem…excited shall we say. But I’m always putting rude photos on this blog so I shall keep him safely tucked away so he doesn’t scare anyone! Have a look at my son and me in the garden of the museum instead. Yes, far less entertaining I know.One of my favourite parts of the holiday was the boat trip across to the little island of Murano, famous for its glass. Visiting the glass-blowing factories is a great way to entertain children and the gorgeous pieces of jewellery you can buy certainly keeps mum happy. Dad just needs to keep getting his wallet out. If I remember rightly we had some fab chips here too….!
As I’ve said before, in Italy dining with kids is effortless. Pasta, pizza and ice cream in bustling yet relaxed surroundings where children are welcomed with open arms. We had some great meals, even finding, after a great deal of huffing and bickering as we got lost in the side streets, what was meant to be the best pizza restaurant in the city. Yup, they were delicious, though Dougie decided to try the special that night and struggled gamefully with what turned out to be pumpkin pizza. It wasn’t good.
Well if you insist, here he is, but I’ll just put a little photo of him – if you want the detail you’ll just have to click on him to make him bigger……!
Venice is one of my favourite cities, and I'd love to take the family there in the not too distant future *sigh*
That horse(?) doesn't look too happy… can't say I'm surprised.
@Liz – it is beautiful isn't it. Fingers crossed you'll get there again soon.
@the dotterel – Does it? I've never looked at the horse before ;-). Let me have a look….
Oh you're right, the creature (horse-thing) does indeed look rather stressed.
I've never been but you have made it sound very tempting.
CJ xx
Loved Venice when I went years ago…such a romantic city and not a place I'd think of taking the kids…particularly now I've seen that inappropriate statue with a huge hard-on…
…and yes I must be a bit of a perv because I did indeed click on the photo to make it larger!
Italy was our honeymoon spot. Such sweet memories!
Does it squirt water?
Yet another lovely place I haven't been. I haven't been anywhere! Venice always make me think of Death in Venice with Dirk Bogarde or that scary dwarf in the red coat in Don't Look Now or the last scene in Casino Royale. God I'm morbid.
Seriously, it looks lovely.
I was reading a comment you'd left somewhere (can't remember on whose blog) about you wanting to write for travel press but hadn't done much about it. Seriously I think you should. I was at journalism college with a girl who's now the bloody Deputy Editor of The Guardian Travel section and another writes for the Observer and….I'm sorry to be rude, but if they can do it…you definitely can. I can't get you a lead because I wasn't in their clique. Have you been on any of those Guardian Travel writing workshops? (usually an ad in the pages of the travel section).
So when the whoring's over, so to speak, are you going to?
@CJ – thanks. It is a super place.
@mummmmeeee – I just knew you'd click!
@mammatalk – heavenly for a honeymoon, anywhere in Italy really.
@deer baby – I don't think it squirted anything, thank goodness.
That's so good of you to take an interest in my writing. I'm just not sure whether to write these posts for me or to put my head above the parapet and take it a stage further. I will have a look at the writing workshops, that might be a good interim step. Whoring over in May!
Thank you so much xx
I've been saving Venice to go there with a special person on a suitably romantic break…. but somehow we never quite managed to find the time and now I'm not sure taking the girls along would feel quite right! But maybe you've inspired me. Watch this space(but don't hold your breath!)
Even though we visited Venice in November a few years ago, it was the perfect time. Not crowded, not smelly, and not flooded…the sun shone and you are quite right about the ease of using the vaporetto…we stayed in Cannareggio on the northwest and found walking around just fabulous..good food and drink, Murano was lovely and we did get a good view from the top of the Campanile..and we had our 12yr old daughter with us who loved it all…are'nt our kids lucky?
planb – it was very romantic even with a little boy in tow: there were sliding doors between our bedroom and the lounge area where his bed was!
Libby – I forgot to mention the fact that it wasn't smelly, something we'd been told to be aware of. You're so right about our kids being lucky. I'm acutely aware when I write posts about our holidays that we are very fortunate that we can afford them.
Hello! Oh, and I am so glad you posted that photo after all! I've always wanted to go to Venice – and now I want to even more! I think I'll try to get my husband on a trip and leave the kids at home 🙂
Oh I love Venice. Haven't been since I was 18 and would love to return. mmmm, big anniversary coming up next month, I may just have to drop some big hints to the Alpha Male…..
Lovely post.
MD xx
Aah – Murano – so fantastic. Especially seeing the blowers puffing on a fag and then blowing smoked glass – amazing! Loved that.
@Madame SG – I'd forgotten that! Classy.
@Modern Dilemma – sounds a great idea, let's hope he picks up on the hints!