Europe Summer 2017 12/17 - Italy : One Day Trip for Venice and Lovely Burano

"It's good to have someone to talk with 

while you traveling 

so you won't feel totally alone"

Picturesque Burano, Venice, Italy

Day 13 - Monday, 26 June 2017

The driver of Hello Bus is Italian, he just alone and didn't bring assistant with him. The journey took about 9.5 hours so whenever there is an announcement, he will speak in Italian haha which I don't understand. I was sitting alone on that night so it's great because I will have additional space. Arriving in Venice around 7.30 in the morning, Venezia Tronchetto (Piazzale People).

There were not many people when I get off from the bus, from there I took a train (1.5 Euro) to Venice area, the station was just there from I get off, and I get down at the last stop and from there I walked to  St. Lucia Station to store my bag on the locker because my train also will leave from St. Lucia Station. I didn't stay at Venice and will leave by train today at 7 PM. Since I decided to stay at Florence rather than Venice because I thought Venice is super turisty place so I prefer Florence.


The locker price is 6 Euro/5 hours per bag and additional 1 Euro/hour, I am planning to store my 2 bags but since the cost is per bag so I put my stuff into my new big backpack that I bought and keep the empty trolley to put few stuff and dragging around. The toilet here is expensive like 1 Euro, so take your time inside haha. Inside the station you can also find some cafe or shops.

Hello Bus Vienna - Venice (29 Euro)

Vending Machine Ticket to Venice Island

crossing the bridge heading to St. Lucia Station

View above the bridge, welcome to Venice :)

Venezia Santa Lucia Station

Store my bags there on the locker

Venezia is a small city and of course the highlight of Venice is gondola and canals, people said it's romantic city. Because of Gondola, I actually want to go to Venice because of that even though at the end I didn't go with gondola things, super expensive, suddenly I remember when I went to Macau where you can see a glimpse of Venice there haha. It's also one of the famous city in Italy, full with tourist but since I arrived in pretty early morning so it's not that crowded yet. Soon when you arrived at St . Lucia Station you can spotted San Simeone Piccolo, a Catholic church across the river.

San Simeone Piccolo

time to explore Venice!

woww

you can see like this everywhere

souvenirs

there is also in Jakarta but I haven't tried yet

the alleys

I am so excited to wander around Venice, it's a romantic city and I am alone but it's okay haha. My friend said just go to Rialto Bridge and heading to Piazza San Marco. Okay, I will follow that suggestions, wander around and you will see narrow alleys, bridges, canals, gondola like every time you walk, shops, cafe, gelato like everywhere. It's Italy which is located near the beach so their Summer is super hotter than other European countries that I visited before.

The shops, cafe are not opened yet and Venice is truly small city, too bad the water is not clear, more to green-ish yet brown-ish haha. Arrived at Rialto Bridge and well, the view is nice, with boats, gondola etc. I continue my walk and sometimes I bought gelato, I think due to hot weather so gelato is the best choice. If you want to take gondola, the price start from 80 Euro, touristy and expensive.

Rialto Bridge

View from Rialto Bridge, Gondola! :D

start from 80 Euro

Arriving at Piazza San Marco, the tourist heart of Venice and wow, what a nice building and architecture. One of buildings that captured my eyes is Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy, so beautiful.

entered one of church there

Saint Mark's Basilica

Piazza San Marco

Explore around and I remember my friend recommend me to check Burano, I was afraid at first if I might don't have enough time because it's one of those islands in Venice but I went it anyway. Anyway, there is Burano and Murano so make sure to get down on the right place, Burano.

I took a Venice Water Bus (Ferry/Vaporetto) from San Zaccaria Station around Piazza San Marco, asked for a ticket to Burano and back to St. Lucia Station, 15 Euro. I waited the waterbus then go to Burano, one time transit. Apologize sometimes I forgot to write down the station or waterbus number because at that time I was just asking the officer, people and whoever. Free Wifi is bit difficult at Venice, for toilet sometimes I find McDonalds and you can go to the toilet for free even yes, for sure it's only for customer but well..So I depends on people at that time to ask things and the blue dot on my phone GPS.

took the Water Bus from there to Burano

inside the Water Bus

Burano, an island in Venice lagoon, it's most picturesque and popular islands for tourists with brightly colored fishermen's houses which looks so beautiful. Glad I went here so I can see different side of Venice, yes it's still same like Venice you always saw, the different is the buildings are not high like the Venice one, still full with canals, bridges but smaller and colorful.

Wandering around just made me happy and I wonder how they arranged those colors, it's contrast but still nice to see. It kind of remind me with Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan. But Burano is smaller than Gamcheon, there were not many people yet and it's so calm, so I am glad, totally different with Venice.

nice

ohh the colors, the blue sky, perfect!

what a nice weather!

see, not too crowded! *happy

So beautiful <333

I went back to Venezia St. Lucia Station and decided to explore Venice again, buy some gelato, wander around, sitting on the banks enjoying my lunch while watching people and boat goes by, sometimes feel so grateful when breeze coming.

After that heading back to Venezia St. Lucia Station and waiting for my train to Florence. I get my backpack and charged for 8 Euro for 7 hours. So, yeah can you imagine I did stroll around Venice, go to Burano, back to Station and explore Venice again for twice, the train was delayed and my friend said Welcome to Italy! haha..first time experiencing about delayed in Europe :p

back to St. Lucia Station

the water bus ticket 15 Euro

Transit there and take another Water Bus to St. Lucia Station

back and explore once again

Gelato from Grom, try for the first time in Italy, 2.6 Euro, bit expensive

another gelato 1.6 Euro, cheap and better than Grom :p

There was small market or cafe in the station, quite expensive for mineral water and you must buy something to get Wifi password and a token for Free Toilet, first thing I learn in Italy, hard to get Free Wifi. Anyway there is a nice cosmetic shop there called Kiko, I went inside and bought few things, it's nice and cheap, I like it.

The train delayed for about an hour, bought Italo Train to Florence (19.5 Euro) and the journey is so short like 2 hours. It's recommended to take train in Italy so I took train while in Italy, beside it's almost end of my trip so I don't want to get exhausted, the train also very nice and easy accessible. On that night I am just afraid if I couldn't check in to my hotel at Florence. While waiting for my train, I met some Koreans and we had chatted until our train is coming, apaprently they also waiting for the same train. It's good to have someone to talk with while you traveling so you won't feel totally alone :)

Becca gave me this Apricot, delicious!

Italy and Pizza :)

waiting on the 2nd level with Free Wifi where I need to buy couple things first

Italo train is really nice, they have Free Wifi inside the train which is good and clean toilet inside. In 2 hours I arrived already at Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station, around 10 PM, it's dark already but I don't know I feel safe there. Firenze or Florence, well it's same. The station is quite big and before I went here I tried to book hotel which not that far from the station. 

From Station I walked to my hotel, Hotel Ottaviani (24 Euro), mixed dorm - 4 bed shared bathroom, city tax 2.5 Euro. It's just around 10-15 minutes walk and thankfully receptionist is 24 hours, yay, phew! When I went inside the room, was bit surprise because this the first time I saw dorm but not bunk-bed which were 4 single bed there. For me the hotel was so so, but I like the location because it's really near and the receptionist also nice, he gave me the map and explain what to do in Florence. I also met another Korean where he is solo traveling like me and we talked about our traveling stories, nice! Apparently his route is the opposite of mine.

inside Italo train off to Florence

Florence!

heading to my hotel at Florence

My room at Hotel Ottaviani, Florence (24 Euro/night)

Well, thank you for reading my travel diaries and I'll see you soon.

Have a lovely weekend!

MJ